Articles 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the United States Constitution

Often our instruction of the Constitution does not include a deeper look at Articles 4, 5, 6, and 7.

The purpose of this lesson, "Articles 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the United States Constitution," is to have students critically think about the significance of these Articles as they investigate their meaning. For example, for Article 4, students will analyze real-world examples to explain what provisions of Article 4 apply. For Article 5, students will explain the process for amending the Constitution. For Article 6, students will answer questions about the general provisions in the Constitution that explain what makes the Constitution the supreme law of the land and the fact that there are no religious requirements to hold office. For Article 7, students explain the process for ratifying the Constitution. For all the questions, I have included a key.

I have included the original text of these articles as well as an annotated version so students can understand the text in plain English. This is particularly helpful for students who are ESL learners, RSP students, and struggling readers. Students will work collaboratively with a partner or in a small group to discuss Articles 4-7.

This lesson is part of my unit, "Our Living Constitution," which is a comprehensive unit on the United States Constitution. Each lesson sets the foundation for future lessons. But the lessons can be used independently supplementing what you already teach.

Every lesson includes the following: an Introduction or Purpose of the Lesson, Objectives, Learning Targets, Standards (California Common Core Standards and California History Standards), detailed directions, and when applicable, charts, readings, questions, and answer keys.    Some lessons include summative assessments and rubrics. There are many opportunities for students to reflect on what they have learned 

All of the lessons are available separately online. I have also included links to some lessons that are not included in Our Living Constitution but are connected to the Constitution (Lessons 4, 10, 11, 12, 13, and the two summative projects.

Into Lessons: Creating Schema

• Lesson 1: Overview of the Constitution of the United States of America

• Lesson 2: Origins of the Constitution and Essential Terms

• Lesson 3: The Seven Principles of the Constitution

Through Lessons: Learning the Content

• Lesson 4: The Preamble: The Goals of the Constitution (not included in Our Living Constitution)

• Lesson 5: The Three Branches of  Government: Articles 1, 2, and 3

• Lesson 6: How a Bill Becomes a Law

• Lesson 7: Federalism, Separation of Powers, and Checks and Balances

• Lesson 8: Articles 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the United States Constitution

• Lesson 9: The Bill of Rights Unit (and a Little About Amendments 11-27)

Extras (from the Unit: Every Four Years… The Presidential Election)

• Lesson 10: What Are Your Political Viewpoints? (not included in Our Living Constitution)

• Lesson 11: Major and Minor Political Parties (not included in Our Living Constitution)

• Lesson 12: A Brief History of Who Can Vote in the United States (not included in Our Living Constitution)

• Lesson 13: The Nuts and Bolts of the United States Presidential Election (not included in Our Living Constitution)

Beyond Lessons: Summative Assessments

• The Consitution is a Living Document (not included in Our Living Constitution)

• The Bill of Rights Explained Project: A Project to Assess Knowledge and Understanding (not included in Our Living Constitution)

The lesson, Articles 4, 5, 6, and 7, includes the following:

--an Introduction or Purpose of the Lesson, Objectives, Learning Targets, Standards (California Common Core Standards), and detailed directions.

--the original text of these articles as well as an annotated version.

--questions relating to each article so students can show their understanding with a key.

--real-world examples of Article 4 that require students to interpret Article 4’s solution for each problem.

-- questions about the process for amending the Constitution in Article 5.

--questions about the key points of Article 6.

--questions about the requirements to ratify the Constitution.