Constitution Day in Your Classroom

September 17th is Constitution Day in the United States, a day designated to commemorate the signing of our Constitution. It is a time to celebrate our nation’s founding document and all it stands for. Knowing how to commemorate this holiday in your classroom can be hard, but don’t worry – I’ve got you covered. Check out these Constitution Day activities to help your students learn more about this important document using close reading strategies.

Constitution Day Requirements for Your Students

Learning about the ratification of the Constitution of the United States is a requirement for any educational institution that receives federal funds. This means – every public school must have lessons for students. 

Loving this idea of teaching about the Constitution but lacking certain tools made me feel frustrated as a teacher because there were no activities available, especially those that would allow higher-level thinking through comprehension questions.

I want them to go beyond the fluff activities: Coloring pages and word search activities are fun but pretty low on the information scale.

This led me to create something unique – a Constitution Day Close Reading unit with text sets at different reading levels and activities to help them learn and understand the Constitution.

Constitution Day: Reading Passages

Anytime I can use close reading strategies with my students is a major opportunity and one that I jump at!

These Constitution Day activities are the perfect way to combine reading and Social Studies content.

I love to use close reading strategies with Social Studies text, so I plan for my students to read each text twice. In the first read – I want them to get the gist and have questions about vocabulary and content that they can search for in the 2nd reading.

My readers like yours are at varying levels, so having different texts for them is essential.

This resource includes three text sets: Constitution Day, We the People, and Preamble. We begin this unit by learning how and why we observe this holiday with the first set: Constitution Day. In this set of close reading passages, there are 4 different reading levels: upper 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. Along with the text, there are comprehension questions.

Your students can also work at their “just right” level with this vocabulary. The words match the reading levels of the passages.

Once they understand what the holiday is all about – we move on to “We the People” which explains the Constitution. There is just enough information for your students to get the idea of the Constitution without overwhelming them with too many complicated details.

Students love to learn about Social Studies topics, and the famous Preamble to the Constitution is a favorite! This shorter text is available in 2 reading levels and includes a fun cut-and-paste vocabulary activity. The digital version includes a vocabulary drag and drop activity.

Fun and Engaging Hands-On Activities

My students love this flipbook activity! It’s the perfect culminating activity that will help them put into their own words what they have learned about the Constitution and why we celebrate on September 17th.

You can also commemorate the day with fun pennants students can color!

This printable and digital differentiated close reading pack will give you 5 days of Social Studies content and activities for Constitution Day! To learn more about the Constitution, your students can use close reading skills, graphic organizers, text-based questions, vocabulary, and a writing prompt. Use for whole group, small group, centers, early and fast finishers.

Constitution Day is coming up soon, and whether you’re thinking ahead or scrambling the night before, we’ve got you covered. These engaging NO PREP activities that combine reading, vocabulary, and writing will engage your students and have them ready to celebrate our nation’s founding document. Check out these activities now and be prepared for a fun and educational day in class!

Want to try it first? Grab this FREE reading passage with comprehension questions and get started with Constitution Day!