South Carolina Social Studies Educator Update
September 2013
- Additional Resources for Constitution Day
- World War II Museum Resources
- Teaching Economic Concepts with Picture Books and Junior Novels
- Colonial Williamsburg’s Gift to the Nation:Founders or Traitors? Electronic Field Trip
- Learn More about Recent Changes to AP U.S. History
- Fantasy SCOTUS Project
- Colonial Williamsburg Resource: Approaching Controversial Issues
- ETV Teacher Recertification - FALL Session 2013
- Facing History and Ourselves - Online Professional Development
- South Carolina Department of Education Resources
- Additional Resources for Constitution Day
Annenberg Media
- The Constitution: That Delicate Balance: features a panel discussion on constitutional issues by distinguished personalities in government, media, and law.
- See how key figures in law, media, government, religion, military, health care, and business puzzle through controversies introduced through hypothetical cases and the Socratic method in Ethics in America and Ethics in America II.
- Hear leading historians recount American history illustrated by historical footage in Democracy in America. The course Web site has downloadable readings that include the writings of Frederick Douglass, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Niccolo Machiavelli, Thomas Paine, and Alexis de Tocqueville.
- Making Civics Real: A Workshop for Teachers presents effective high school lessons and access Web-based materials including student and teacher perspectives, essential readings, and primary source documents.
- For middle and high school teachers, America's History in the Making looks at the early development of the U.S. system of government. See unit 4, "Revolutionary Perspectives," and click on OAH Talking History to listen to the radio programs "Revolutionary Mothers" and "Washington's Slaves." Then see unit 20, “Egalitarian America,” for a look at more recent constitutional issues.
- Learn about the beginnings of the U.S. Constitution in "A New System of Government," program 5 of A Biography of America.
- Programs in The Western Tradition relevant to the Constitution include program 5, "The Rise of Greek Civilization," program 6, "Greek Thought," program 37, "The American Revolution," and 38, "The American Republic."
- Search for historical artifacts –- images and documents -- related to the Constitution in the American Passages archive. Our special slideshow tool also allows you to create one or more presentations using items from the archive.
Classroom Law Project
“Visitor from Outer Space”:Great with all age groups. The U.S. is overtaken by space aliens and learners are asked to ponder which rights are most important.
Bill of Rights Institute
The Bill of Rights Institute has developed materials to help students and other observers understand the significance of the U.S. Constitution in observance of Constitution Day. Free materials are available to download from the web site. There are Constitution Day lessons for middle school and high school as well as a Constitution Cube lesson with activities for all levels. "Champions of Freedom" is a middle school activity that includes images of the Founding Fathers.
Center for Civic Education
The Center for Civic Education has lesson topics for all grade levels:
- Kindergarten: Introduction to the term authority
- Grades 1 and 2: Introduction to the terms authority, limited government and law
- Grades 3 and 4: Introduction to the Preamble's ideas and importance
- Grades 5 and 6: Explore terms in the Preamble
- Grades 7 and 8: The federal system and the role of federal vs. state governments
- Grades 9 and 10: Introduction to the first Congress, establishing the executive and judicial branches, and drafting of the Bill of Rights
- Grades 11 and 12: Major conflicts and the Bill of Rights
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Constitutional Rights Foundation provides resources to educate young people about the responsibilities of "civic participation in a democratic society." Among the resources are lessons with the following titles: "A Visitor for Outer Space (V.O.I.C.E.)," "Diversity and Equality (The Challenge of Diversity)," "The Constitution and Governance (The Challenges of Governance)," "The Tired King (Adventures in Law and History, Vol. II)" and other titles.
Dirksen Congressional Center
The Dirksen Congressional Center promotes an understanding of the U.S. Congress and its leaders through archives, research and educational programs. On the Historical Documents page under "Constitution" are a number of links to other resources.
First Amendment Center
The First Amendment Center provided information about the First Amendment freedoms to protect and preserve the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The center is housed at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and Arlington, Virginia. Materials are organized according to the five freedoms in the First Amendment. Lesson plans are also included.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
The Gilder Lehrman Institute has a module on the U.S. Constitution under "For Teachers and Students." Resources include primary sources, a bibliography of books, films and additional web sites. Lesson plans illustrate how to put all of the resources together.
History Channel
"This Day in History" for September 17 provides information about the U.S. Constitution.
Law Focused Education, Inc.
The Law Focused Education, Inc. web site has activities for students, lesson plans and other materials for teachers to use in planning for Constitution Day. There is a weekly Constitution quiz, a Constitution game, Preamble Scramble and Branches of the Federal Government among several interactive activities.
