This post takes advantage of yesterday's (December 15) anniversary of the Bill
of Rights to create a guided lesson plan for homeschooling families.
This lesson can be adapted for use with children functioning between the second or third grade
level and high school.
Pose an essential question
A good lesson plan often begins when the teacher poses an
essential question that is big enough to make everyone think deeply for longer
than the duration of the class. An essential question for this lesson could be:
What rights and freedoms should be protected by the government?
Coach the students to make a personal connection with the
Bill
of Rights
Next, coach the students to form a connection with the Bill
of Rights. Explain what the Constitution is. Then, ask the
students what they think should be done if it becomes evident that the Constitution
needs some additional provisions or changes. Ask them to think of and share examples of when they have experienced a change in the rules at home or in sports. Then link
what they divulge to the adoption of the Bill of Rights.
Introduce the Constitution and the Bill
of Rights
The United States Constitution was
ratified and adopted in 1789. It outlined the way the federal government would
function without encroaching on the rights either of the states or of the
nation’s citizens. The Constitution is the equivalent of
the bylaws of a corporation. It explains the rules which are binding on the government unless a
minimum of two-thirds of the states agree to change them. These formal changes
are called amendments. The first ten amendments were adopted on December 15,
1791. As a group, these amendments are called the Bill of Rights.
Have the students read, paraphrase, summarize and discuss
the Bill
of Rights
Provide a copy of the Bill of Rights[1]
for the students to read. Assign them to paraphrase each amendment using their
own words after they have been introduced to any unfamiliar vocabulary in the
original document. Then, ask them to summarize what the amendments contribute
to our laws and freedoms. Do the students agree that these are important rights
to protect? Are there other rights that the students think should be added? (You
might extend this activity to include the other amendments to the Constitution
which have been adopted since 1791 for older students, especially if they must
take a Civics test to graduate from high school in your state.)
Provide additional information to extend the lesson
The National Archives website[2] has links to several short videos about the Bill of Rights. Watch them with your students. You can pause a video when clarification is needed or to answer or ask questions about what the video says. Ask the students how the information in the videos shifts what they understand. Discuss what new questions the students may have after watching the videos. Return to the essential question in the light of the videos. Assign further research for older students who are curious.
Conclude the lesson by asking the students to think about and use what they have learned to debate whether the Bill of Rights was really
necessary and if it is still important today.
According to Thomas Jefferson, the Bill of Rights was
necessary because: “Our legislators are
not sufficiently apprised of the rightful limits of their power; that their
true office is to declare and enforce only our natural rights and duties, and
to take none of them from us”[3].
Hence, the Bill of Rights starts by explaining its purpose in the Preamble: “In order to prevent misconstruction or
abuse of its [the Constitution’s] powers”[4].
For us at the Kentucky Faith & Public History Education
Project, the Bill of Rights with its "First Amendment" that protects our
religious freedom, it is a key to our mission and vision. In order for American
school children to be able to exercise their right to a free expression of
worship without government interference or coercion, we believe that facts
about religion must be made available in terms that elementary and secondary
students can understand. Our particular mission is to produce and disseminate
resources for teachers and parents about the Christian religion and its history
in Kentucky.
How to record the time spent on this lesson for your
homeschool records
Count the hours your students spend on this lesson for Reading,
History or Social Studies as well as Government or Civics.
[1]“
The Bill of Rights”. The United States Constitution. ONLINE
at https://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/primary-sources/bill-of-rights.
ACCESSED 12/16/2020
[2] “Bill
of Rights Day, December 15”. National Archives News. ONLINE at https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/bill-of-rights.
ACCESSED 12/16/2020.
[3]
Thomas Jefferson. June 7, 1816 Letter to Francis W. Gilmore. ONLINE at https://www.loc.gov/resource/mtj1.049_0206_0208/?st=text.
ACCESSED 12/16/2020
[4]
Preamble. The United States Constitution. ONLINE at https://www.archives.gov/news/topics/bill-of-rights.
ACCESSED 12/16/2020.
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