Final Project: Links Page

• Section 1: Standards
• Section 2: Objectives
• Section 3: Pre-Assessment & Materials
• Section 4: Lesson Delivery
• Section 5: Closure & Assessment
• Section 6: Survey
• Section 7: Survey Results

Final Project Section 5: Closure & Assessment

Closure:

• The teacher and students briefly review and summarize the articles which are analyzed by the groups as well as the connection between the articles and the amendments. The teacher and students provide final comments during this discussion.
• Students write brief responses to one of the situations presented by the teacher at the beginning of the unit

Assessment:

• Students must correctly identify the amendment to the Constitution which applies to each article being analyzed. They must provide written explanations of the reasoning processes which led to their decisions. The reasoning processes must correlate with facts from each article as well as follow sound methods of reasoning.
• Each student must independently complete a similar review sheet to demonstrate his/her ability to correctly understand the contents of various amendments and how they relate to specific issues.

Final Project Section 4: Lesson Delivery

   This plan can cover 4 to 6 separate days, in order for the students to fully emmerse themselves in the fine points of the U.S. Constitution.  The teacher can start by presenting students with hypothetical situations which could affect their personal life situations.  Such examples can include:

• You are told you have to practice a new religion which has recently been established by the government
• The government forcibly confiscates the guns which your family uses for hunting
• You are not allowed to vote in the next presidential election after your 18th birthday.

The students discuss their reactions to these and other situations which could personally affect them. The issues must relate to various items in the amendments to the Constitution.  Next the students, working in groups of 3 or 4 begin to take pictures or video (using the digital camera) of visual representation of different Constitutional amendments.  They will upload these pictures onto their computer.  Students will also search the internet for various current news articles discussing violations of the Constitutional amendments.  Students are required to identify the amendments referred to in the articles and the reasoning processes which led to their decisions.  The students will cut and paste their pictures and articles onto PowerPoint slides and create a short presentation on relating the amendments in real-life situations outside the classroom.  After all the groups have completed their analyses within a designated time frame, the entire class reconvenes to present their slides and compare/contrast them. 

Final Project Section 3: Pre-Assessment & Materials

Prior Knowledge:

• Students must be familiar with the U.S. Constitution, including the amendments
• Students must have basic computer skills and how to integrate pictures onto slides such as PowerPoint

Materials Needed:

• Personal Computer for each team
• Scanner
• Projection System
• Digital Camera
• Computer software such as Microsoft PowerPoint

Final Project Section 2: Objectives

The students will be able to:

• Use the ideas in the Declaration of Independence to evaluate the conduct of citizens, political behavior, and the practices of government
• All students will describe the political and legal processes created to make decisions, seek consensus, and resolve conflicts in a free society
• Explain why people may agree on democratic values in the abstract but disagree when they are applied to specific situations
• Evaluate possible amendments to the Constitution
  

Final Project Section 1: Standards

Academic Standards

• 8.2  Students analyze the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government
• 8.2.6  Enumerate the powers of government set forth in the Constitution and the fundamental liberties ensured by the Bill of Rights.

Technological Standards

• Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes
• customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources

Survey Results

Link to Results Page