[jmitchell]

Does anyone have any ideas for activities to do on Constitution Day? I teach 5th and 6th grade and would like to do something fun with the students.

We create our own constitution. First we learn what was going on in the colonies, why people came, how the government was run and who was running things, what laws they had to live with that they felt were unjust etc. Then I have them decide what they think are good rules for the county. Then we compare them to what the forefathers wrote, it is amazing how their constitution has many of the same tenets.

It is also interesting to write a constitution of this century...would they make the same rules as they did as colonials?

I am going to go over the Bill of Rights with my students, and then I will have them create their own Bill of Rights for our school. In the past, we've also had them break into groups, and each group gets 7 paper clips and dice, and in their group they have to create a game with rules. Everyone has to agree. Once this is done, we discuss that process of agreeing and coming up with rules. We then connect it back to the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

I introduce the lesson with a book called Shhh! We're Writing the Constitution. Then each child researches a writer of the Constitution. They later on become that person on our "Constitution Day." They dress up, I powder their hair, and they bring their research on an "ID" card. They are seated as though they were in Independance Hall. I cut off the air conditioner, shut the shades, turn minimal lights on, and they are instantly put in the mood for the activity. I seat them at long tables covered in green tableclothes (like the actual ones the writers sat at). They are given quill pens, an ink well, and paper that looks old. They experiment with writing different sections of the Constitution. The students love this activity. They come back to me and talk about it for years to after. I hope you are able to use something in this activity.

[maree]

I am glad to hear that someone is asking about this activity. THis is my first year and the teachers at my school act like it is no big deal. I am a hands-on teacher that want my students to get involved in the lesson and not just listen to a lecture from me. Thanks for the ideas......