Bell Ringer: The Constitution of the United States Vignette

This 1950s classroom film depicts the problems that led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, such as Shay’s Rebellion and confusing state currencies, and then dramatizes some of the major events of the 1787 Constitutional Convention.

Bell Ringer: Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the Shadow Docket

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett talked about the Court’s emergency docket, also known as the shadow docket. Justice Barrett spoke at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia with president & CEO Jeffrey Rosen.

Civic Online Reasoning Curriculum

Students are confused about how to evaluate online information. We all are. The Civic Online Reasoning curriculum provides free lessons and assessments that help you teach students to evaluate online information that affects them, their communities, and the world.

Women’s Fight for Suffrage

Learn about women’s fight for the right to vote in the United States including major leaders and strategies of the women’s suffrage movement.

Traditions of the Senate: Senate Decorum

For more than 200 years, the United States Senate has held certain traditions and customs that Senators follow in order to work together in Congress. Learn about Senate decorum, or the rules about how senators behave as they work. Then, use the worksheet to make some family rules.

Issue Investigation: Fracking

This Issue Investigation explores fracking, a way of using high-pressured liquid, sand, and chemicals to crack rock far underground and remove oil, coal, and gas. Some people think fracking is a great way for energy production and jobs. Other people think fracking is dangerous for the environment and public health.