Constitution Day 09/13/2009
Does your school have a coherent plan for implementing Constitution Day? In 2005, the United States Department of Education implemented Constitution Day and Citizenship Day based on legislation passed by Congress in December 2004 stating, “Educational institutions receiving Federal funding are required to hold an educational program pertaining to the United States Constitution on September 17th of each year” (118 Stat. 2809, 3344-45, Section III). An aligned approach to teaching students about the Constitution will enable and empower students. While social studies is taught in kindergarten-twelfth grade, the United States Constitution is not the central focus of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study at each grade level. An aligned K-12 method of implementing Constitution Day will give students more opportunities to study the United States Constitution and concepts such as citizenship. If school systems do not articulate a systematic plan, Constitution Day will become an annual day where students complete word find(s), worksheets, design mobiles (i.e., 3 branches of government), create acrostics to words such as freedom, play Bingo, watch videos and participate in other educational activities which will be repeated from one year to the next. Constitution Day will become more relevant to students when teachers begin working collaboratively to identify what is being taught, what knowledge is worth understanding and how connections can be made across the K-12 social studies experiences and across disciplines. The resources in this Constitution Day Teacher's Guide will assist teachers and administrators in developing a plan for Constitution Day 2009 and beyond. Additional Resources: Constitution Day: From Isolated Activities to Meaningful Experiences A Teacher's Guide for Planning and Implementing Constitution Day (Attached) Constitution Day Resource Guide Developed by Steven M. Weber and the NC Civic Education Consortium Constitution Day Presentation (Attached) Presented at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies Conference (2008) - Feel free to use with your school staff. 
Essential Questions 03/01/2009
 “The essential question is conceptual commitment. When a teacher or group of teachers selects a question to frame and guide curricular design, it is a declaration of intent. In a sense you are saying”, ‘This is our focus for learning. I will put my teaching skills into helping my students examine the key concept implicit in the essential question’ (Jacobs, 1997, pp. 27). | AuthorSteven Weber is the Director of Secondary Instruction for Orange County Schools in Hillsborough, NC. Weber has served as a classroom teacher, assistant principal, and state department of education consultant in Arkansas and North Carolina. He consults school systems in aligning their curriculum and in unpacking curriculum standards.  ArchivesMarch 2010 CategoriesAll | ||||
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