Podcasting Democracy
Understanding the Constitution to Inspire Civic Change
A fresh approach to teaching the Constitution and Bill of Rights
Examine how Constitutional principles have been shaped by the voices of Americans throughout history, then build students’ civic voice through podcast creation for a public audience.
Students! Have a project that’s ready to share?
Connect the Constitution to Students’ Everyday Lives
Project Description
Podcasting Democracy is a free, project-based, standards-aligned curriculum unit covering the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Constitutional principles.
In the first half of the unit, students explore historical case studies, including landmark Supreme Court cases, grassroots advocacy and legislative actions. The curriculum focuses on the experiences of Americans who were instrumental in establishing the rights and responsibilities that shape our lives today.
In the second half of the unit, students connect the Constitution to their everyday lives. To do this, they choose an issue they care about and create a podcast commentary advocating for a change or solution using a Constitutional principle as the foundation for their argument.
The unit culminates with ideas for how students can join the longstanding tradition of citizens making their voices heard by sharing their podcast on Youth Media Challenge Showcase and with decision makers or elected officials.
The Curriculum
There are two versions based on national content standards:
1. Middle school, aligned with U.S. history
2. High school, aligned with government or civics courses.
Written by Teachers for Teachers
Both unit versions were created in partnership with KQED by a national cohort of experienced social studies teachers, including four curriculum co-creators and 20 pilot teachers.
The curriculum resources reflect classroom practice, with all the materials you need to implement, including:
● Daily lesson slides
● Lesson plans
● Graphic organizers
● Rubrics
● Media project implementation materials
● And more!
“I feel like I’ll always use it for civics. My students truly get so much value from it.” Alisia Engelhard, high school teacher, South Pasadena, CA
Unit Plans and Resources
Professional Learning
Live Workshops
Explore the curriculum and get the implementation support needed to teach this unit in your classroom with these Podcasting Democracy-specific workshops:
Browse our full schedule of workshops for PD on other topics.
Self-Paced Courses
KQED Teach courses feature step-by-step videos and hands-on activities to help you successfully integrate this unit into your classroom. Get started with one of these: