Activities and Discussion Points
Activities and discussion points for Grades 1-6:
1. The Constitution has three sections: The Preamble, which is the introduction, the Articles, which explain the various functions of the government, and the amendments, which are changes to the Constitution has three sections: The Preamble, which is the introduction, the Articles, which explain the various functions of the government, and the amendments, which are changes to the Constitution. Library books and textbooks are also divided into sections, too, so that readers can understand where to find information. Create a Venn diagram that explains the similarities and differences between the organization of the Constitution and the organization of one of your textbooks.
2. According to the Constitution, government is divided into three branches: legislative (includes House of Representatives and the Senate), which makes the laws, Executive (includes the President and his Cabinet), which makes sure the law is carried out, and Judiciary (includes state, federal, and supreme court), which interprets the law. Using the newspaper, find an article that mentions a law. Is someone wanting to create a new law? Is someone accused of breaking the law? Has a law helped to keep someone safe? Discuss these articles as a class.
3. While at the Constitutional Convention, many of the delegates worked for a long time talking and listening to each other to reach a peaceable compromise. Use today’s newspapers to find an example of two people or two groups that are having a conflict. How could this problem be resolved by a compromise?
4. Jacob Shallus earned $30 to write the Constitution by hand in 1787. If you were asked to write the Constitution today, how much money do you think you would be paid? Consider the difference in time periods, inflation, and the cost of living.
5. Through the Constitution, the government is designed to have a set of checks and balances, which means that no one person or branch becomes too powerful. With this system, the three branches are seen as equal and they can work together towards a common goal. Have you ever worked with another person or group towards a common goal? What kind of give and take were required? Write a short story about your experience.
Activities and discussion Points for Grades 7-12:
1. Go to www.constitutioncenter.org and pull up a copy of the United States Constitution or refer to a written copy. After reading The Making of the United States Constitution and The Road to the Constitution, as a class look at the various articles of the Constitution and discuss how the Framers’ early experiences with democratic colonial governments and their beliefs about government influenced how they set up the new government. Also discuss how the abuses of the British government led to some interesting sections in the new constitution.
2. As a class, carefully study the preamble of the Constitution. How does the preamble sum up what the Framers thought a government should be about? Also, go to http://members.mobar.org/pdfs/educators/preamble.pdf for an excellent lesson plan on the preamble.
3. As he left the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin allegedly was asked what had come out of the convention and he responded, “A republic, if you can keep it.” What do you think he meant by that? Why do you think we have been able to keep this republic? (A republic is a form of government where the people elect representatives to speak for them as contrasted with direct democracy where the people speak for themselves.)
4. Research both the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. What ideas from these documents are contained in our Constitution? Compare and contrast a parliamentary government (Great Britain) and a republican form of government (United States).
5. Look at the first few paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. What ideas from this document are contained in our Constitution?
6. Consider some of the compromises the Framers made at the Constitutional Convention. Do you think the Great Compromise, which resulted in two houses of Congress, is still a good idea today? As you discuss this issue, consider how the formula for deciding the number of each state’s congressional delegation is the number of electoral votes each state gets. The other interesting compromises were about slaves. How would you have handled the slavery issue if you had been a delegate?
7. Do you think we need a constitutional convention to consider writing a new constitution? Why or why not. Why do you think our Constitution has survived for over 200 years? Do you think the proceedings of a modern constitutional convention could be kept as secret as the first one?
8. What do you think of the idea of federalism—the states have some powers and the national government has others? What powers do you think each should have—what decisions are better made at the national level? At the state level?
9. Our government is one of separation of powers and checks and balances. What do we mean by that? How does the Constitution provide for both of these concepts? Do you think the branches have equal power? Why or why not?
10. The Founders and Framers both feared an executive branch that was too strong; they did not want a king. How do you think they would view how the role of the president has changed over the last 200 years?
11. Go to www.archives.org for an extensive story about the making of our constitution. While on this website, look at the stories of the Framers of the Constitution.
12 Go to www.constitutioncenter.org and explore the interactive constitution.