5 Street Law Resources for Constitution Day
September 4, 2025
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Constitution Day is a perfect moment for students to explore the nation’s founding principles and their relevance today. Street Law offers a range of engaging, classroom-ready resources that make constitutional concepts accessible and meaningful. Below are five featured tools, each tied to a broader collection you can use throughout the school year.
1. SCOTUS in the Classroom Case: Barnes v. Felix
In this Fourth Amendment case from the Supreme Court’s last Term, the Court ruled that use-of-force lawsuits must be judged by the “totality of the circumstances,” not just the “moment of threat.” By requiring courts to consider the full context of an officer’s actions, the decision strengthens constitutional protections and broadens the framework for evaluating police accountability nationwide.
Street Law’s student-friendly, expert-reviewed case summary and activities bring this ruling to life for students as part of SCOTUS in the Classroom, a series of timely, classroom-ready Supreme Court cases released throughout each Term. The series has just been updated with decisions from the October 2024 Term and will soon launch its first cases of the new Term, Villarreal v. Texas and Case v. Montana.
Explore SCOTUS in the Classroom
2. Socratic Seminar Resource Set: Preamble to the Constitution
This activity invites students to analyze the Constitution’s opening words and core principles—justice, liberty, and the common good—through structured dialogue and reflection. Designed for upper elementary but easily adapted for middle and high school, it is a flexible tool for Constitution Day.
The lesson is part of Street Law’s broader set of discussion-based resources on contested issues, including Socratic Seminars, Deliberations, and Take a Stand activities. These strategies cover a wide range of topics, including several that are ideal for Constitution Day on presidential and war powers, flag desecration, gun control, and hate speech.
Explore Resources for Teaching About Contested Issues
3. Native American Legal History Timeline and Resistance, Resilience, and Reconciliation Inquiry Pack
This timeline and Inquiry Pack show how the Constitution and U.S. law have shaped Native Americans’ sovereignty, citizenship, and civil rights over time, and how Native Americans have actively shaped their own history. Students analyze pivotal moments and consider their impact on present-day legal and constitutional questions.
It is part of Street Law’s broader Legal Timelines collection, which explores American legal history through several key themes: Federalism, Native American Legal History, Presidential Powers, Rights of the Accused, Students’ Rights, and Suffrage. These timelines link historical struggles and achievements to enduring constitutional principles using primary source analysis and the inquiry method.
4. Mini-Moot Court Strategy and Demonstration Video and Lesson Plan
This quick, interactive strategy introduces students to judicial reasoning, constitutional interpretation, and precedent by simulating a Supreme Court case in a single class period. It is a dynamic way to immerse students in constitutional analysis and Supreme Court action.
The lesson is part of Street Law’s broader Classroom Guide to Moot Courts, a 10 -lesson resource that equips teachers to run full moot court simulations—from understanding the appellate process to granting cert to writing judicial opinions.
Explore the Classroom Guide to Moot Courts
5. Street Law: A Court in Practical Law (11th Edition)
The newest edition of the Street Law textbook provides comprehensive coverage of constitutional rights and liberties, with Unit 6 offering an in-depth look at individual rights and an introduction to constitutional law. Features such as “Should hate speech be banned in our democracy?” deliberation and “The Case of…The Flag Burning” engage students in structured exploration and discussion of timely, real-world legal issues.
The textbook is the most comprehensive resource for teaching high school-level law, supporting semester- or year-long study with a wealth of constitutional content, case studies, and interactive strategies. Request an online sample from McGraw Hill Education to bring these lessons into your classroom.
Explore the Street Law Textbook
Street Law’s resources support Constitution Day—and every day beyond it. From case studies and legal timelines to deliberations and moot courts, these tools help students explore and apply constitutional principles in ways that are interactive, rigorous, and relevant. Discover the full collection at the Street Law Resource Library.
