American Government: Unit 1, Week 3: the Constitutionkellywedlake.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/7/8/17788985/constitution_and... · American Government: Unit 1, ... Explain how the U.S

American Government: Unit 1, Week 3: the Constitution:

Grade: 12th

Grade

Essential Question:

- How is the Constitution organized? Objectives:

By the end of class today, students will be able to…

- Explain the basic organization of the Constitution

- Explain the system of checks and balances and how it works within the US government

- Explain the powers of each branch of government Standards:

C3 Framework Standards:

- D2.Civ.4.9-12: Explain how the U.S. Constitution establishes a system of government

that has powers, responsibilities, and limits that have changed over time and that are still

contested.

- D2.Civ.11.9-12: Evaluate multiple procedures for making governmental decisions at the

local, state, national, and international levels in terms of the civic purposes achieved. Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

- Students will analyze a complex set of ideas or sequences of events and explain how

specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop over the course of the online

text.

- Students will also acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific

words and phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college

and career readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge

when considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.

Iowa Core Curriculum Standards:

History:

- Understand how and why people create, maintain or change systems of power, authority,

and governance.

- Understand the role of innovation on the development and interaction of societies. Political Science/Civic Literacy:

- Understand the purpose and function of each of the three branches of government

established by the constitution

- Understand how the government established by the constitution embodies the enduring

principles of democracy and republicanism

- Understand the rights and responsibilities of each citizen and demonstrate the value of

lifelong civic action.

21st Century Skills:

Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills:

- Analyze how parts of a whole interact with each other to produce overall outcomes in

complex systems Social and Cross-Cultural Skills:

- Know when it is appropriate to listen and when to speak Civic Literacy:

- Participating effectively in civic life through knowing how to stay informed and

understanding governmental processes Anticipatory Set:

To begin class the students will watch “3 Branches of Government” from Schoolhouse Rock.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5M50xBz1cU

Video is 3 minutes long.

Teaching Activities:

Following the video, the teacher will give the Constitution Lecture, found in the Unit 1, Week 3

PowerPoints. Notes for the lecture and the guided note sheet for the students can be found at the end of

the plan. The lecture should take most of the class period. Students should follow along with the notes,

with teacher checking that notes are being taken for assessment purposes. Students do not need to hand in

their guided notes sheet, but should be instructed to keep it to be able to study for their exam.

Closure:

To close class students will do a brief demonstration of how the system of checks and balances works.

One student should act as the president, with three students acting as the Supreme Court justices, and the

rest acting as Congress (in ratio to the number of students and the number of

representatives/justices/president in actuality). Ask the students in Congress to divide themselves in half

as Representatives and Senators. Students in both houses of Congress must pass a bill, with it then being

sent to the President to either sign or veto. If the President vetoes, the students in Congress must come up

with a ¾ majority vote to override the veto. The Supreme Court justices can then decide if the bill/law is

unconstitutional, voting amongst themselves.

Assessment:


- Explain the basic organization of the Constitution

o This will be assessed via nonverbal cues and on-task behavior as well as the

closing discussion/activity. - Explain the system of checks and balances and how it works within the US government


closing discussion/activity.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5M50xBz1cU

- Explain the powers of each branch of government


closing discussion/activity. Independent Practice:

There is no independent practice for this lesson.

Materials:

Schoolhouse Rock video pre-loaded

Constitution PowerPoint

Guided Notes—1 copy per student

Projector

Teacher notes

Chapter 3: The Constitution—Teacher Notes:

A Blueprint for Government:

- The Constitution outlines six basic principles of US government and a system that safely

and fairly distributes and balances power.

o Popular sovereignty—the people establish government and are the source of its

power

o Limited government—government powers are restricted to protect individual

rights

Rule of law—the concept that every member of society, including the

ruler or government, must obey the law and is never above it.

o Separation of powers—the power to govern is divided among executive,

legislative, and judicial branches to prevent the concentration and abuse of power

by any one branch

o Checks and balances—each branch of government has the authority to check or

restrain some powers of the other two branches

o Judicial review—the judiciary has the power to strike down laws and other

government actions as invalid under the Constitution

o Federalism—the rights of the states are protected by dividing powers between the

national government and the state government.

