Explore the Constitution 101 Student Course This Summer

The Constitution 101 course with Khan Academy is launching in a few weeks—be the first to explore the course and see how to implement it in your classroom in the fall. A complement to the teacher-led Constitution 101 curriculum, this student course utilizes a mastery-based approach through activities, exercises, and video interviews with dozens of constitutional scholars, professors, and experts from diverse political philosophies. Learn more

Resource of the Month

Lesson Plan: Freedom of Speech

How do you use this resource in the classroom?

I used this lesson as an introduction to the First Amendment before my students engaged in a Scholar Exchange with the NCC. I found that this lesson really helped the students understand the nuances of the First Amendment and where it does and doesn't apply.

What was your students' experience with the resource?

In particular, my students loved the hypothetical situations that are at the opening and closing of the lesson. Students loved that the lesson incorporated real life examples and that it connected so well with our Scholar Exchange experience.

Rebecca "Beck" Stephens

7th Grade U.S. History Teacher in New York

National Constitution Center Teacher Advisory Board Member

Stories of We the People

Live From the Museum: Portraits of a New Nation

Tuesday, May 21 | Noon ET

Run time: 30 minutes

In collaboration with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, this program allows students to analyze portraits as primary sources to unlock the past. From the wife of a Founding Father to a Black artist making a living in the early Republic, museum educators guide classes in a discussion around how principles of freedom and equality were granted to some but denied to others.

Photo: West Entrance and Fairmount Water Works. Graydon Wood, Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Civic Stories: Some Fighting Quakers

Thursday, May 23 | Noon ET

Run time: 30 minutes

Live ASL interpretation available

The Religious Society of Friends has been known as a pacifist faith—yet throughout time, Quakers have both embraced this belief and broken from it. This program highlights Betsy Ross and Samuel Nicholas, two Quakers who joined the branch known as Free Quakers, as well as some of their Quaker contemporaries who remained Loyalist to the cause. How did their faith impact their response to the Revolution? 

Presented in partnership with Arch Street Meeting House.

Live From the Museum: The Unknown Soldier Aboard Olympia

Friday, May 24 | 11 a.m. ET

Run time: 35 minutes

Join us and learn the story of the Unknown Soldier aboard Olympia, led by Independence Seaport Museum's Manager of Historic Ships Greg Williams. Discover the story about the unspeakable perils of World War I and follow along as we share the drama of the return of the Unknown Soldier’s remains and how this story had fallen into obscurity, until now.

Presented in partnership with the Independence Seaport Museum.

Professional Learning for Educators

The Fourth Amendment With David Gray

Wednesday, May 15 | 6:30–8 p.m. ET

In this session, participants join professor David Gray, of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, to examine the historical context and the drafting of the Fourth Amendment. This session allows participants to examine the Fourth Amendment’s text, history, and interpretation, describe key terms and ideas (like searches, seizures, and privacy), and define some of the key debates about where the Fourth Amendment is headed in an age of new technology.

David Gray is the Jacob A. France Professor of Law at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law where he teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, international criminal law, and jurisprudence. His scholarship focuses on criminal law, criminal procedure, constitutional theory, and transitional justice. His books include The Fourth Amendment an Age of Surveillance and the Cambridge Handbook of Surveillance Law, among others.

Thank you for being part of our community of educators. If you have any questions we’d love to hear from you. Please email the education team at [email protected].

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