Bill of Rights
Standards
Materials
A copy of the Bill of Rights (5 total for the class)
Student social studies notebook/spare paper
Objectives
Students Will
- look over the Bill of Rights
- Reason the importance of each right included in the Bill of Rights
- Write, on an individual level, their reasoning behind the importance of the Bill of Rights
- Further develop their answers to the unit's essential questions
Lesson Context
Students will pick apart the Bill of Rights to determine what they see as the most important rights. Not all Civil Rights are created equal, and students should understand this. They should also be able to defend their stance and opinions. Students within this exercise will hold different opinions, what students should be able to do is use reason to both look at others arguments and to display their own to push their own ideas.
Lesson Body
Students will be introduced into the lesson by going over the Bill of Rights. In this introduction (The students have already been introduced to the basics) students will be reminded what the Bill of Rights is, when it was made, why it was made, and what it was a part of. This introduction should be short, almost more of a review than an introduction.
Students will then be given most of the remaining class time (keep the last 8-10 min.) The students will be given the large chunk of time to pick two of the ten rights in the Bill of Rights based on the following situation, which is all you should read to them. The rest of the time, the teacher should sit back and allow the students to run their own meeting, though a few thoughtful inquiries to jolt the conversation might also add to their thinking on the issue.
Aliens from a foreign, far superior, planet have just arrived to earth. They have stated to the world that they have come to save their race, for they have destroyed the living conditions on their own planet. They do wish however, to live on earth peacefully with us. In a speech to the United States, in order to keep their peace here, their leader has given the people the opportunity to decide which two rights they wish to keep from the Bill of Rights. As students you have this hour alone, to decide and persuade the American people what choices you believe are the rights ones.
To end the hour, students should be given the remaining time, and as homework, to right if they agree with the class’s decision adding why they have chosen their answers. If they choose yes, then why were these two rights the best two? If no, which ones would they have chosen and why. To start the next day, the teacher should simply take a tally of the students personal choices and hold a short discussion on what the majority chose and why their were some that were chosen less.
Depending on what has been covered with the Bill of Rights already, this may be a good time to go into what arguments were made to have or not have the Bill of Rights, why the ten rights were included, and the different interpretations these rights have had through the years.
Special Considerations
Assessment
-Informal - Students participated in the class activity, were actively involved with the rest of the class
-Formal - Student response papers
Materials
A copy of the Bill of Rights (5 total for the class)
Student social studies notebook/spare paper
Objectives
Students Will
- look over the Bill of Rights
- Reason the importance of each right included in the Bill of Rights
- Write, on an individual level, their reasoning behind the importance of the Bill of Rights
- Further develop their answers to the unit's essential questions
Lesson Context
Students will pick apart the Bill of Rights to determine what they see as the most important rights. Not all Civil Rights are created equal, and students should understand this. They should also be able to defend their stance and opinions. Students within this exercise will hold different opinions, what students should be able to do is use reason to both look at others arguments and to display their own to push their own ideas.
Lesson Body
Students will be introduced into the lesson by going over the Bill of Rights. In this introduction (The students have already been introduced to the basics) students will be reminded what the Bill of Rights is, when it was made, why it was made, and what it was a part of. This introduction should be short, almost more of a review than an introduction.
Students will then be given most of the remaining class time (keep the last 8-10 min.) The students will be given the large chunk of time to pick two of the ten rights in the Bill of Rights based on the following situation, which is all you should read to them. The rest of the time, the teacher should sit back and allow the students to run their own meeting, though a few thoughtful inquiries to jolt the conversation might also add to their thinking on the issue.
Aliens from a foreign, far superior, planet have just arrived to earth. They have stated to the world that they have come to save their race, for they have destroyed the living conditions on their own planet. They do wish however, to live on earth peacefully with us. In a speech to the United States, in order to keep their peace here, their leader has given the people the opportunity to decide which two rights they wish to keep from the Bill of Rights. As students you have this hour alone, to decide and persuade the American people what choices you believe are the rights ones.
To end the hour, students should be given the remaining time, and as homework, to right if they agree with the class’s decision adding why they have chosen their answers. If they choose yes, then why were these two rights the best two? If no, which ones would they have chosen and why. To start the next day, the teacher should simply take a tally of the students personal choices and hold a short discussion on what the majority chose and why their were some that were chosen less.
Depending on what has been covered with the Bill of Rights already, this may be a good time to go into what arguments were made to have or not have the Bill of Rights, why the ten rights were included, and the different interpretations these rights have had through the years.
Special Considerations
Assessment
-Informal - Students participated in the class activity, were actively involved with the rest of the class
-Formal - Student response papers