This week, Richardson ISD Social Studies teachers and students engaged in meaningful activities to honor Celebrate Freedom Week and Constitution Day. Across grade levels, classrooms brought history to life and deepened students’ understanding of the Constitution, founding documents, and civic responsibilities. Highlights include:
- Elementary Schools (K–3) – Social Studies Curriculum and Instruction Specialist, Karlene Jolly, led professional learning sessions where she taught teachers activities designed for our youngest learners. These included opportunities for students to recite the Preamble to the Constitution and review the principles of the founding documents in age-appropriate ways, helping teachers bring civic learning alive in their classrooms.
- Forest Meadow Middle School – Students heard the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution read during morning announcements. In class, students engaged in iCivics Constitution Day activities, learned about rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and explored the Declaration of Independence and unalienable rights through grade-specific mini-lessons.
- Lake Highlands Middle School – 6th graders participated in a “Three Branches of Government” scavenger hunt and created graphic organizers to build understanding of the structure of government. They also engaged in a founding documents activity connecting principles of democracy to today’s society.
- Liberty Junior High – 8th-grade students in Catherine Chesser’s class examined the contributions of key figures in the American Revolution. To make the learning come alive, Ms. Chesser dressed in a colonial costume, sparking student curiosity and discussion about the era’s people and principles.
- J.J. Pearce High School – Advanced Academic and AP U.S. History students studied the Constitution through a guided question activity and introductory slide deck. These resources helped students connect their ongoing curriculum to the commemoration of Constitution Day.
These experiences represent just a sample of the engaging work taking place across RISD. Teachers intentionally tied Celebrate Freedom Week and Constitution Day into their pacing guides, using interactive strategies, discussion, and even historical reenactment to make the values of democracy and freedom relevant for all learners.
