We+the+People+Reinforcing+Activity 


 * __ We The People Reinforcement Activity __**

__** Materials: **__ -We the People: The Story of Our Constitution by Lynne Chaney -Vocabulary Terms Sorting Cards -Document Camera -Constitution Video -Note-Taking Activity Sheet - Role-Play Option Half Sheets

__** Objectives: **__ 1. Students will be able to explain the process America’s founding fathers went through to write the Constitution. 2. Students will be able to explain the purpose of the Constitution and justify why it was needed in the United States. 3. Students will be able to name the individuals who wrote/influenced the Constitution and their concerns. 4. Students will be able to list/show the parts of our government, their purpose, and how its members are elected (legislative branch, the judicial branch, and the executive branch).

__** Exploration/ Procedures: **__ __ Pre-Reading: Word Sort __ 1. The teacher will split the class into table groups. 2. In their table groups, students will receive word sort cards with terms Introduction associated with the Constitution. The teacher will instruct the students to sort the cards into like groups; giving the “best” name for subgroups, and choosing a “best” name for all the cards as a whole. The teacher will remind the students that every group could sort their cards differently and that the group names are only predictions. -Each of the following terms is on their own card: Revolutionary War, George Washington, Articles of Confederation, James Madison, Constitutional Convention, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Executive Branch, James Wilson, William Paterson, Benjamin Franklin, The Great Compromise, Governor Morris, Committee of Detail, John Rutledge, Congress, House of Representatives, George Mason, Bill of Rights, Shay's Rebellion

3. The teacher will allow the students 5-10 minutes to sort the cards. As the students are sorting, the teacher will walk around the room to assess each table groups’ sorting methods. 4. After 5-10 minutes have passed, discuss with the students each table groups overall/large category group name. The teacher will then state to the students that these terms are associated with the Constitution and introduce the book. 5. The teacher will instruct students to write the vocabulary terms in their journals/piece of paper; leaving space to write information from the book next to them.

__Reading the Book:__ The teacher will then read We the People: The Story of Our Constitution using the document camera; making sure to stop/pause at pages where the vocabulary terms are presented. *Pg. 5-Revolutionary War; George Washington *Pg. 6-Articles of Confederation *Pg. 9-James Madison *Pg. 9-12 Constitutional Convention, Three Branches of Government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive, James Wilson *pg. 15 Wiliam Paterson *Pg. 16-Benjamin Franklin *Pg. 18 The Great Compromise *Pg.11,12-Governor Morris *pg.24-Committee of Detail, John Rutledge, Congress, House of Representatives *Pg. 28-George Mason *Extra- Amendment, Bill of Rights, Shay’s Rebellion

__Post Reading-Watch the Video:__ After reading the book, have the students watch the Constitution Video and answer the following note-taking questions on the activity sheet: 1. During what year did 55 of our nation’s founders meet in Philadelphia to write the Constitution? 2. Name any four of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention who debated and ultimately wrote the Constitution. 3. What does it mean that the Constitution created a federal system of governance? 4. Name the document that in 1781 became the United States first formal set of governing rules. 5. What are tariffs? How did they impact the creation of the Constitution? 6. What was Shays Rebellion and why was it significant? 7. What is the name of the document signed by King John of England in 1215 that wrote out some of the laws of his government? 8. One important issue the delegates debated was how to determine large and small states representation in Congress. Briefly explain the two sides of this debate. How was this problem resolved? 9. What was the three-fifths clause and why was it important? 10. Which state was first to ratify the Constitution? 11. Who wrote the Federalist essays? What was the purpose of these essays? 12. The first ten amendments to the Constitution were ratified together. What are these first ten amendments commonly called? In what year were they ratified?