- Under the Constitution, the powers of government are limited in order to protect

individual rights

o Constitution has 3 main parts:

Preamble—intro, that states the six goals for the new government

Form a more perfect union—strengthen the relationship among the

states as part of a union and between the states and the national

government as part of a new federal system

Establish justice—provide laws that are reasonable, fair, and

impartial and make sure that the administration of those law is also

reasonable, fair, and impartial

Ensure domestic tranquility—keep peace and maintain order

within the country

Provide for the common defense—defend the nation against

foreign enemies

Promote the general welfare—allow all states and citizens to

benefit militarily and economically from the protection of a strong

national government

Secure the blessings of liberty—protect the liberties recently won

in the American Revolution and preserve them for the generations

to come.

Articles—create the structure for the government

Amendments—additional changes made to the constitution

The Constitution includes a formal process for adding amendments

to the Constitution

Amendments can be proposed by Congress with a 2/3s majority

vote in each house or called by Congress at the request of 2/3s of

the state legislatures.

Amendments can be ratified by ¾ of the state’s legislatures, or by

3/4s of the states at conventions before it is added to the

constitution

Most states call for a citizens advisory vote before voting on

constitutional amendments

The Constitution is an enduring document that has the ability to

grow and change over time

The most concrete examples of the constitution changing to adapt

over time is found in the amendments that expand voting rights

(15, 19, 26).

The Constitution has been amended 27 times. The first 10

amendments are known as the Bill of Rights

- The Constitution divides the powers of government among three separate branches:

legislative, executive, and judicial. The Constitution includes checks on and balances of

government power to prevent any one branch of government from overpowering the

others

o Executive branch—carries out laws

Made up of the President, his cabinet, the Vice President, and executive

agencies

Responsibilities include giving an annual address to Congress

(traditionally the State of the Union), execution and enforcement of the

laws, and conducting diplomatic relations with foreign powers

Powers include signing bills into law, vetoing bills, calling special

sessions of Congress, suggesting laws and sending messages to Congress,

issuing Executive Orders, acting as Commander in Chief of the armed

forces, appointing federal judges, and granting reprieves and pardons for

federal crimes.

The Presidential Cabinet

Appointed “secretaries of departments” that specialize in this area

and act in an advisory role

Vice president

Acts as second in command, president of the Senate, and as an

advisor to the President in policy and decision making

Presidents often expand their constitutionally given powers—as

commander in chief, with inherent executive power and their power to

receive ambassadors and officials from other nations with their duty to

faithfully execute the laws—to help the country run more smoothly

Executive branch agencies also have the power to dictate how the

legislation passed in Congress is received by the public and executed.

o Legislative branch—makes laws

2 houses of Congress—the Senate and the House of Representatives

Responsible for making and passing legislation on the federal level

The legislative branch has been tasked with expanding the Constitution,

and thus expanding our governmental structure over time through their

legislative actions

Each representative or senator is elected from their home state, with there

always being 2 senators, and the number of representatives being dictated

by population ratio (The Great Compromise)

Can impeach and remove the president and federal judges, override a

presidential veto, controls spending of money, and establishes the lower

federal courts.

The Senate approves or rejects presidential nominations to the cabinet and

supreme court, and must ratify all formal US treaties.

o Judicial branch—interprets laws

Made up of the Supreme Court, Appellate Courts, and Federal courts

Justices are appointed by the President when a seat becomes available, and

then confirmed by the Senate Judiciary Committee

Justices can serve for life

Can declare acts of Congress unconstitutional through the power of

judicial review, can declare executive acts unconstitutional, and judges are

appointed for life and free from executive control

Judicial review—the power given to federal courts to determine whether

the actions of the legislative and executive branches of government are

constitutional.

Unconstitutional laws are laws that around found to violate a part of the

Constitution, the nation’s highest form of the law.

