With a new federal law kicking in this fall that requires public school teachers to teach about the U.S. Constitution, a number of organizations have prepared free materials and Internet resources related to the topic.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation launched a new Web site that links to instructional guides and lesson plans, posters, books, and support services for teaching about the First Amendment (www.TeachFirstAmendement.org)
The National Archives has assembled an array of resources on its Teaching With Documents site, including links to core historical papers, suggestions for classroom activities, a simulation of the writing of the Constitution, and other materials (www.archives.gov).
The National Constitution Center, the Bill of Rights Institute, the Civic Mission of Schools, and other organizations have teamed up to offer downloadable copies of the Constitution, an interactive feature that allows students to simulate the signing of the document, and a live public reading of the Constitution on Sept. 17, the day designated by Congress for schools to commemorate the founding document (www.constitutionday.us).
