But whether you’re teaching civics, social studies, history, American studies, journalism, or English, a lesson on our first freedom – the one that makes the free flow of news, political dialogue and self-expression possible in a free society – should be one of the primary ones in any curriculum.
So to make it easier to include the First Amendment in your courses, 1 for All has surveyed the universe of First Amendment lesson plans and teaching resources for the best ones. Below is what we found.
12 best First Amendment lesson plans and teaching resources
This is undoubtedly the best source of all for First Amendment lesson plans. It offers two major resources, NewseumEd and the Freedom Forum Institute. (Note: You may have heard that the big Newseum building in Washington, D.C., closed Dec. 31, 2019. True, but the Newseum and its rich resources for journalism and the First Amendment live on.)
Here’s how the Newseum’s educational resources break down:
No registration required. Here you’ll find fast facts, FAQs, topics, podcasts, and much more – especially the Primers, which can serve as lesson plans or components thereof. Primer topics include “Is Your Speech Protected by the First Amendment?” and “Free Expression on Social Media.”
“Intro to the First Amendment: Would You Fight for All Five?” Students play an engaging game to explore how the five freedoms interrelate. An additional introductory lesson plan is also available.
“45 Words” video lesson plan. Actor Martin Sheen tells how the First Amendment came into being – and it wasn’t easy.
“You Can’t Say That in School? Allowed or Not Allowed.” This lesson uses documents that influenced the creation of the First Amendment.
There are many more lesson plans there. These are just a sampling.
This comprehensive resource boasts “more entries on the First Amendment than any other work of its kind.” With more than 1,500 searchable entries, it can give you information on any First Amendment question you might wish to explore in class.
You can browse this encyclopedia by topic and in several other ways. If you’re brushing up on your own knowledge of First Amendment history and issues, you’ve also got an overview/introduction, an essay by First Amendment Center Founder John Seigenthaler on how the First Amendment came into being, and a chronology of important dates and events.
Here you’ll find, among many other resources, “eLessons” exploring a wide array of constitutional matters. Here’s a wrapup of all of the 2019 eLessons.
Beyond those lessons, the site offers ways of Teaching with Current Events. The current events often pertain to First Amendment issues. As you’ll see there, the featured current events include related resources from the Bill of Rights Institute site for background and perspective.
And note that, at the left side of the Teaching with Current Events page, the First Amendment freedoms of speech, press, assembly and religion all have entries.
The Bill of Rights Institute also provides student resources.
The main resource you want is here – Law & First Amendment, lesson plans prepared by the American Society of News Editors that focus specifically on scholastic journalism (Day One and Day Two).
That page also offers other lessons exploring the First Amendment.
This is 1 for All’s contribution to the cause of good First Amendment lesson plans.
In addition to rounding up many of the resources noted in this article, the page includes six lesson plans on the First Amendment. They’re suitable for students in junior high through high school. Topics:
