Welcome to Bill Norton’s Instructional Design page! Here, you will find an array of projects and resources that demonstrate his expertise in creating engaging and effective educational experiences. With a focus on innovative curriculum development and learner-centered design, Bill strives to enhance the educational journey for students of all ages. Explore the content below to see examples of his work and discover how thoughtful instructional design can transform learning.
SELF-GOVERNMENT WORKS: SELF-GOVERNING CLASSROOM SIMULATION
“John Locke is awesome!” exclaimed an actual simulation student. Self-Government Works allows students to learn the historical evolution of self-government as they create their own in-class government system. This program was co-developed by Bill Norton, Mark Herr with the Center for Self Governance, and Cara Palmer. The design and layout of the books and video production was done by Bill Norton.
LIFE, LIBERTY, AND PROPERTY LESSON PLAN
This booklet provides a comprehensive lesson plan on the subject of Life, Liberty, and Property. It features color-coded visuals and instructional aids to support teachers in delivering the material effectively. Additionally, it includes student visuals, which are also available in a PowerPoint presentation for enhanced learning engagement. This lesson plan and the design and layout was done by Bill Norton.
A MORE PERFECT UNION ACTIVITY BOOK
This activity book contains coloring/comic pages, readers’ theater, activities, and lesson plans that coincide with the movie A More Perfect Union – America Becomes a Nation. The art, design and layout was done by Bill Norton.
THE MIRACLE OF AMERICA: BIRTH OF A NATION
In The Miracle of America book, concert, and CD, you will experience the unique combination of the visual, musical, and performing arts in a way that will not only enlighten your mind but touch your heart as you discover America’s great success formula.
THE MIRACLE OF AMERICA: BIRTH OF A NATION COLORING BOOK
In The Miracle of America book coloring book was designed as a companion to The Miracle of America book. The coloring pages match each image of the fine art photography in The Miracle of America. All coloring page art was done by Bill Norton.
THE SCIENCE OF GOVERNMENT
This book was compiled and edited by Bill Norton and Earl Taylor. Bill Norton produced many of the graphics and did the design and layout.
The Science of Government pulls from the natural law principles in The 5000 Year Leap and the in-depth treatment of the United States Constitution in The Making of America, to create a classroom student and teacher discussion guide.
THE MAKING OF AMERICA DISCUSSION GUIDE
The graphics and the design and layout were all done by Bill Norton. The seminar as a whole and the individual lessons were compiled and edited by Bill Norton and Earl Taylor from the original 36-hour NCCS seminar.
The Making of America 1-day Seminar is an exciting look at the ingenious system of self-government that America’s Founding Fathers discovered and then beautifully wove into a written Constitution.
CATECHISM
Bill Norton meticulously designed this book to reflect the original 1828 version, adding only “Q” and “A” to denote questions and answers. This book aims to revive a deeper understanding of America’s Charter of Liberty through the timeless “Socratic method” of teaching by asking questions. Used for over a century to educate American youth about the Constitution, this method impressed Alexis de Tocqueville in 1831 with the young people’s knowledge of their freedoms. The Catechism remains a powerful tool for learning about America’s foundational principles.
Center for Self Governance Workbooks
Bill Norton helped develop some of the first iterations of the Center for Self Governance’s curriculum. This is a sample of the Level 1 workbook. The Center for Self Governance is a non-profit, non-partisan educational organization uniquely dedicated to the advancement of (1) a stable civil society, (2) balanced human government, and (3) a well-educated and highly participating populace.
Boxcar Instructions
Originally designed for a youth camp, these boxcar instructions provided a step-by-step guide to constructing a boxcar. Bill Norton designed the boxcar and the accompanying instructions. The event was a great success!
Boy Scouts of America Unit Commissioner Basic Training
This workbook is designed for Unit Commissioners of the Boy Scouts of America in Mesa, Arizona, during a pivotal time when the role and tools for Unit Commissioners were being updated. Recognizing the outdated nature of the existing training materials, Bill Norton, alongside his brother Alan, developed a comprehensive basic training workshop.
This workbook accompanies that training, with Bill Norton taking the lead on its overall design and layout, while both brothers collaborated on creating the lesson plans and training flow. This sample is the instructor edition, featuring teaching aids in the margins and “click” prompts for the corresponding PowerPoint presentation.