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The Second Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms
Students interpret the Second Amendment. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students examine the right to bear arms as they compare 2 Michigan Supreme Court cases and discuss their personal interpretations of the amendment.
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The Bill of Rights: Debating the Amendments
Students explore the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students participate in classroom debate regarding the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. Students then vote for the amendments they would like to ratify.
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Symbolic Speech
Ninth graders consider the right of freedom of speech as it is outlined in the U.S. Constitution. They receive background information for the US Supreme Court, the Bill of Rights, and free speech. They discuss a series of actual cases...
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Creating a Bill of Rights
Creating a Bill of Rights isn't easy! Help your scholars experience what the Founding Fathers did by challenging them to write a Bill of Rights. Groups pretend they are a new democratic country and proceed to create that country's Bill...
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Essentials of the US Constitution
Students determine how the content of the U.S. Government enables the U.S. Government to function. They examine the roles and functions of the three branches of government and how the separation of powers and checks and balances affect...
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Get to Know Your Bill of Rights
Sixth graders research and examine the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America. They sequence events significant to this time period, read and discuss text, and in small groups prepare and present the...
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American Studies
Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...
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Dekanawidah- A Forgotten Founding Father
Students compare plans for government. In this early American history lesson, students compare and contrast the U.S. Constitution with the Iroquois Constitution. Students identify cultural features, government functions, and citizenship...
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Judges in the Classroom Lesson Plan History Of The Bill Of Rights
Students study the US Constitution, The Bill of Rights, and other amendments. They investigate the people who obtained the Bill of Rights and play a game based on their studies.
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Changes In The New Nation: New Beginnings
Students consider the role of American newspapers in the revolution and plans for new government. In this early American history instructional activity, students determine how communication provided by newspapers contributed to the...
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Understanding The Preamble
Students explore the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution. In this government lesson plan, students write a preamble to encourage cooperation in their classroom as they study the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution.
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The Bill of Rights
High schoolers classify the Bill of Rights. For this U.S. Constitution lesson, students complete provided readings and worksheets in order to define, identify and analyze each of the amendments and explain why they were included in...
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The Bills of Rights: Cutting It down to Size
Eighth graders explore democratic values. In this U. S. Constitution lesson, 8th graders read the Bill of Rights and consider the significance of the amendments. Students design a governmental time capsule that includes their own plan...
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The Bill of Rights is a-Rockin
Students explore the U.S. Constitution through music. In this Bill of Rights lesson plan, students discuss a hypothetical case regarding lyrics by Madonna and the historical Massachusetts Blue Laws. Students use the Bill of Rights to...
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Divided We Fall
Students examine the Bill of Rights. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students write essays for perform plays that feature the importance of the first ten amendments. Students imagine the United States without 1 of the amendments that...
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The Bill of Rights
Seventh graders determine why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. In this U.S. government lesson, 7th graders discuss the first 10 amendments and any vocabulary they may be unfamiliar with. Students then read different...
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The Constitution: Drafting a More Perfect Union
Learners analyze an unknown primary source document to determine its origin. In this Constitution lesson, students read primary source documents and contrast and compare the evolution of the drafts of the Constitution. Learners analyze...
Administrative Office of the US Courts
Texas v. Johnson
Which right does the Constitution weigh more heavily: the sanctity of the American flag as a symbol of national unity, or the right to burn the flag in protest? The 1989 Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson explores a...
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Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book (Part I, The 5Ws of the Constitution)
Students study the United States Constitution and create a year-long cumulative activity for social studies. In this social studies lesson, students complete activities throughout the year to learn the 5Ws for the United States...
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The Declaration Versus The Communist Manifesto
Upper graders put their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution to the test when they are asked to mark which of several statements are from either the Constitution or the Communist Manifesto. A class discussion follows. Use this resource as...
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We The People
Students consider the main concepts of the Preamble of the United States Constitution They research different issues explored in the Constitution which have both historic and modern connections.
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The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met
Students read biographies of their assigned Founding Father. They present an oral argument that their assignee deserves to be better known by making connections between regional politics and postions defined by character.
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Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power
Students participate in a classroom simulation to discover the issues facing those who formed the new U.S. government. They compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. Using resource sheets and working in...
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Amending the Constitution
Young scholars research the history of the process of amending the US Constitution to explain the latest amendment that failed on June 28, 2006. They complete the research and view images online.