Dive Brief:
- The Philadelphia-based National Constitution Center has released a free “Constitution 101” middle school curriculum based on an earlier iteration of the resources that, according to the center, is used by thousands of high school educators. The materials aim to provide an accessible, engaging summary of the country’s founding ideals in an age-appropriate manner, the center says.
- Designed with help from a group of 30 educators, the curriculum includes lesson plans covering core concepts and topics through the use of projects, animated videos and discussion prompts; simplified versions of primary sources to spark historical literacy and analysis; an adaptable design to meet different classroom and school needs; and student assessments to help gauge knowledge.
- A cohort of educators was tapped to implement the 15-module curriculum as part of the 2025-26 Constitutional Fellows Program during the upcoming school year to ensure the curriculum provides rigor, responsiveness and developmental appropriateness based on the results of classroom practice and learning outcomes.
Dive Insight:
The course concept was first launched for lifelong learners, such as adults, and then adapted for high school students in partnership with Khan Academy, according to Julie Silverbrook, vice president of civic education at the National Constitution Center, who added that the high school version is self-paced.
The middle school variation features an animated narrator named Lucy, who guides teachers and students through the modules as they explore the history of the Constitution's interpretation and learn inquiry-based skills, Silverbrook said.
“We worked with incredibly talented middle school educators, piloting elements of the course with students," Silverbrook said. "We know everything we’ve put into this course resonates with students from diverse backgrounds.”
As a trusted, nonpartisan resource and museum, the center has built a curriculum that meets standards across all 50 states, Silverbrook added. “It’s free for educators anywhere to use, and it’s designed to be flexible enough to be used in any kind of classroom environment.”
In addition to the Constitution 101 curriculum, the National Constitution Center has also released two new digital resources for use by educators as well as historic sites, museums, national parks, libraries and civic organizations.
The Interactive Declaration of Independence provides a full, annotated text of the Declaration; videos and written biographies about all signers of both the Declaration and the Constitution; and essays written by scholars that provide ideologically diverse perspectives on the founders’ battle for freedom and the principles that went into the writing of the Constitution.
This resource is part of the America at 250 Civic Toolkit, a newly organized page on the National Constitution Center website that also includes an updated version of the Interactive Constitution — first launched in 2015 and viewed by more than 100 million people — as well as regularly updated multimedia content and information about events.
“The Civic Toolkit is an incredibly rich new resource for learners of all ages, particularly K-12 educators and students, to learn about our core principles, like federalism, the Bill of Rights, and the consent of the governed, so they can understand our deep traditions,” Silverbrook said.
The educator resources were developed by Silverbrook’s team of educators at the National Constitution Center as well as classroom educators on the organization’s teacher advisory board. “They’re designed for use in the K-12 classroom and align nicely with state social studies standards,” Silverbrook said.
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