The U.S. Constitution
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Everything students needs to know about the U.S. Constitution!
WORKBOOK: You need only one for the entire class!
Documents: quotations, speeches, political cartoons. Nobody does it better! Lectures with gobs of graphic organizers.
Group analysis: What if your school were run like the Articles of Confederation?
Homework on the internet.
Projects: Students teach the class.
The centerpiece: Recreate the Constitutional Convention.
The guys give speeches.
The gals are narrators.
It is clever, clever, clever.
Out of the box: “What if your school were run like the Articles of Confederation?” (Sheer chaos: Each classroom would make its own rules.)
When it comes to the answers, we are direct and specific. No vague, fuzzy stuff.
Games galore.
Assessment: Learn the logic of a multiple-choice test by playing “Honk if you hate history!”
Heavy on terms: “The ABCs of the U.S. Constitution” (recall terms) & “Can you talk like a Founding Father?” (define terms).
“Let your classroom BLOOM!” (Using Bloom’s taxonomy, explore terms in depth.)
Concludes with the mother of all tests: 559 questions!
[Reverse designers: give a test at the beginning of every class.]
- The U.S. Constitution Toolbook covers:
- Origins of the U.S. Constitution: Three documents. Two philosophers. What is the main purpose of government?
- The Articles of Confederation: An experiment that failed.
- The Constitutional Convention of 1787: Using worksheets, students become the actual delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Guys v. Gals: While the guys deliver clever speeches, the gals explain the bundle of compromises.
- Ratification: From the Federalist Papers, interpret famous lines such as “If men were angels . . .” A debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists.
- The Bill of Rights: Using political cartoons, examine your rights – yesterday and today.
- Principles Beneath the Constitution: Play “Name that branch!” and “Separate those Powers!” To what extent did the Constitution live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence?
The Test
It consists of 551 questions.
This is the mother of all tests on the U.S. Constitution.
If your students can do well on our test . . . the state test should be a breeze!
Simple to use
One book for the whole class.
No learning curve: Lessons are ready to reproduce.
Saves time
All the facts are included:
There is no need to use a textbook or reference books.
Your students will zip through the material.
Each lesson is 20 minutes in and out. Perfect for block scheduling.
1. The Topics
THE ORIGINS
Great documents! Great political cartoons!
The Magna Carta, Glorious Revolution of 1688, English Bill of Rights, the Enlightenment, John Locke, Montesquieu, Mayflower Compact, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, the Great Awakening, Declaration of Independence, American Revolution, Articles of Confederation, Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom, and the Federalist Papers.
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Our government is based upon limited government, consent of the governed, natural rights, the social contract, federalism, dual sovereignty, separation of powers, checks & balances, majority rule, and preservation of individual rights.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
A simple and sophisticated way to role-play the convention:
15 speeches (guys) and 15 narrators (gals) perform the debates, compromises, and ratification.
If this doesn’t knock your socks off, we’ll eat our hat.
HOW THE CONSTITUTION WORKS
Great graphic organizers!
The 3 branches, enumerated and implied powers, how a bill becomes a law, the Electoral College, impeachment, the amendment process, and the Bill of Rights.
2. The Lessons
Designed to involve students at the moment and on the day of the state test!
Chock full of facts: Using reasoning, students manipulate the facts.
Action-packed: Students perform what they know in front of the class!
| THREE DOCUMENTS | Documents that haped the U.S. Constitution |
| The Magna Carta (1215) | Its ideals and impact |
| The English Bill of Rights (1689) | Its ideals and impact |
| The Mayflower Compact (1620) | Its ideals and impact |
| Political Cartoons | Worksheet: How to interpret any political cartoon. |
| The Pilgrims believed in self-govt | From the Judeo-Christian Ethic |
| “Survivor: 2000” | Using the Mayflower Compact as your model, write a modern version. |
| The Three Documents | Homework on the Internet |
| Name that Document! | Game: Distinguish between Magna Carta, English Bill, Mayflower |
| The Great Race | Game: Guys vs. Gals |
| TWO BOOKS | Books that shaped the U.S. Constitution |
| Two Treatises of Government (1689) | John Locke: Natural Rights, the Social Contract |
| Spirit of the Laws (1748) | Montesquieu: Three Branches, Balance of Power, Checks & Balances, Majority Rule/Minority Rights. |
| Great Quotations | Interpret: What did Montesquieu believe? |
| Bloom! | Group Analysis: Majority Rule |
| Name that Guy! | Game: Distinguish between Locke and Montesquieu |
| The Great Race | Game: Guys vs Gals. Locke or Montesquieu? |
| The Three Branches | Graphic Organizer: Spreading political power among many people. |
| Great Quotations | Interpret: Definition of Democracy |
| Review: | What shaped the Constition? 3 documents and 2 books: The concepts in each |
| Don’t Look Up! | Game: Create mobiles with the answers, hang from ceiling. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: Individual Rights. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: Majority Rule. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: Minority Rights. |
