This lesson explores some ideas in the Preamble to the Constitution. Students learn that the power to govern belongs to the people who have created the government to protect their rights and promote their welfare.
Civics Lessons
Lesson Topic: Constitution Day
What Basic Ideas About Government Are included in the Preamble to the Constitution?
Wanted: A Just Right Government
Students learn how the U.S. Constitution came to exist by looking at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Students learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first “constitution” didn’t work, and how compromise led to the Constitution.
Constitution Day: The 1965 Alabama Literacy Test
Students learn about literacy tests by taking what they think is a pop quiz on the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment: What’s Fair in a Free Country?
Lesson includes several activities to demonstrate to students that freedom of speech continues to evolve.
We the People
Students recognize the different parts of the U.S. Constitution and conduct a close text reading to discover the meaning and significance of each part. Throughout the lesson, students will track the development of the Constitution from the original document and its articles to the amendments up through the 1992 edition of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment.
The Constitution in Today’s America
This lesson teaches students about the development and role of the Constitution of the United States. Students will learn about the relationship between the Constitution and a democratic government
The Tired King
Students learn about the three functions of government in this interactive role play.
The First Amendment
This activity creates an awareness of the five rights contained in the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Students will learn about a poll of Americans and their knowledge of the First Amendment. The activity will allow students the opportunity to dissect the First Amendment and determine their opinions on which rights they value most and least.
Connecting the Separate Powers
In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the separation of powers using role playing and discussion. Students will identify which parts of the Constitution provide for the branches of our government, and will categorize public officials into one of these three branches.
The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union?
These lessons help your students begin to understand why the Founders felt a need to establish a more perfect Union and how they proposed to accomplish such a weighty task.