The Constitution is a Living Document

"The Constitution is a Living Document" is a comprehensive project designed to assess students’ knowledge and understanding of Articles 1, 2, and 3, as well as 7 amendments in several ways. The project is divided into 3 sections. Section 1 covers the Constitution (Articles 1, 2, and 3) and includes an essay and analyzing news articles. Section 2 covers the Amendments and includes an essay and analyzing news articles. Section 3 includes a conclusion essay and the bibliography. Students will apply their understanding of Articles 1, 2, and 3 as well as certain amendments by finding an article about an event in the United States (either online or from a newspaper), summarizing the article, and then analyzing how this article connects to the Constitution.  There are also some extra credit opportunities. Although this project stands on its own after students have studied both the Constitution and the Bill of Rights either by using a textbook or other materials, it is an excellent summative assessment for my lessons on Articles 1, 2, and 3 and The Bill of Rights Unit, both of which are sold in my store.

This summative project is perfect for students in Grades 7 through 12 and can be easily modified based on grade level and can be used for all students: ELL, RSP, Gate, and regular.

The most important thing about this project is how students truly internalize how the Constitution is not just some old stuffy document but really is alive in our lives and protects our rights and our democracy.  I have had students come back to me when they are in high school to tell me how much they got out of this project.  I have also had several students tell me they helped their immigrant parents pass the citizenship test.  They were able to teach their parents about our government.  My favorite is how many 8th-grade students tell me they are now interested in current events and regularly follow the news!

This project is part of my unit: “Our Living Consitution” which is designed using the Into, Through, and Beyond model of lesson planning. This project can be taught independently, but it is an excellent summative assessment for all my lessons on the Constitution in my unit. 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.

Check out my store: A Great Good Place for Teachers

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 project includes the following:

--Detailed lesson plans for each part of the project with objectives and learning targets aligned to the Common Core standards

--Project Directions for each section

--Project Examples

--News Article Summary Chart

--Check off and Grading sheet

--Rubrics for the essays