Anne

Posted on 10/26/09

On 10/26/09, Sara wrote:
> On 10/25/09, Karla wrote:
>> I'm a second year teacher. Last year, I used the textbook
>> to teach the Constitution unit because I was hired just a
>> week before that. I didn't like using the textbook, and
>> would like to try a more hands on approach this year.
>> I'll be starting the unit about a month from now.
>>
>> I have a general idea about wanting to have the class
>> involved in creating / writing the constitution. Has
>> anyone done a project like this? Do you have any
>> suggestions?
>
> The word itself shuts them down. What does 'constitute' mean?
> But tell them they're on Survivor but they've been left
> behind. The camera crew left them there and no one is coming
> back (Lord of the Flies). They will need a government or the
> larger ones will toss the smaller ones in the ocean - or eat
> them. (middle schoolers love that stuff)
> But the camera crew left behind cans and cans of canned food
> etc. etc and a single IPOD. How will they decide how much
> food is eaten each day, who gets it and how will they decide
> who uses the IPOD when?
>
> To achieve order, one needs government. What kind of
> government will they fashion?
>
> That was essentially the question asked by our founding
> fathers and the Constitution was the eventual answer. But a
> Constitution by any other name is a still a fundamental
> document of government. The Mayflower Compact. What colonies
> had such documents and what didn't?
>
> East Timor is the world's newest country I think and it wrote
> a constitution - very long in comparison to ours. There's a
> website that has all the world's constitutions on it.
>
> My classes have done this - one year a group decided they
> would 'elect' leaders by pulling names out of a hat and
> change their leader every week. You can show the scene
> in 'Bananas' where the leader takes over and promptly
> announces ridiculous things - what prevents that or should?
>
> A Constitution. Or it should.
> Have fun.

Sara,
I love teaching the Constitution too. I aslso like to do the
hands on approach as well. I believe students learn more when
they are able to teach themselves through a hansds project.
How about a poster where the students will draw a picture of
each of the Bill of Rights.
or, how about a foldable with the major points of the
Constitution -- especially those that are on their TAKS test.
This way, they have a "flip chart" to study with.

I learned these strategies with my student teacher and not only
did the kids love it but they actually learned these points for
the TAKS test.
Obviously, I was blessed to have had an awersome student
teacher.

I agree, have fun with this project. ;) Anne

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