Resources for K-12 Teachers and Students

A national study has revealed that many of today's high school students think the First Amendment goes too far in the rights it guarantees, and are more accepting of government censorship than adults. The study also found, however, that students have a greater appreciation and understanding of the First Amendment when it is included in their educational curriculums.

This page provides information about resources for teaching about the Bill of Rights and current threats to civil liberties. We hope these resources will assist educators trying to include such issues in their classrooms. Please send any suggestions for additions to info@bordc.org.

Choose resources for teaching the following topics:

Civil liberties and the USA PATRIOT Act
Countering stereotypes and discrimination against Arab Americans
The US Constitution and Bill of Rights
- For Constitution Day
- For any day

Resources for teaching civil liberties and the USA PATRIOT Act:

The Constitutional Rights Foundation's Bill of Rights in Action series includes The Patriot Act: What Is the Proper Balance Between National Security and Individual Rights?
TeachableMoment.org, the Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility, has a number of excellent lesson plans for teaching civil liberties and consitutional issues. We particularly recommend the following lessons:
- Restoring the Rule of Law (11/25/08)
- The Supreme Court, Habeas Corpus, and Guantánamo (6/25/08)
- The Controversial Protect America Act (9/62/07)
- Eavesdropping, Terrorism & American Freedoms (6/27/07)
PBS offers the following:
- A student-friendly report on the pros and cons of the USA PATRIOT Act with related readings and discussion questions.
- Curriculum guides for teachers of various grades.
The New York Times offers a middle/high school lesson plan focusing on military tribunals and the USA PATRIOT Act.
Teaching Matters offers materials for students on the pros and cons of the USA PATRIOT Act.
War, Terrorism, and America’s Classrooms, a special issue of Rethinking Schools, is available online and includes several articles on civil liberties and the USA PATRIOT Act. Also available from Rethinking Schools is Rethinking Our Classrooms, Vol. 2, a collection which includes "A New U.S. Bill of Rights" and other chapters on teaching about civil liberties.
The Social Science Research Council provides essays and teaching guides for a unit on "Terrorism and Democratic Virtues." Appropriate for high school and college, the unit includes multiple perspectives on issues related to civil liberties and security.
Conflict in Context: Understanding Local to Global Security is an inquiry-based high school curriculum that examines conflict and security in students’ own lives and communities and explores connections to public policy and decision-making at local, national, and global levels. It is produced and distributed by Educators for Social Responsibility.

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Resources for countering stereotypes and discrimination against Arab Americans:

PBS provides middle/high school lesson plans for examining discrimation against Arab Americans following September 11.
The Center for Contemporary Arab Studies offers an online essay, Who are the Arabs?, with related lesson plans. Other printed teaching modules can be ordered for a minimal cost.
The Arabs: Activities for the Elementary and Middle School Level (K-7) is distributed by Arab World and Islamic Resources.
Beyond Blame: Reacting to the Terrorist Attack, a free, 25-page curriculum for middle and high school students focused on issues of justice and mislaid blame for September 11, is available for download or order from the Education Development Center.
The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee offers lesson plans and suggestions for teachers about countering stereotypes and discrimination against Arab Americans.

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Resources for teaching the Constitution and Bill of Rights:

For Constitution Day:

BORDC provides resources for Constitution Day events
The Constitution Day web site is full of resources for educators and students, federal employees, individuals, and parents.
The National Constitution Center invites schools, workplaces, and organizations to participate in America Reads the Constitution. Their downloadable kit contains instructions, press materials, parts for 109 readers, and 50 optional additional readings from speeches of famous people.
The Constitutional Rights Foundation has bundled its educational resources suitable for Constitution Day into one page.
The Center for Civic Education has created a web page of lessons for different grade levels.
BORDC's Bill of Rights bookmarks: Download the PDF files (English and Spanish) and print them for your class or purchase them from BORDC's secure online storefront.

For Bill of Rights Day:

See BORDC's Bill of Rights Day resources
Start an essay contest for school children, and have readings of selected essays at a public event.
Put on a local reading of the Bill of Rights. The National Constitution Center invites schools, workplaces, and organizations to participate in America Reads the Constitution. Their downloadable kit contains instructions, press materials, parts for 109 readers, and 50 optional additional readings from speeches of famous people. Also see the NCC's extensive list of materials, guides and toolkits relating to Constitution Day.

The Missouri Bar Association: Bill of Rights Lesson Plan (5-12)

The Bill of Rights Institute: Bill of Rights Lesson Plans

Constitutional Rights Foundation: Bill of Rights in Action Lesson Plan

For any day:

Scholastic Magazine provides:
- Instructions for creating a Class Bill of Rights (grades K-2).
- U.S. Constitution Roll Call (one-week plan for grades 1-2).
- Several resources for teaching the Bill of Rights and Constitution.
The Constitutional Rights Foundation provides online lesson plans on a number of topics such as "Foundations of Our Constitution" and "America Responds to Terrorism."
The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan offers A Resource Guide for Teaching the Bill of Rights (PDF) online, including case studies of legal cases related to civil liberties, for middle/high school.
The Bill of Rights: Evolution of Personal Liberties is a curriculum unit produced and distributed by the National Archives and Records Administration. It includes facsimilies of documents and lesson plans appropriate for upper elementary grades through college.
The Bill of Rights Institute provides online lesson plans on a variety of topics, including both historical and current aspects of the Bill of Rights.
The National Constitution Center provides online resources for teaching about the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Lesson Planet offers hundreds of lesson plans for teaching the Bill of Rights and the Constitution for an annual membership fee of $9.95.
The state of Washington Courts provide lesson plans for judges to use in visits to classrooms that could also be used by classroom teachers at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
Bill of Rights/Bill of Responsibility, a 30-minute video in which Bill Maher examines the historical background and current implications of the Bill of Rights, is distributed by Cambridge Educational.
The First Amendm ent Schools Project provides students and teachers with news articles on current issues related to the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment. It is also developing lesson plans for teachers about the five freedoms. Schools interested in making a commitment to educating for freedom and responsibility may affiliate with First Amendment Schools and apply for grants.
The National Endowment for the Humanities offers online lesson plans for teaching the First Amendment at the elementary level.

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