Proud to be an American Month

Celebrate Freedom Week

http://learn.montpelier.org/

http://www.icivics.org

http://docsteach.org

http://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/

(Bill of Rights Institute website)

www.abanet.org

(American Bar Association website)

http://www.landmarkcases.org/

(Landmark Supreme Court cases website)

http://www.streetlaw.org/

(Street Law website)

http://www.oyez.org/

(U.S. Supreme Court Media website)

http://www.archives.gov/

(The National Archives website)

http://www.deliberating.org/

(Deliberating in a Democracy website)

http://www.justicelearning.org/

(Justice Learning website)

http://www.constitutioncenter.org

(National Constitution Center website)

http://www.civiced.org/

 (Center for Civic Education website)

http://www.teachingamericanhistory.org/

 (Teaching American History website)

http://www.supremecourthistory.org/

 (The Supreme Court Historical Society)

http://www.floridasupremecourt.org/

(Florida Supreme Court website)

http://www.flrea.org/

(Florida Law Related Education Association, Inc. website)

http://crf-usa.org/

(Constitutional Rights Foundation)

http://www.crfc.org/

 (Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago)

Celebrate Freedom Week resources from Miami-Dade

http://www.fldoe.org/

(Florida Department of Education website)

http://www.justiceteaching.org

(Justice Teaching website)

http://www.floridabar.org

(Florida Bar website)

http://www.student-voices.org/

(Student Voices National website)

http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/

(Annenberg Classroom website)

September events, holidays, and observances 

*Many resources are linked below and ready to use.

American Founders' Month & Celebrate Freedom Week

During American Founders' Month (all of September) we celebrate our nation's founding fathers.  In order to learn more about some of these individuals, you can follow the links for each that include a ton of resources to support instruction.  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison,  John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton are just a few founding fathers we can help students learn more about in regard to our country's history.  Here are links to an Elementary Lesson and the Elementary Memory Game cards that go with it from the DOE that you can use as well.  

In addition, the last full week of classes in September is designated Celebrate Freedom Week where students are required to take a closer look at the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence. Here are some optional resources  for both primary and intermediate.

Books: O’Say Can You See? America’s Symbols, Landmarks, and Important Words by Sheila Keenan; The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence by Judith St. George and Will Hillenbrand; The Declaration of Independence in Translation: What It Really Means by Amie Jean Leavitt (may be found in your school and are also available in the public library system)

Exploring the U.S. Declaration of Independence (K-5 Nearpod)   

John Trumbull's "Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776" (K-6 analyze artwork--PDF analysis handouts  are attached for both novice and intermediate)                   

The Declaration of Independence: A great break up story (4-6 Nearpod)

James Madison and the Birth of the Constitution video 

The Declaration of Independence: From Rough Draft to Proclamation (LOC lesson plan-upper elementary) 

Hey, King: Get Off Our Backs! (iCivics lesson plan--upper elementary)

The Preamble (Gilder Lehrman resource) and Activity (upper elementary)

More important dates to remember: 

Labor Day (September 2nd) is the day we officially celebrate the American worker.  On the linked website, you can learn a bit more about this day and to recognize this holiday students can do something as simple as writing a letter to a dedicated worker that they admire.  

Patriots Day & 9/11 Commemoration is on a Wednesday this year.  The resources that you will find here on the DOE website help both teachers and students to better understand the events and honor the many involved in the attacks on September 11, 2001. 

United States Constitution Day is September 17th. This link will lead you to the LOC website where you can find primary source documents, lesson plans, and stories for kids from America's Library.

More Constitution Day Resources

Hispanic Heritage Month also begins in mid September.  You can read more on the linked website.