Homeschool high schoolers generally need to earn at least .5 credit in American Government or Civics for graduation. Textbooks will cover the United States Constitution as part of that credit. Unfortunately, sometimes the coverage is scant and boring. Also for teens who want to level up for an honors credit, they need to enrich the curriculum.

This is a particularly crucial time for young people to be familiar with our founding documents. Our United States Constitution is our founding and guiding document in a way similar to the Bible is our founding document for faith and life. If we do not know our Bible, we can be easily led astray. In the same way, if we do not know our Constitution, we can be led down the path towards some other form of government without realizing it until it is too late.

But how can you afford to add more curriculum to the budget?

Let us help you out! We have pulled together some excellent, free resources that you and your homeschool high schoolers can use for their American Government or Civics enrichment.

United States Constitution resources

One thing we homeschooling parents need is FREE resources, so here you go!

National Constitution Center

You have probably heard of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Part of the many American History related sites, brings the Constitution to life for people of all ages.

One of the excellent resources is its Constitution 101 self-paced course.

From the website:

The Constitution 101 Course provides learners of all ages with a basic understanding of the Constitution’s text, history, structure, and case law. Drawing on primary source documents, learners will study the historical and philosophical foundations of America’s founding principles from a range of diverse voices. Participants will also learn to think like constitutional lawyers- cultivating the skills necessary to analyze constitutional questions. Each module contains primary source readings, landmark Supreme Court cases, and Interactive Constitution essays.

This fifteen-module course is self-paced, no cost. The production quality is excellent!

iCivics Education

iCivics is the brain child of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. In 2009, she wanted to inspire families and classrooms to enjoy and engage with civic education. She and her team created innovative games and resources- at NO cost to the public.

Games for the family

Civics games help teens and children think about and learn civics principles in an engaging way. The iCivics games can be played alone or as a family. Games include:

Judicial Branch- Argument Wars
Judicial Branch- Court Quest
The Constitution- Branches of Power
The Constitution- Do I Have a Right?
The Executive Branch- Brief the Chief
The Executive Branch- Executive Command
The Legislative Branch- LawCraft
Elections and Voting- Cast Your Vote
Elections and Voting- Win the White House
Road to the Constitution- Constitutional Compromise
Road to the Constitution- Race to Ratify
Road to the Constitution- Uncovering Loyalties
International Affairs- Convene the Council
State and Local Governments- Counties Work
Counties Work- Texas
Citizenship and Participation- Immigration Nation
Citizenship and Participation- Neighborhood Good
News Literacy- NewsFeed Defenders
Government and the Market- People’s Pie
and MORE

There are also hundreds of educational iCivics resources, webquests, lesson plans, and curriculum units. There are resources for elementary, middle school, or high school. All are free!

Let’s Get High School Done! with Natalie Mack

Let’s get it done has an excellent compilation of resources for studying Civics and the United States Constitution. Natalie is our friend and Cousin, military homeschool community leader and wise guide. Get more tips on homeschooling high school in our interview with Natalie on the Homeschool Highschool Podcast.

PBS’s Civics Videos and Resources

PBs has a bank of videos and classroom resources that discuss the Constitution and related Civics topics.

For instance: Here is a short video lesson on the Preamble to the Constitution and a lesson plan for a group teaching or discussion.

Khan Academy

Videos and lesson plans and tools about the Constitution, including this video about the Preamble.

Vicki’s free US Constitution videos

These videos discuss the United States Constitution over eighteen weeks. They can be found on YouTube (and by next fall will be on 7Sisters Teachable platform).

Through the ideas, philosophies, and experiences of the founding fathers
The history of the US Constitution
Overview of the Constitution
Interpretations of the Constitution
More in-depth look at each section of the Constitution

These videos are for discussion and enrichment purposes. There are no assignments included.

Impartial Points

This is a video series on YouTube that shares short explainer videos about the Constitution and the ways the United States government works. The graphics are interesting. As the name says, these are impartial, not highly opinionated videos- just the facts.

Your teen might appreciate: