Date: April 26, 2003

Grade Level: 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

Subject(s):

• Social Studies/US Government
• Language Arts/Writing

Duration: 10 class sessions (depending upon the level of the students)

Description: The importance of understanding the basis of our government is important to every citizen of the United States. This unit provides a condensed and understandable interpretation of the Constitution using terms that young people can comprehend. It provides a task for creating a brochure on the government, graphic organizers to record data, web sites, a rubric, and a teacher guide all following the Standards for the English Arts, endorsed by both the NCTE and the IRA. Students discover the leaders of the United States, how they are elected, and how the laws of our land are made. They learn the rights of every American citizen to lead a healthy and productive life.

Goals:
NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts :

• 1. Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the culture of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
• 2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.
• 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound-letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).
• 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
  
• 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g., spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and non-print texts.
  
• 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.
• 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.
• 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy

• Standard 4A: The student understands the United States government was formed and the nation’s basic democratic principles are set forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

1. Students will learn about the three branches of government.
2. Students will learn how our laws are made.
3. Students will understand the basic rights of all Americans.
4. Students will be able to assimilate knowledge of the Constitution into a brochure.
5. Students will be able to write for an audience using correct punctuation and spelling.

• a collection of various brochures (these can usually be found in motels or hotels)
• materials for making brochures
• computers with Internet access
• Prior Knowledge Survey
• Constitution Booklet
• Constitution Outline
• Constitution Task
• Graphic Organizer for Note-Taking
• Branches of the United States Government (for students needing more structure)
• Constitution Rubric

Handouts in .pdf format; requires free Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Click the icon to obtain the free Reader.

Instruction and Activities:

Day 1:
Begin a discussion of rules and laws. Ask students what rules exist in the classroom and why they are in place. Answers should be recorded on the board, large paper, or on a transparency. Continue the discussion by asking students about laws that exist for drivers, for walkers, for buildings, or any other places and why they are in place. Again, record these. Try to get students to elaborate on laws that are in place to protect states and the United States against other nations. Ask them who made these laws and how do we know they will always be there for us. As a further assignment, ask students to talk to their parents or care providers about laws that they know. Ask students to keep the responses for the following day’s discussion.

Days 2-3:
Discuss the information that the students have brought in from the previous day’s assignment. Tell them that today they will begin a study of our Constitution, the written record of our government created by our forefathers in 1787. Begin with the Prior Knowledge Survey. Hand it out to students, or make a transparency of it. Let students fill in the left side of the page, answering whether they agree or disagree with each statement. They will fill in the right hand side when they have finished their research. Collect the papers for later use. If using a transparency, record the majority opinions, and put it aside for later use. Hand out the Constitution Booklets. Begin to read together. Notice that the booklet is in the form of questions that students might want to ask. It will probably be best to read a question and its paragraph and discuss before moving on to the next question. This assignment should probably take two days with the ensuing discussions.

Days 4-5:
Hand out the other graphic organizers for students' recording of data from the booklet. Students can work alone or in pairs. Students needing less guidance can use the web links that are listed to find their information. Completing these organizers should take two lesson periods.

Day 6:
Come together as a class to discuss the data on the graphic organizers. Let students correct any data that is inaccurate. If students have not completed all of the blanks, allow them to use what other students have found. The purpose of these organizers is to use the information for the brochure that the students will be making. Hand out the Constitution Task and the Constitution Rubric. Use the brochures that you have collected as examples of what a brochure looks like. Give students the opportunity to discuss the Task and the Rubric that explains what will be expected of them. Students can begin planning their brochures.

Day 7-9:
Students should be writing their first drafts of the paragraphs that they intend to put on their brochures. Remind them that these will be for an audience and should be written with correct punctuation, word form, and spelling. If computers are available these can be typed in a small font. The brochure should be made of large construction paper that is folded into three sections. That will give a total of six surfaces for paragraphs and pictures. Those students wishing to draw pictures or borders should be encouraged to do so. Students should also be allowed to take pictures from the computer or web links to put on their brochures.

Day 10:
Today should be a sharing day with each student sharing their brochures and what they have learned. At the end of the sharing students should again be given the Prior Knowledge Survey and be given the opportunity to fill in the right side of the paper. Hopefully, students will have learned from their study and will be able to correct any statements that were previously incorrect. It is important that you display the brochures on a bulleting board or in the hallway. EXTRA – Ask other class teachers if they would like students to come in to explain what they have learned and to show their brochures, or have a parent time when parents can come in to see what students have accomplished.

Assessment: Students can be assessed through teacher observation, the brochure presentations, and the Constitution Rubric.

Useful Internet Resources:
* U.S. Constitution Facts
This web link leads to information of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court, the Founding Fathers, Famous Quotes, Crossword Puzzles, and a Glossary of Terms.
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/cons.shtml

* Encarta Encyclopedia Article - Constitution of the United States
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/refarticle.aspx?refid=761569008

* U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/constitution.billofrights.html

* Congress for Kids - Writing the Constitution
http://www.congressforkids.net/writingconstitution.htm

* NCTE/IRA Standards for the English Language Arts
http://www.ncte.org/standards/standards.shtml

* National Standards for History
http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/nchs/standards/