Up in Arms Over the Second Amendment

Meagen FarrellAuthor of Teaching Adults: A 2014 GED® Test

Resource Book

Please Note:

This is an interdisciplinary lesson plan intended to be facilitated with a group by a trained adult literacy or GED® Test Prep instructor. For more background information on this method, please watch the presentation Preparing Low Level Learners for the GED Test.

Interdisciplinary Lesson

2nd Amendment

Social Studies content

Analyze reading

passagesInterpret data

Write a response and cite evidence

Why Are We Learning as a Group?

• One person talks at a time.• We do not have to agree.• Everyone can share their thoughts and feelings.• Respond to the topic, not to others’ comments.

Are there rules you want to change, delete, or add?

How Do We Want to Act as a Group?

• Read and analyze the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and two different viewpoints on what it means from two active U.S. citizens’ groups.

• Choose a position to support, and select evidence to support that position.

Activity

• What is the U.S. Constitution?• What is the Bill of Rights?• What is an amendment?

Before We Read

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

The Second Amendment

We will now read about two different citizens’ groups that interpret this amendment in two different ways.

Two Groups, Two Meanings

The NRA believes the Second Amendment means that most U.S. citizens have the right to personal gun ownership and use.

Why? They believe “a well regulated militia” means all citizens have the right to defend themselves with guns.

National Rifle Association (NRA)

The Brady Campaign believes that the Second Amendment means that we should enact stronger regulation to protect citizens from gun violence.

Why? They believe that “A well regulated militia” means just people in regulated categories are authorized to own and use guns.

Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence

The NRA looks at evidence that handgun bans increase murder rates.

Why Do They Think Differently?

The Brady Campaign looks at evidence that there are too many victims of gun violence.

Why Do They Think Differently?

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

The Second Amendment

• What does “a well regulated militia” mean?• If you had to choose between the Brady

Campaign and the NRA, which would you support? Why?

• What evidence supports your choice?

What Do You Think?

Write a few sentences explaining whether you would support either the Brady Campaign or the NRA. Why? Use at least one quote or statistic we looked at today.

Summarize Your Thoughts

Questions?

Thank You!

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