Teaching the US Constitution: Scavenger Hunt Ideas!

No matter what grade level your social studies class is, when it comes to teaching the United States Constitution, one of the best ways to engage your students is with a Constitution scavenger hunt!

Understanding the U.S. Constitution is a crucial part of any American history curriculum. However, simply lecturing about the Constitution can be dry and unengaging for students. A Constitution scavenger hunt can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to get your students actively engaged in learning about the Constitution!

 A U.S. Constitution scavenger hunt can be an EXCELLENT tool for a unit review activity or as sub plans!

Creating a Constitution Scavenger Hunt for ANY Grade Level: Step-by-Step Directions

Step #1: To start, make sure you have a copy of the Constitution on hand; it doesn't matter if it's a physical copy or a digital one (here's a link to a free digital version provided by the Constitution Center: https://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/constitution.pdf). Ideally, you'll also want to have a key PDF, which will help you understand the correct answers and provide additional information about the provisions of the U.S. Constitution.

Step #2: When designing your US Constitution scavenger hunt, it's important to consider the grade level of your students. For younger students, you might want to focus on basics like the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) and some of the Founding Fathers and other important people who helped write the Constitution, like James Madison. For older students, you may want to delve deeper into the structure of the Constitution, the amendment process, and the U.S. government as a whole. For example, the specifics of how an amendment may be added, removed, or changed from the Constitution.

Step #3: To make the scavenger hunt accessible to large groups (for instance, if you have 20+ students in a class), consider breaking students into smaller teams and providing each team with a set of task cards. These task cards can include questions about the Bill of Rights, the Articles of the Constitution, and the roles and responsibilities of the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch, as well as the government institutions that comprise each branch; for example, the U.S. Supreme Court is part of the judicial branch. You could also put on the task cards online links to short video clips and other resources that students can use to help them conduct their scavenger hunt!

One way to make the scavenger hunt more interactive is to include an "ingredient card" with each question. For example, one card might require students to find the answer to a question on Article II while standing on one foot. Another card might require students to sing a song about the Founding Fathers before they can move on to the next question!

Step #4: To ensure positive attitudes towards the activity, I encourage you to consider the activity's ease of use. Make sure that the instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow for your students. You may also want to provide a review activity, for example, a Scoot activity to help students review the material before beginning the scavenger hunt.

Step #5: It's also important to provide an answer key for the scavenger hunt so that either you can quickly check students work or you can have them check it themselves. If you have any students who finish early, I like to provide them with additional interesting sources of information about the U.S. Constitution and/or one or more of the Founding Fathers to help them fill up the rest of the time!

A well-designed and curated Constitution scavenger hunt can be a great way to engage students in learning about the U.S. Constitution!

Related Article: Teaching the Principles of the Constitution Worksheet

Why having your students complete a Constitution scavenger hunt is a great exercise!

• Using a Constitution scavenger hunt in the classroom allows for differentiation among students
  • Your students can work at their own pace and level, meanwhile for those who finish early, they can explore additional resources or help classmates who are struggling
• A Constitution scavenger hunt can help students develop important critical thinking and research skills
  • By requiring students to find specific information within the U.S. Constitution and via other resources, they learn how to navigate and analyze complex texts.
• This type of an activity can be adapted to fit different learning styles
  • As an example, visual learners may benefit from including diagrams or illustrations, while auditory learners may benefit from including audio resources like podcasts or speeches about the Constitution

By incorporating interactive elements, providing clear instructions and resources, and adapting to the needs of different learners, teachers can help their students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of the U.S. Constitution!

Related Articles:

Constitution Lesson Plans for 8th Grade US History!

The BEST Bill of Rights Worksheet for History Class