The judicial branch in today’s world decides how to interpret the

Constitution while examining laws

Strict constructionists—the constitution should be interpreted

literally only

Loose constructionists—the Constitution and its meaning can be

interpreted from the words in the document plus any reasonable

inferences that can be drawn from them.

The Constitution Guided Notes:

Basic Principles:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Structure of the Constitution: Preamble and its 6 goals for the American Government:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

The Articles:

The Bill of Rights and Additional Amendments:

The Amendment Process:

The Three Branches: Executive Branch:

Responsibilities and Powers:

Presidential Cabinet:

Vice President:

Legislative Branch:

Responsibilities and Powers:

Judicial Branch:

Judicial Review:

Strict constructionists vs. loose constructionists

American Government: Unit 1, Week 3: Amendments to the Constitution:

Grade: 12th

grade

Essential Question:

- Which of the Amendments to the US Constitution are most important and what do they

mean? Objectives:


- Explain what an amendment to the Constitution is

- Create a visual that explains their amendment to the Constitution Standards:




contested.


local, state, national, and international levels in terms of the civic purposes achieved.

Common Core Standards:



text.






History:


and governance.









Creativity and Innovation Skills:

- Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively Communication and Collaboration:

- Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal

communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts. Information Literacy:

- Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources) ICT Literacy:

- Use digital technologies and communication/networking tools and social networks

appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information to

successfully function n a knowledge economy. Productivity and Accountability:

- Prioritize, plan, and manage work to achieve the intended result.

Anticipatory Set:

To begin class the teacher will review with students the amendment process, covered in the notes from

yesterday’s lecture to check for understanding using the Amendments PowerPoint. Students should be

able to explain the process, and why amendments are important to the growth of the United States as a

democracy.


Students will then be given the rubric for the Amendment Activity (at end of plan). The students will also

be given a slip of paper 1-18. The students will then choose their amendments to do their project on

according to their number (1 choosing first, 18 choosing last). Students can pick from the following list

of Amendments, which includes enough choices for each student in the class (18 students):

1. Speech, religion, assembly, press, petition the government

2. Bear arms

3. Quartering of soldiers

4. Unlawful search and seizure

5. Habeas corpus, due process

6. Speedy trial and representation (paired with 7)

7. Trial by jury in federal court (paired by 6)

8. ---------

9. ----------

10. Powers not specifically given to the federal government are reserved to the states or

individuals

11. ----------- 12. Electoral college for selecting President/Vice President

13. Abolished slavery

14. Established citizenship, representation, and loyalty

15. Suffrage to all males of age, regardless of race

16. Federal income tax system

17. ----------- 18. Prohibition (paired with 21)

19. Women get the right to vote

20. Terms of office, presidential succession (paired with 25)

21. Ended Prohibition (paired with 18)

22. Term limits for President

23. ---------- 24. -------- 25. Further clarifies Presidential succession (paired with 20)

26. Right to vote to all citizens 18 years of age and older

27. ------------ Students may use their books or the internet to learn more about their amendment, making sure to meet

the requirements of the rubric. They should be reminded that if they are using the internet, they need to be

using credible sources i.e. not Wikipedia. They will be given the rest of class to complete their research

and begin making their visual. They will be given ten minutes in the next class period to finish their

visual.

Closure:

To close class students should be given two minutes to ask any questions they may have about the project.

Teacher should also be sure to check in with every student to make sure they are on the right track.

Independent Practice:

There is no assigned independent practice specifically assigned for this lesson, but students should be

reminded they will only be given 10 minutes to complete the assignment in tomorrow’s class. If that will

not be enough time for them, they should take home the project to complete work outside of class.

Materials:

Projector

Amendments PowerPoint

Slips of paper numbered 1-18 (1 per student)

Poster Paper (1 piece per student)

Markers/Colored Pencils

Amendment Project Rubric (1 per student)

Amendments Project:

You will be assigned an amendment from the Constitution and will be responsible for creating a

poster that best represents your amendment. The poster should include information on what the

amendment is, when it was passed, and some sort of image that can appropriately summarize the

amendment and its long-term effects on our nation. Be prepared to present you poster to the

class, as you will be responsible for the class understanding your amendment. This project is

worth 30 points total.

