This is a handy cheat sheet to compare the major differences between the Federalists and Antifederalists. It also includes an activity called "Who would say that?" that would help kids to apply their knowledge.
A good daily summary of what issues were discussed every day of the Constitutional Convention. Can be used in conjunction with Madison's notes which can be found on the Avalon Project
Written by historian Paul Finkelman, a very opinionated takedown of Jefferson that could be used as part of a critical study of slavery and the founders. I tried to preface our look at the article with a discussion of the dangers of judging historical figures by contemporary standards, but most kids remained firmly in the "monster" camp anyway
I was just doing the election of 1800 with my class and used this entertaining video to introduce a mini-project on the 1800 campaign. It used actual words that the mouthpieces of Adams and Jefferson used to produce a modern-day attack ad
This is a great, detailed exploration of the timeline of the passage and ratification of the 14th amendment from 1866-1868.The site as a whole provides details and timelines for many of the great events of American history, as covered by Harpers Weekly. It's also a great place to access cartoons for use in class!
Since the 14th amendment is one of the amendments we tend to concentrate on in the classroom, this is a particularly helpful site. There are so many ways to go with the amendment so teachers need to be picky about what they have time to accomplish. With this website, you have a variety of things to consider before figuring out what you will actually do with students in the amount of time you have.
I am really excited to use this website and all that it has to offer in terms of teaching about the Constitution as a living document. Peter Sagal's journeys across America and reflects on the magnificence and limitations of the Constitution. He speaks in student-friendly language, uses compelling graphics, and addresses ideas that will attract student attention (such as women in sports and how far we have come).
This website provides a great breakdown of the Constitution in kid-friendly language. It can be a great resource for lower achieving students who are trying to tackle the often complex language of the document.
Documentary from the American Social History Project. It looks at the American Revolution from a social history perspective. It follows the events of the 1770s from the perspective of a Boston shoemaker. Interesting take. I've found the documentaries produced by this organization to be excellent.
This website is a real "go-to" for me when looking for visuals to enhance my teaching. It has resources from all eras, and there are some hard to find images here. Could help teachers at any level.
This is a great article that depicts Woodrow Wilson's arrival for his inauguration in 1913 and how dismayed he was to find there was no crowd. The article gives details on the momentum of the women's movement as a group and not just certain individuals.
I would say this is an article about the development of the women's movement. Eleanor Roosevelt, in her own quiet but interesting way, was quite the supporter of women's rights. While not for student reading at elementary and middle, this article provides great background info.
This site has a number of podcasts summarizing Supreme Court decisions that influence the rights of students. I like that these podcasts are (mostly) in student-friendly language. I also like the idea of using podcasts as a way of accessing auditory learners and addressing the skill of note-taking and picking out key informaton.
I agree, Becca, that this site is quite accessible for students because of the podcasts. The cases they provide are all ones that could be used in the classroom.
This site is great for resources on teaching the First Amendment. There are lessons for a range of ability levels and connections to Supreme Court cases. Lessons also encourage students to examine the First Amendment's present-day relevancy.
This website is great, because it sorts court cases by topic/amendment addressed. Also, because it's from the ACLU, all of the issues revolve around people's rights in a concrete way, which makes it accessible for students.
The 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal civil and legal rights to African-Americans and slaves who had been emancipated after the American Civil War. This simple overview of the 14th Amendment and Brown vs Board of Education would be appropriate for elementary students. It does have short advertisements.
This short videoblog with Kenneth C. Davis sparks interest in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution by discussing the Loving case for interracial marriage.
