America's Founding Era Education Forum (AFEEF)

Development of the Constitution (Lesson Plan)

Illustration of the U.S. flag alongside a parchment of the Constitution on a light blue background.

Students learn how delegates such as James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington wrote the U.S. Constitution, then use the Constitution and Bill of Rights as a model for setting fair rules and establishing justice in their own classroom.

Essential question

How can the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights inspire us to establish justice in our classroom?

Guiding questions

  • How does the Constitution assign and limit power to government?
  •   What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens in the United States?
  •   How can I act justly at school?

Lesson at a glance

  • Grade level: 4th–5th grade (written for grades 3–5)
  • Time: about 100 minutes
  • Downloadable lesson plan with student handouts
  • Created by: Bill of Rights Institute
  • Cost: free

This free resource was created by Bill of Rights Institute, an AFEEF member organization. Open the full lesson on the original site:

View Lesson (opens Bill of Rights Institute in a new tab)
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