This curriculum, intended to be used in the upper elementary grades, introduces students to the study of constitutional government in the United States. It is designed to help students understand the most important ideas of the constitutional system and how they were developed. Its intent is to provide students with a knowledge of how the Constitution came into existence, why it took the form it did, and how it has functioned for the past 200 years. By gaining such an understanding, students will prepare themselves for the responsibility of citizenship. The curriculum employs a conceptually oriented approach that stresses the development of analytic and evaluative skills. It is intended that students will learn how to apply their understanding and knowledge to a wide variety of political questions and issues. The skills they develop will help them to relate their everyday experiences to basic issues of constitutional government and civic responsibility. The curriculum is organized into five units: (1) What were the Founders' basic ideas about government? (2) How was our Constitution written? (3) How did the Framers organize our government? (4) How does the Constitution protect your basic rights? and (5) What are the responsibilities of citizens? A reference section also is included containing copies of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, brief biographies of important Framers, and a glossary. (DB)