__Post Reading: Exploring the Preamble:__ After the note-taking activity, the teacher will review the Preamble and explain its importance. In a discussion with the students, the teacher will break apart the Preamble and establish the meaning of each of the parts. The teacher will use the discussion guided questions listed below: 1. “W e the People of the United States of America” 2.” …in Order to form a more perfect Union” 3. “establish Justice” 4. “ensure domestic Tranquility” 5. “provide for the common defence” 6. “promote the general Welfare” 7. “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity”

__ Post Reading: Role Playing Assessment: __ Assessment: The teacher will pass out two scenarios in which table groups can pick out constitutional debates to role-play and introduce this activity. The teacher will instruct and record the debate that each table group chooses. The scenarios are as follows: //Role-Play 1:// Representation in Congress Situation: The delegates were unsure how re presentation in Congress should work. The small states wanted each state to have equal re presentation and the large states wanted the number of representatives in Congress for each state to be based on that state’s population. //Assignment:// Divide into two groups. Students in one group are delegates from small states; students in the other group are delegates from large states. Examine why you do or do not want equal representation in Congress. Find out what the issues are concerns for the small and large states. Feel free to bring in other concerns, but keep your focus on determining what are the best ways for your state to assign representatives to Congress.

//Role-Play 2:// Regarding Slavery Situation: After it was decided to have two houses in Congress, it became necessary to determine how to count each state’s population so that the number of representatives for the House of Representatives could be decided. Specifically, there was a debate about if and how to count slaves. The delegates from the northern states didn’t want the slaves counted at all, while the delegates from the southern states argued that slaves should be counted as full persons, in the same manner as other non-voting people (women and children). //Assignment:// Divide into two groups- northern and southern delegates. Explain why you do or do not want slaves counted, and then debate what to do. Through your research, make sure that you carefully understand why the northern and southern delegates took the positions they did on this issue. Take note of how you resolved this issue. Did you come up with a similar compromise to the one that was agreed to in 1787? Why or why not? //Option:// Ask a few students to enter the debate as slaves and abolitionists. How do these perspectives change the debate?

__** Suggested ExtensionActivities: **__ The students will complete an Independent Study Project to summarize what they have learned over the lesson/periods about the Constitution. The teacher will instruct students to pick one of the following project ideas: //Option A:// Pretend that you are the leader of a country that just decided to write its first constitution. Your nation has never had a document that explains its rules of governance, so you recently traveled to America to learn about the U.S. Constitution. Write a speech to give to your fellow politicians explaining the values in the American Constitution. Highlight the parts of the U.S. Constitution that you want to incorporate into your own constitution. Similarly, identify some of the rules and principals in the American document that you don’t want to incorporate into your own. Make sure that you explain your reasoning in detail. //Option B:// During the past 20 years, there have been more than 100 new constitutions written worldwide. Pick any nation in the world that interests you and learn if its people have any written document that explains the rules of their land. After you find a country that does have a constitution, read that document and learn what rights it gives its citizens. Does this nation seem like a democracy to you? How is the document you read diff e rent from the American Constitution? Would you rather live under these rules than the rules in the U.S. Constitution? Explain. //Option C:// There were 55 men in Philadelphia debating the rules and issues that ultimately shaped the Constitution. These men included George Washington, James Madison, Ben Franklin, and many others. Learn more about one of these men, and then write a brief biography of him. You may want to answer these questions in your writing: What had this man done prior to coming to Philadelphia? Did he ultimately sign the Constitution? Were there parts of the Constitution he didn”t like? Also include any other information about your subject that you think is interesting or important. //Option D:// Pretend you have been given the right to change a single part of the Bill of Rights. You can add one amendment or you can add something to an amendment that already exists. But you must remove one whole amendment if you are adding an entirely new one, or you must remove part of an amendment if you are adding onto an amendment that already exists. Write a brief essay explaining what you would do and why.

__** Additional References &Web Links: **__ Shh! We are Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz The New Nation by Joy Hakim Framers of the Constitution by Dorothy Horton McGee The Powers of Congress by Conrad Stein If You We re There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy http://www.enchantedlearning.com/history/us/documents/constitution/ http://www.usconstitution.net/

__**Other Possible Ohio Standards:**__ Grade: 3 Government, Rules and Laws 11. Laws are rules which apply to all people in a community and describe ways people are expected to behave. Laws promote order and security, provide public services and protect the rights of individuals in the local community.