Lesson Plan

Lesson 2: The Constitution: Our Guiding Document

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet

Explore the structure and content of the US Constitution in the second lesson of this five-part social studies series. A collection of activities, games, and videos complement a class reading of a document summarizing the US Constitution, with students using their new knowledge to organize their class rules into a formal constitution.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Break up the lesson over the course of a couple days, allowing for more attention to be paid to each section of the Constitution
  • Allow students to read the Constitution summary section by section in small groups, asking them to come up with questions and comments that can be discussed as a whole class
  • Have students complete the included worksheet with a partner or in small groups, encouraging discussions about the Constitutional Amendments
Pros
  • Adaptations and extension activities are provided for modifying the lesson to meet the needs of individual classes
  • Includes a document that summarizes the Articles of the Constitution and its amendments
  • Offers a series of Brain Break activities for maintaining the engagement of students
  • A worksheet is provided that asks students to apply the Constituional Amendments to real-life situations
Cons
  • Teacher must prepare the card decks for the Preamble Scramble and Constitution Game prior to performing the lesson