Lesson
Development of the Constitution
Guiding questions
Full Lesson Plan PDF
Essential Question:
How can the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights inspire us to establish justice in our classroom?
Guiding Questions:
- How does the Constitution assign and limit power to government?
- What are the rights and responsibilities of citizens in the United States?
- How can I act justly at school?
Learning Objectives
- Using multiple sources, I can complete a graphic organizer illustrating the branches of government and their functions.
- I can investigate the Bill of Rights and write a paragraph identifying my most important rights.
- I can create an action plan inspired by the Bill of Rights to act justly in my classroom.
- I can use civic skills to co-create a classroom Constitution and Bill of Rights with my teachers and peers.
Content Objectives
- I can explain the reasons for the development of the Constitution.
- I can identify key ideas in the Constitution, including its purposes and the function of the three branches of government.
- I can explain the role of compromise in the creation of the Constitution.
- I can explain the significance of the Bill of Rights.
Materials
Lesson Components
An activity to help students define and illustrate words that will show up in their daily lives.
Readings that provide an overview of the development of the Constitution and the major items discussed at Constitutional Convention.
An activity to help student organize the key principles and concepts that are found in the U.S. Constitution.
An activity to help students grasp the major ideas found in the first ten amendments.
An activity to help students plan how to honor the rights of others in their classroom.
A student activity that asks them to create a plan for a Class Constitution and Bill of Rights.
A self-reflection activity that allows students to internalize their learning.
Lesson plan
More Information
This lesson is designed around inquiry questions. There is one essential question, and several guiding questions around which the content is based. The lesson takes place in 5 stages:
- Anticipate- Students build background knowledge needed to be successful in the lesson
- Engage- Students are ‘hooked” into the lesson
- Explore- Students grapple with the main content of the unit (usually 2-3 parts)
- Assess- Students demonstrate their knowledge through a performance assessment
- Reflect- Students reflect on their learning in the lesson
The sections below provide a brief overview of the unit’s structure. It offers a snapshot of the organization and flow of the entire unit.
The following detailed sections break down the five stages of the lesson. Each stage is discussed thoroughly with actionable steps to guide you through the teaching process effectively.