Bill of Rights Institute Professional Development Programs
The Bill of Rights Institute is your partner in teaching about the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights. We offer a variety of educational programs and instructional materials for teachers. These include Constitutional Seminars around the country, as well as printed and online teachers’ guides for use in history, government, civics, and social studies middle and high school classes.
Constitutional Seminars for Teachers
Our professional development programs are designed to include both content and pedagogy. At one of our day-long programs, you will engage with leading academics on important constitutional principles, historical events, and Supreme Court rulings. Led by a master teacher, you will spend time with your fellow educators exploring ways to bring your knowledge to the classroom using Bill of Rights Institute materials and teaching strategies.
A teacher with two students working together at a Bill of Rights Institute Seminar
In addition to day-long seminars, we also offer half-day presentations, as well as seminar series and multi-day, including week-long Landmarks in American History and Culture programs sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This summer institute, Shaping the Constitution: A View From Mount Vernon, gives 50 teachers from around the nation the opportunity to gain a better understanding of Mount Vernon as a crossroads for the discussion of ideas that led to the Constitution.
A teacher using our free classroom materials provided at a Seminar
Instructional Materials
The Bill of Rights Institute has developed ten sets of instructional materials, both print and on-line, to supplement your history, government, civics, or social studies curriculum. Our teachers’ guides are designed for middle and high school, and offer a variety of reading levels and teaching strategies to challenge students of varying skill levels.
Our weekly free eLessons are delivered right to your inbox. These twenty-minute activities contain brief, lively historical narratives, discussion questions, extension options and links for additional resources. eLesson topics include “Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution,” (monthly) “The Bill of Rights in Times of Crisis,” (monthly) and “Bill of Rights in the News” (bi-weekly). Sign up for any or all of these eLessons by clicking on the link below.
Resources for Students
Materials designed for students include an interactive Study Guide on the Constitution, a student Web site with monthly themes on the Constitution, as well as programs including an Essay Contest and week-long Constitutional Academy for rising juniors and seniors.
Students at our Constitutional Academy in 2007
To learn more about our teacher programs, including teacher seminars, our summer institute, and instructional materials, click on a link below.
Seminar Calendar | Summer Institute | Instructional Materials | eLessons | For Your Students