Total: ______/30

Exceeds

Expectations: 10

points

Meets Expectations: 8-6 points

Does Not Meet

Expectations: 5 or

less points

Amendment

Description:

10 points

Poster has a complete

and thorough

explanation of what

the Amendment is.

This includes who the

amendment effects or

does not effect.

Poster explains the

amendment but is

missing key

information or

information regarding

who the amendment

effects/does not

effect.

The poster does not

explain what the

amendment is or who

it effects or does not

effect.

Amendment

History:

10 points

Poster/presentation

describes the history

of the amendment and

its long term effects

on American society.

Poster/presentation

describes some of the

history or long term

effects of the

amendment on

American society.

The

poster/presentation

does not describe the

history or long term

effects of the

amendment on

American society.

Visual:

5 points

The poster includes a

visual that

appropriately

represents the

amendment.

The poster includes a

visual that somewhat

represents the

amendment.

The poster does not

include a visual or

includes an

inappropriate visual to

represent the

amendment.

Presentation:

5 points

The presentation is

complete and

appropriate. The

student relates all

essential information

in the presentation

and answers questions

from their classmates

appropriately.

The presentation is

somewhat complete

and appropriate.

Some essential

information is

missing, or questions

are not answered

appropriately.

The presentation is

either incomplete or

inappropriate.

Essential information

if missing, and

questions are either

answered

inappropriately or not

answered at all.

American Government: Unit 1, Week 3: Amendment Project Presentations:

Grade: 12th

grade

Essential Question:

- Which of the Amendments to the US Constitution are most important and what do they

mean?

Objectives:



- Create a visual that explains their amendment to the Constitution

Standards:




contested.


local, state, national, and international levels in terms of the civic purposes achieved.

Common Core Standards:



text.






History:


and governance.









Creativity and Innovation Skills:

- Develop, implement, and communicate new ideas to others effectively Communication and Collaboration:

- Articulate thoughts and ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal

communication skills in a variety of forms and contexts. Information Literacy:

- Access information efficiently (time) and effectively (sources) ICT Literacy:

- Use digital technologies and communication/networking tools and social networks

appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information to

successfully function n a knowledge economy. Productivity and Accountability:

- Prioritize, plan, and manage work to achieve the intended result.

Anticipatory Set:

To begin class students should be reminded that they have a current events assignment for the

next class. Teacher should then pass out the Amendments worksheet to be completed during

classmates presentations.


Student should be given 10 minutes to finish working on their projects. Once the class is done,

the students should each present their project to the class. Teacher should follow rubric in

grading as presentations occur, and collect posters after the presentation is complete. Students

should be following along with presentations using the Amendments worksheet. Students should

present in order of their amendments. (i.e. start with the first, then the second, etc.) The

worksheet should be collected for completion at the end of class.

Closure:

To close class, teacher should explain the Amendments not covered in the presentation to the

class. These should include amendment 8 (bans cruel and unusual punishment), 9 (all individual

rights might not be listed in the constitution are still protected), 11 (clearly defines original

jurisdiction of the Supreme Court), 17 (established the popular vote for Senators), 23 (gave

Washington D.C. electoral votes in the electoral college), 24 (ended poll taxes), and 27

(legislators cannot give themselves pay raises in an election year).

Independent Practice:

Students should be reminded they have a current events assignment due tomorrow.

Assessment:



o This will be assessed via the completed Amendment worksheet, collected at

the end of class.

- Create a visual that explains their amendment to the Constitution

o This will be assessed according to the Amendments Project Rubric. Materials:

Amendment Project Rubrics—collected from students

Amendments Worksheet—1 per student

Amendment/Description: Who does it effect?: History/Significance:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Name:________________________________________ Date:_________

Amendment Activity Breakdown:

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

Documents

American Government: Unit 1, Week 3: the Constitutionkellywedlake.weebly.com/uploads/1/7/7/8/17788985/constitution_and... · American Government: Unit 1, ... Explain how the U.S