Liberty Day
Liberty Day is a nonprofit organization dedicated to education youth about the basics of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence and to distributing copies of those documents to the country’s fifth graders. They also provide a Complete Education Resource for teachers on the Constitution. The Resource includes a Teacher’s Packet containing a lesson plan, two evaluation forms, and multiple-choice pre- and post-tests. Also included are copies of the documents and a set of 24 Q&A flashcards on the contents of the Constitution. For more information, go to the web site or contact Andy McKean at .
National Archives
The National Archives Building in Washington, D. C. houses the handwritten copy of the U.S. Constitution. An article included on the web site entitled "A More Perfect Union" provides details of the Constitutional Convention and the process for ratifying the U.S. Constitution. Interesting facts about the U.S. Constitution are included in "Questions and Answers Pertaining to the Constitution." These resources are available on the Constitution web page.
National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is dedicated to increasing public understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Their resources include a toolkit for a group of people to read the Constitution aloud and lesson plans and other resources. The first web address is for the home page for the National Constitution Center. The second web address is for Constitution Day activities. The third web address links to the "America Reads the Constitution" tool kit.
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) web site has at least thirty-five lessons and other activities relating to the U.S. Constitution. One lesson for high school is entitled "Why Celebrate Constitution Day?" Most of the lessons appear to be for high school and middle school classes.
U.S. Courts
The U.S. Courts web site has discussion topics in one-page handouts, fast facts, interactive games, sixth amendment activities and court simulations.
Constitution Day, Inc.
- WWII Museum Resources
Featured Lesson: A Looongway From Home
In this hands-on cross-curricular geography lesson, students will create a direction sign pointing the way to and describing important WWII locations. Working alone or in pairs, and using a variety of research methods, this lesson is fully customizable and can work with grades 5-12. World War II was truly a global conflict, with more than 100 million soldiers fighting on three continents. Bring the lessons of World War II closer to home for your students. View and download this lesson plan
How V-Mail Changed War Communication
Short for "Victory Mail," V-mail was developed by Eastman Kodak and was the main way soldiers stationed abroad were able to communicate with friends and family back home. In contrast to regular mail, V-mail allowed for faster, less expensive, and more secure correspondence. As primary sources, letters sent by V-mail offer great insight into how soldiers and their loved ones handled things like shortages, rationing and the fear of war. Take a closer look at V-Mail.
The Kids Corner Makes Learning Fun
In the Kids Corner, students can make their own propaganda posters, test their memory, learn how to message with Navy flags, complete word searches, solve puzzles and more! Learn about World War II and have fun at the same time.
Spotlight On: Operation Footlocker
The National WWII Museum Operation Footlocker provides schools across the country with unique hands-on opportunities to explore the history and lessons of WWII by exploring WWII artifacts. These traveling trunks are designed to supplement WWII education in the classroom. Each footlocker comes loaded with about 15 actual artifacts from WWII (not reproductions!). Of course, no weapons or ammunition are included. But there are ration books, V-mail letters, dog tags, sand from the beaches of Normandy and Iwo Jima, wartime magazines, a high school yearbook from the early 1940s, and many other artifacts, both commonplace and surprising. Footlockers come complete with white cotton gloves for handling the artifacts and a teacher’s manual that describes each object and contains directions for conducting artifact “reading” sessions. Learn more about Operation Footlocker and reserve your trunk today!
- Teaching Economic Concepts with Picture Books and Junior Novels
A book for librarians and teachers, by Nancy J. Polette,
Book Description
What better way to explain economic concepts than through story? Using quality literature to introduce younger students to economic terms and concepts is an engaging and effective teaching method. This book demonstrates how.
At what age can children benefit from learning about economics? The consensus among educators today is the earlier the better. K–8 teachers and librarians will find this book invaluable for introducing basic economic concepts to students and giving them a solid foundation of understanding that can be built upon as they advance in grade level. Author Nancy Polette, prolific author and expert on using picture books for education, explains how to use 20 picture books to present basic ideas such as credit, wants and needs, and supply and demand; and to build understanding of more complex concepts with 20 junior novels. The titles and suggested activities enable students to enjoy the literary experience and benefit from economic lessons that sink in because they are presented through stories involving characters with whom children can relate.
