FoundingDocs2013

This is a website that gives detailed analysis of the Pros and Cons of divisive issues debated by American society. It's a great way to start many a debate. Furthermore, it has specific connections to many Constitutional debates like Gun Control, Capital Punishment, and Citizenship.

These are great document analysis worksheets that could be used with any of the founding documents. I have specifically used them with major speeches and texts. I think these could also be used for an initial investigation of the Bill of Rights or Declaration of Independence.

This is an Interesting, but busy graphic about the 4th of July past and present. It provides interesting statistics and information about the day in 1776 and also modern traditions and interpretations. I think this graphic could be great for a small discussion about the most American of holidays.

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.

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.

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.

Tons of information about the US government divided into sections for various grade groups.  I think this would be especially helpful for the younger grades.  The readings are good for all grades but I think that as far as real activities go for older grades, it is lacking.  Overall, easy to use information and helpful for students to use on their own.

This is one of those classic websites, particularly for elementary students. This should be in the repertoire of all elementary teachers, for no other reason, than Constitution Day every September. I also think this is useful for ELL students whose vocabulary is limited but who need to know about US history and government.

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.

Landmark cases of the Supreme Court includes Marbury v. Madison, Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board and other instrumental cases in US history.  Provides synopsis' of the cases for different reading levels and a variety of class activities and worksheets that can be used.

Although I didn't use this entire lesson, there are some excellent vocabulary and 'anatomy' of the Constitution PDFs that would work well in lower grades and perhaps with ELL students.  Good overview of the structure of government and the powers and duties of the 3 branches. I feel that there is a lot to take from this lesson to use in class.

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. 

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.

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

This primary source document inlcudes key sources on the Constitutional government and an introduction that highlights key themes. Included are; The American Founding, Constitutional Government, Progressivism and Liberalism and Conservatism.

A huge resource of various primary sources from 500 BC to 1800 AD

A massive collection of literature and documents which were relevant to the colonists lives in America. Beginning in 500 B.C. - 500 A.D. through 1700-1800s. So for those Early American History lovers this is a good one. It also includes military documents.