FoundingDocs2013

This is the US government's Immigration website. On the site, you can find information about how to become a US Citizen.

This is a website from the non-profit Independence Hall Association. They are a group of private citizens who are consulted about maintaining Independence Hall national site. If you click on "Our Congress of Websites" there are links to other websites that might be useful.

I enjoyed it, being a native Philadelphian. Don't know how much Bostonians will relate but it was fun to review it.

Lessons, activities, and resources about the Constitution-whether or not you celebrate Constitution Day. You do need to be a member of NCSS to access materials.

Yes, you do need to be a member.

Excerpt of letters from Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Morris,Henry Lee,and Henry Knox from the last years of the war to the beginnings of Constitutional Convention. The letters discuss specific problems with the Articles and give interesting insight into the views and characters of the people who went on to create the Constitution.

Written by Madison, Hamilton and Jay, (although anonymously) with the intention of helping to persuade New York to ratify the Constitution. These essays discuss specific provision of the Constitution in detail and can be used to gain insight into the intentions of the writers of the Constitution.

This poem was written to promote passage of the Constitution. It makes the argument that the nation needs a "new roof" (the Constitution) as it's roof is in badly need of repair.

I love this game about the Constitutional Convention. It has lots of great videos for students to watch that are entertaining and clearly explain what was going on. Kids go through representing one state and vote on parts on the constitutional convention and then they see how each state actually voted. Some of the links are broken, but most work well. The game takes a while - at least 45 minutes (and is maybe a little too long), but I think kids would be engaged and would walk away with a great base understanding of how the Constitutional Convention went and what it was like to be there.

Here is a great summary by the NYT about Supreme Court cases that revolves around student freedoms - it is a great catalyst for discussions and student involvement in politics and student government.

Fabulous site. Every high school student will be fascinated to read about cases involving school and teens. The SC cases are beautifully analyzed and very accessible for high school kids.

So helpful even for my middle school students, I think. I even learned some things! Who knew that 28 states still allow corporal punishment? I especially love the "impact" sections, which show how influential these rulings can be on future cases.

This website is a huge collection of U.S. history texts, documents and audio/video files. Everything is organized by year, which makes it easier to locate specific documents.

 A huge library of the founding documents and a timeline.  Many of the documents include a glossary.  However, many of the connected sites don't work.  Also just be careful as this website does seem to have a right wing agenda. 

Very simple, easy to read write up about the Seneca Falls Convention that can be adapted for class.  Includes portraits of the major players.

Portraits seemed to be "down" when I went to the site. But, the narrative is certainly easy reading for secondary students.

From the LOC their information and primary sources on the Seneca Falls Convention.  In addition to the manuscript, it also has additional views about the convention from other sources of the time.  This might be good to use to have students compare the viewpoints of the time.

This site includes many primary resources on the founding documents.  While I think it might be a little overwhelming for students to use, teachers could use the annotated Constitution section which gives excellent notes, information and writings about the Constitution and the BIll of Rights.  It also includes a lot of supporting primary documents that assisted in writing the founding documents.

Write up of Seneca Falls Convention with links to other sites regarding womens' suffrage and women leaders in general.

Included is a document description, a transcript, the ten amendments, a timeline and games to play. The games include The Court and Democracy, Law, Power and Personality and The First Hundred Years. Each game begins with a question and then you can scroll over certain areas. Interesting facts in these games.

This games has students play each of the branches of government in order to create laws, support and defend them. It's simplified enough for young students (upper elementary and middle school) and very engaging. It takes about 30 minutes to play the whole game, but I was able to get quite a bit out of it in just 10 minutes. It helps to clarify the roles of each of the branches of government and how they work together.

Annenberg materials are always reliable and both the games are certainly usable for upper elementary students.

Here is a link to the video of the School House Rock Preamble song. In fifth grade, I had to memorize the preamble and this was really helpful. Even those these videos are old and a little cheesy, I've found elementary students love them.

One of the classics! Old, cheesy, but effective!

These created lessons span K-12. They are all slideshow based and text heavy, but some of the interactives and the links are neat. They could be helpful in developing an introduction to a constitution unit.

Great Game that allows you to create a politician and try to pass a bill through congress.  You must read through constituents letters, decide on an issue to focus on, rally support, compromise with the other house and send the bill to the president. I had a lot of fun playing it and I think students would as well.

This collection of images provides a pictorial account of the Suffrage Movement, as well as an historical overview of the National Women's Party, timeline, information on selected leaders of the party, tactics and techniques of the campaign, and Gallery of Suffrage Prisoners. The photo collection is particularly great as a way to show the actions of the NWP.