At the beginning of every school year at Park Forest Elementary School (PFE), it is customary for teachers to invite their students to participate in establishing guidelines for behavior and citizenship in their respective classrooms. Teacher Lorraine McGarry and principal Donnan Stoicovy began the 2012-13 school year, however, by taking this…

Public school principals and teachers have a compelling need to understand student rights when teaching constitutional principles that apply to students. This book seeks to help both students and educators understand those rights. The work concerns itself with the fundamental federal constitutional rights of public school students. A study of the…

Enshrined in the First Amendment as part of the Bill of Rights that was added to the then 4 year old US Constitution in 1791, it should be no surprise that freedom of speech may be perhaps the most cherished right of Americans. If anything, freedom of speech, which is properly treated as a fundamental human right for children, certainly stands out…

This curriculum guide contains teacher-prepared elementary school lesson plans on the U.S. Constitution. The document was developed as a result of a Franklin County (Ohio) Educational Council U.S. Bicentennial-related Constitution workshop, during which elementary school teachers and principals exchanged knowledge and resources. Each lesson plan…

A comparative study of constitutions and governments in world history is a key to deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution. While many countries have constitutions, the United States is among a minority of nations in today's world that has a constitutional government. Many nations' constitutions truly guarantee few protections of individual…

This teaching guide provides methods for integrating the study of law and citizenship into chronologically based U.S. History courses for elementary students. Correlated with the Illinois State Goals for Learning and the Learning Outcomes of the Chicago Public Schools as well as with national standards projects, the lessons encourage critical…

Because attaining citizenship skills remains the principal goal of social studies, this unit was designed to highlight the founding of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights in a manner appropriate to both primary and intermediate elementary children. Each lesson includes objectives, materials, and procedures, as well as supplementary…

This booklet contains the official materials that student teams used to prepare for the 16th Annual California State Mock Trial Competition, held in April 1997. The mock trial process is designed to clarify for students the workings of legal institutions. As student teams study a hypothetical case, conduct legal research, and receive guidance from…

In 2004, Commissioner of Education D. Kent King appointed a statewide task force to study Missouri high schools and make recommendations on strengthening the ways they help students prepare for life after high school. The State Board of Education adopted the following recommendations in 2005 and 2006. The State Board of Education increased minimum…

Although schools cannot shoulder the entire burden in the civic enlightenment struggle, they must maintain a central role. This article defines civic education, recommends teaching about conflicting constitutional interpretations, and explains the Bicentennial curriculum designed by Chief Justice Warren Burger. Includes 15 references. (MLH)

This newsletter essay explores the conflicts between individual values and community values and efforts to resolve these conflicts under the U.S. Constitution. The paper includes five sections: (1) Introduction; (2) Value Conflicts and the Constitution; (3) Making Value Conflicts Relevant to Students; (4) For Example: The Indiana University…

This report addresses the long-term educational responsibility of helping young people become more knowledgeable about the meaning and values of the U.S. Constitution in their personal and civic life. The Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and the upcoming Bicentennial of the U.S. Bill of Rights in 1991 present the opportunity to refocus…