Civil dialogue allows students to articulate their ideas about various issues in a respectful manner. The National Constitution Center has the resources you need to implement this important practice in your classroom.
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Watch this video from Justice Breyer's visit to the Center in 2015 where he explains the process Supreme Court Justices use to decide cases.
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Use this lesson plan, which focuses on the video, to introduce norms and structure for civil dialogue, too!
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The Civil Dialogue Toolkit has everything you need for before, during, and after a discussion with you students- including how to set up the classroom, different roles for students during the discussion, and how to grade it.
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Constitutional questions, those that ask what can the government do instead of what should the government do, are a great way to focus the discussion and push students to use evidence to support their answers. Check out these handouts for some examples of constitutional questions in relation to the clauses of the First Amendment.
- Freedom of Speech
- Freedom of the Press
- Freedom of Religion: Establishment
- Freedom of Religion: Exercise
- Freedom of Petition and Assembly
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The National Constitution Center offers a multitude of professional development opportunities throughout the year.
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Come to the Center for a Saturday Seminar for a day of tours, classroom application sessions, and civil dialogue training. There is no cost to attend, but teachers are asked to register. The next date is October 12 focusing on Voting Rights. Registration opens two months prior to the date of the seminar.
- Future dates and topics are:
- January 11, 2020 – Civil War and Reconstruction
- February 8, 2020 – The Presidency
- March 7, 2020 – Second Amendment
- April 18, 2020 – Federalism
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The Education Team will travel to your school for a full-day, half-day, or after school professional development workshop. Working with your department to create a meaningful and engaging presentation, the Center will provide classroom ready resources and online materials to take right back to your students. Email [email protected] for more information.
- Spend a week in Philadelphia this summer at one of our Summer Teacher Institutes. With scholars, tours, classroom application sessions, and historical sites, theses institutes are a great way to gain deeper understanding of content and pedagogy. Applications will be available soon.
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The Constitutional Ambassadors Program, available for high school students, is an immersive field trip experience that includes tours of museum exhibitions, a conversation with a constitutional expert, a deep dive into a specific constitutional provision, and a dialogue with students from a different school. Teachers receive resources to prepare students before the trip, and follow-up materials to round out the activity after returning to the classroom. Interested teachers can register here or contact Gina Romanelli at [email protected] for more information.
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Classroom Exchanges return for the 2019-2020 school year with the new online matchmaking platform! Sign up to have your class participate in these online, synchronous exchanges to discuss big, constitutional questions with another classroom from around the country.
Interested teachers should create an account by entering in their professional information and details about dates, times, and topics that fit into their curriculum. Matches will be sent once other teachers register with similar criteria. All preparatory materials can be downloaded directly from the matchmaking platform.
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