Features
- Supplies an appealing and highly effective way to enrich the social studies curriculum
- Presents discussion questions applicable to public library storytimes
- Provides grade level-appropriate activities and reproducibles in a ready-to-use format that saves teachers and librarians time
- Recommends titles that are easily available
Sample Topics
- Barter and Trade
- Capital, Human, and Natural Resources
- Collateral
- Credit
- Decision Making
- Goods and Services
- Incentives
- Investment
- Opportunity Cost
- Productivity
- Standard of Living
- Supply and Demand
- Wants versus Needs
- Colonial Williamsburg’s Gift to the Nation:Founders or Traitors? Electronic Field Trip
Complimentary Access from May 1, 2013 through May 1, 2014. Founders or Traitors? from the award-winning Electronic Field Trip Series.
Discover the risks the signers of the Declaration of Independence took in The Electronic Field Trip, “Founders or Traitors?” The months of late 1776 were “the times that try men’s souls.” Join Edward Rutledge, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams as they attend a conference with British admiral Lord Howe, hoping to end the American rebellion peacefully.
What Is Colonial Williamsburg's Gift To The Nation?
Colonial Williamsburg’s Gift to the Nation offers students an opportunity to interact virtually with historical characters and provides teachers with unique resources to engage students in the study of citizenship and our founding democratic principles. Statistics from the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress indicate that academic performance in history for students in grades 4 to 8 (the targeted group for Electronic Field Trips) has declined substantially over the past few years. By providing this electronic field trip without charge to schools and home school families, Colonial Williamsburg demonstrates its commitment to halt that decline.
Available online 24/7 from May 1, 2013 to May 1, 2014
- On-demand video streaming over the Web;
- Email John Adams;
- Interactive online games;
- Downloadable resources, such as the teacher guide and program script (PDF);
- Comprehensive classroom lesson plans.
To register, go to
- Learn More about Recent Changes to AP U.S. History
The AP Program announces significant changes to the AP U.S. History course and exam, changes that accomplish two major goals. They maintain AP U.S. History's strong alignment with the knowledge and skills taught in introductory courses at the college level. They also offer teachers the flexibility to focus on specific historical topics, events, and issues in depth. The course takes effect in fall 2014-15, followed by the revised AP Exam in May 2015. For more information, go to
- Fantasy SCOTUS Project
Building on the success of the 2013 Virtual Supreme Court project, the Harlan Institute has partnered with The Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) to host the second annual Virtual Supreme Court competition. This competition offers teams of two high school students the opportunity to research cutting-edge constitutional law, write persuasive appellate briefs, argue against other students through video chats, and try to persuade a panel of esteemed attorneys during oral argument that their side is correct. This year the competition focuses on National Labor Relations Board v. Noel Canning Corporation.
The competition is endorsed by the Center for Civic Education’s We The People Competition:
“The Center for Civic Education is excited to endorse the Virtual Supreme Court Competition. The Competition is relevant for high school students studying the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”
--Robert Leming, Director, We the People Programs, Center for Civic Education
The Question: Resolved:What is the scope of the President’s recess appointment power?
The Rules
This competition has two stages, which mirror the process by which attorneys litigate cases.
Stage One: The Briefing
A team of two students will be responsible for writing an appellate brief arguing for one side of the topic. This brief will be posted on their class’s FantasySCOTUS. Blog posts will be due by February 28, 2014. Completed briefs will be awarded the ConSource Badge. You can see the winning briefs from 2013 here.
Stage Two: Oral Arguments
The Harlan Institute and ConSource will select the top four briefs taking the affirmative position, and the top brief briefs taking the negative position, and seed them for oral arguments. All eight teams will compete in a virtual oral argument session over Google+ Hangout judged by staff members at the Harlan Institute and ConSource. Only teams that submit briefs that fully comply with all of the rules will be considered for oral argument. The first round of oral arguments, the District court, will match up the top eight teams, in March of 2014. The four teams that advance will meet up in the second round of oral arguments, the Court of Appeals, in April of 2014. The top two teams that advance will meet in the final round of oral arguments, the Supreme Court, in May of 2014. These two teams will compete virtually in front of a panel of prominent appellate attorneys. You can see the video from the 2013 Competition here. The winners will be crowned the Solicitors General of FantasySCOTUS, and win a prize.
The Prizes
Grand Prize – The Solicitors General of FantasySCOTUS
The members of grand-prize winning team, the Solicitors General of FantasySCOTUS, will receive a free trip, including airfare and one night of hotel accommodations, to Washington, D.C. to attend the ConSource Constitution Day celebration in September 2014. Winners must be at least 18 years at the time of the trip (it is no problem if the student has already graduated high school in September of 2014, so long as he or she was in high school during the competition). This offer is open to U.S. residents only.
Second Prize
Members of the runner-up team will each receive an iPad.