Educate. Engage. Unite.

The intent of the semiquincentennial schools program is to:

Ensure that all K-12 students are familiar with the founding principles of our Declaration of Independence: That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. Particular attention will be paid to defining what the Founders meant by “the pursuit of Happiness,” based on a book by Jeffrey Rosen titled, The Pursuit of Happiness. Rosen focuses on the Founders’ understanding of this phrase – a life of virtue, rigor, and discipline that benefits others as well as oneself.
Identify how and why these principles have been important in Alabama’s history (a potential shift to the efforts of the civil rights movement).
Identify how these principles will continue to be important, not only to Americans and the United States but to people and nations around the world.

Download the America250AL and American Village DIGITAL TOOLKIT for K-12 Schools. This PDF document contains more than 300 pages of lesson plans, classroom artwork and activities for Kindergarten through 12th Grade. (38.5MB file size)

Individual Lesson Plans by grade may be downloaded below.

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What is the Declaration of Independence?

This lesson will help you cover standards ALCOS.2020.SS.2.1 and ALCOS.2020.SS.3.1

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Tracing Freedom

Enhances K-2 Letter and Number Writing and Recognition Standards for both the Alabama Courses of Study and Alabama Alternate Course of Study

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American Symbols

This lesson was designed as a writing, art, and problem solving unit. It will help you cover social studies and ELA standards

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Creating the Declaration of Independence

This lesson will help you cover standards ALCOS.2010.5.8, ALCOS.2010.10.3 and ALCOS.2010.12G.2

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I Declare: Crafting Your Own Declaration of Independence

This lesson will help you cover standards ALCOS.SS.2010.5.8, ALCOS.SS.2010.10.3 and ALCOS.SS.2010.12G.2

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Decoding the Declaration of Independence

This lesson will help you cover standards ALCOS.SS.2010.2.1, ALCOS.SS.2010.3.10 and ALCOS.SS.2010.5.8

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Revolutionary Match up

This lesson will help you cover standards ALCOS.SS.2010.2.1, ALCOS.SS.2010.3.10, ALCOS.2010.5.8, ALCOS.2010.10.3 and ALCOS.SS.2010.12G.2

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Signers Word Search

A fun classroom activity for all grade levels

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The Signers: A Research Project

This resource was designed with the signers of the Declaration of Independence in mind. It will help you cover social studies and ELA standards in 3rd through 12th grades

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