Celebrate Freedom Week — September 11 – 15, 2017
House Bill 3080
During the 2017 regular session of the West Virginia Legislature, House Bill 3080 was amended to include Celebrate Freedom Week.
“In order to educate students about the sacrifices made for freedom in the founding of this country and the values on which this country was founded, a full week of classes in September, during the week in which the eleventh of September occurs, shall be recognized in all public, private, parochial and denominational schools located within this state as “Celebrate Freedom Week.” Celebrate Freedom Week must include at least three hours of appropriate instruction in each social studies class which instruction must include an in-depth study of the intent, meaning and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States with an emphasis on the Bill of Rights, using the historical, political and social environments surrounding each document at the time of its initial passage or ratification and shall include the study of historical documents to firmly establish the historical background leading to the establishment of the provisions of the Constitution and Bill of Rights by the founding fathers for the purposes of safeguarding our Constitutional republic. Nothing in this subsection, however, creates a standard or requirement subject to review by the office of education performance audits.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to institute a “Celebrate Freedom Week” and require the instruction in the study of the Declaration of Independence and other founding American historical documents, including the Bill of Rights, during this week.”
To help educators select resources that address both the requirements of the bill and the West Virginia College and Career Readiness Standards in social studies, the Office of Teaching and Learning has prepared a document (see attached) that includes both the related CCRS by grade and a brief list of useful resources. Please note that these resources are 1) only some of the resources available and 2) provided for educators’ convenience. They are not to be construed as curriculum, nor should they be considered as required in any sense.
Social Studies Resources 