| Mars/Venus | One guy vs. one gal: What do you really remember? |
| Honk if you hate history! | You hear the test before you take it. |
| The Last Man Standing | Based on a movie starring Bruce Willis. |
| ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION | How it shaped the U.S. Constitution |
| America’s first constitution . . . | It was an experiment that failed! |
| What if your school were run . . . | like the Articles of Confederation? (It would be pure chaos.) |
| Compare & Contrast | Articles of Confederation (1776) vs U.S. Constitution (1789) |
| The Great Race | Game: Guys vs Gals. Articles of Confed or the Constitution? |
| THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION | |
| The Preamble | We spell it out: Exactly what it means. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: “We the People.” Sovereignty. |
| The Constitutional Convention | List of 15 speeches. List of 10 narrators. |
| Narrator #1: | The Setting |
| Narrator #2: | Debates & Compromises |
| Narrator #3: | Virginia or New Jersey |
| Narrator #4: | The Great Compromise |
| Narrator #5: | Slavery! The whole class: Map the slave states. |
| Narrator #6: | The 3/5 Clause The whole class: Analyze the 3/5 Clause. The Commerce Clause. |
| Narrator #7: | The Electoral College The whole class: Interpret political cartoons on the Electoral College. |
| Narrator #8: | Ratification |
| Narrator #9: | Federalist Papers The whole class: Interpret quotations from The Federalist Papers. |
| Narrator #10: | The Bill of Rights It would not have been ratified without this. |
| “I am George Washington” | Presided over the Constitutional Convention |
| “I am James Madison” | “Father of the U.S. Constitution” |
| “I am Edmund Randolph” | I favor the big states, like Virginia |
| “I am William Paterson” | I favor the little states, like New Jersey |
| “I am Roger Sherman” | I put together the Great Compromise |
| “I am Charles C. Pinckney” | I made sure that slavery was put into the Constitution. |
| “I am John Rutledge” | If slavery is not in there, then the Southern states will secede. |
| “I am Luther Martin” | Slavery should not be in the Constitution. |
| “I am George Mason” | I did not sign the Constitution: It did not have a Bill of Rights. |
| “I am Oliver Ellsworth” | I invented the name, “United States of America.” |
| “I am James Wilson” | I do not like the Electoral College. I am for direct election of the Prez. |
| “I am Gouverneur Morris” | I want a strong central government. |
| “I am Ben Franklin” | I got 39 out of 55 delegates to sign the Constitution. |
| “I am Alexander Hamilton” | I wrote the Federalist Papers so the states would ratify the Cons. |
| “I am John Jay” | I wrote the Fed Papers so that New York would ratify the Constitution. |
| Create a newspaper | Describing the Constitutional Convention. |
| Name that Guy! | Identify delegates at the Convention. |
| Who said it? | We give you the quotation; you guess who said it. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: The Cons Convention was held in secret. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: The 3/5 clause |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine from 5 viewpoints: The Great Compromise |
| The Great Debate | “Resolved, the Great Compromise was great.” |
| HOW THE CONSTITUTION WORKS | |
| Seven Articles | What is each about? |
| Federalism | Definition. Graphic Organizer. Group Analysis. |
| Dual Sovereignty | Definition. Graphic Organizer. Group Analysis. The Great Race! |
| Enumerated Powers | Definition. Graphic Organizer. Group Analysis. The Great Race! |
| Separation of Powers | Game: Is it Congress, the Prez or the Supremes? |
| Delegated, Concurrent, or Reserved? | The Great Race: Guys vs Gals |
| Enumerated or Implied? | Game: The Bell Game or the Gong Show. |
| Five Powers | Enumerated, Implied, Delegated, Reserved, Concurrent |
| Name that Power! | Game: Enumerated, Implied, Delegated, Reserved, Concurrent |
| Separation of Powers | Graphic Organizer. Purpose. Group Analysis. Several games. |
| Direct Elections | The people elected the House. Not the Prez, Supremes, or Senate. |
| A Passle of Principles | Game: Categorize the event with the constitutional principle. |
| THE BILL OF RIGHTS | The main purpose of government is to protect individual rights. |
| The Bill of Rights | Apply: This situation fits which Amendment? |
| Political Cartoons | Interpret: This cartoon fits which Amendment? |
| Freedom of Religion | Jefferson’s Statute for Religious Freedom, 1786 |
| Bloom! | Group Analysis: Separation of Church and State |
| The Tenth Amendment | States’ Rights |
| Bloom! | Group Analysis: Slavery was left up to each state. |
| The ABCs of the Bill of Rights | Define phrases and terms. |
| REVIEW | |
| List of the Origins | The documents, books, and ideas that shaped the Constitution |
| The ABCs of the Constitution | Recall terms. |
| Can you speak Constitution? | Define terms. |
| The Chalkboard Game | Game: You draw clues on the board, the class guesses the concept. |
| Mars/Venus | One guy vs one gal: What did you remember? |
| Honk if you hate history! | Students hear the test before they take it. |
| The Last Man Standing | Based on a movie starring Bruce Willis. |
| The Great Debate | “Resolved, the Constitution did not live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence.” |
| COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION | |
| Interpret the Constitution | We interpreted each paragraph for you. |