Origins of the Constitution and Essential Terms

The purpose of this 40-page lesson, "Origins of the Constitution and Essential Terms" is for students in grades 6-9 to place the origins of the United States Constitution in a historical context.  Students will read a text about the origins of the Constitution and will see that the foundational principles of our nation are rooted in Ancient Greek and Roman governmental principles, the ideas of the Enlightenment and the Enlightenment philosophers John Locke and Baron de Montesquieu, the government of the Iroquois Confederacy, English law, and colonial governments and laws. In addition, students will be exploring the meanings of essential terms for a unit on the Constitution.

The Origins of the Constitution is lesson 2 in my unit: “Our Living Constitution,” which s designed using the Into, Through, and Beyond lesson planning model. All the lessons in the Constitution unit can be used independently or as a supplement to what you already teach or as a whole.  Here is a summary of what is in the unit:

You might be interested in my other Constitution-related lessons, many of which can be found in my bundle: Our Living Constitution.

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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 following is included in the lesson:

--A detailed lesson plan with objectives and learning targets aligned to the Common Core Standards

--Understanding Essential Terms for the Origins of the Constitution

--Origins of the Constitution Reading

--Origins of the Constitution Chart and Key

--K.I.M. Vocabulary for Essential Terms of the Origins of the Constitution and Key

--Origins of the Constitution Study Guide and Key

--Origins of the Constitution Test and Key