Bill of Rights Defense Campaign

BILL OF RIGHTS Defense Committee - Working with communities to uphold the Bill of RightsWe the People
Working with communities to uphold the Bill of Rights
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Bill of Rights Day - December 15th

Bill of Rights History
Community Ideas
Media Resources
Public Schools
Proclamations & Resolutions
Community Resources

Bill of Rights Day in Schools

Many educators welcome input from the residents of their community. Even if you do not know students attending local schools, this is a good opportunity to suggest ideas for their observances of Billof Rights Day:

  • Contact the principal of an elementary, middle, or high school in your area and offer to help plan an activity: http://www.justicelearning.org/ and
    http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson347.shtml
  • Contact the administrative office at your local community college and offer resources for Bill of Rights Day events.
  • Work with student groups on campus to plan events.
  • Offer to read the Bill of Rights or the Constitution to a class in your neighborhood school, or provide speakers for a school program.
  • Order copies of Rights Matter: The Story of the Bill of Rights (70 page book, $2 each), for use in the classroom:
    • ACLU of Massachusetts
      211 Congress Street
      Boston, MA 02110
      (617) 482-3170 ext. 314
  • Contact school debate clubs and organize a public debate on the Bill of Rights. Students can research some of the debate topics about adding the Bill of Rights to the Constitution to make their arguments. See “Bill of Rights History” under the “Resources” section.
  • 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.
  • Distribute copies of the Bill of Rights to schools in your community.

To find your local school: http://nces.ed.gov/globallocator/
BORDC has a K-12 resource page: http://bordc.org/resources/k-12resources.php#const

Bill of Rights Day Lesson Plans:

Bill of Rights Day Lesson Plans from the American Constitution Society:

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

 

Bill of Rights Essay Contests:

Amador County, CA

Kansas: The Bill of Rights and the George Mason Prose or Poetry Contest

 

Other Bill of Rights Educational Materials:

Constitution Society: Documentary History of the Bill of Rights

Library of Congress: Bill of Rights Day

 


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