INVITATION

How can we challenge students to learn about the founding principles of our country? How can students see the relevance of the Constitution today? How can we help students understand the basic structure of the federal government?

TASKS

Students read historical documents, learn about the events that shaped the founding of our nation's government, research the structure of the government as set down in the Constitution, and then create a classroom government modeled on the United States government.

TOOLS

Computers; the Internet; Sherlock; iMovie (optional).

AppleWorks; Destination: Time Trip, USA; What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?; World Book Encyclopedia.

Projection device (optional).

INTERACTIONS

Students begin their work in pairs, and are then integrated as pairs into larger groups in which they carry out research in pairs but also meet as a group. Large groups give presentations to the rest of the class, and then students are grouped into "state" groups, in which each student takes on the role of student-delegate in a class-wide convention. Finally, students are divided into six different committees in which they complete various tasks connected with formalizing the government they create. Throughout, the teacher provides guidance, and in Phase 3, fills the role of the convention's presiding official.

<STANDARDS

To identify the curriculum standards for your state that correlate to this student project, select the state in the popup menu below and then click the Go button.

SITUATIONS

When meeting in their groups, and for the presentations in Phase 2 and the convention in Phase 3, students work in the classroom. When doing research in pairs, students can work in the classroom, library, or other location with computers and Internet access.

Phase 1 can be completed in about an hour; the research in Phase 2 will require at least several hours. The preparation and presentation of the slideshows at the end of Phase 2 will occupy another several hours. The convention in Phase 3 should be allotted the better part of a day, and the committees will need several hours to complete their work in Phase 4. It should take between one and two weeks to complete the entire project.

ASSESSMENT

For Phase 2, each group member can write a short self-assessment of his or her role in the group's research and presentation of its findings.

For Phase 3, the teacher can evaluate each student-delegate's participation in the constitutional convention with a simple checklist covering both quantity and quality of participation.

For Phase 4, teachers can use a rubric to assess each group's work in contributing to the creation of the documents and materials that formalize the government the class creates. Criteria for each group will vary depending on its task.

More than 200 years after its blueprint was designed during the Constitutional Convention, the government of the United States functions as it was intended to, protecting individual rights, allowing its citizens a voice, protecting against the abuse of power, and allowing states some autonomy within a federal system.

In this project, students learn about the issues faced by the Founding Fathers; research the structure and principles of the government the delegates put together during the Constitutional Convention; and then take part in a class constitutional convention in which they create a class government modeled on the architecture of the U.S. government.

Phase 1: Going back to the birth of the nation

Ask students, working in pairs, to transport themselves back in time to 1776 by exploring that year in the Fact Book in Destination: Time Trip, USA. What did people of the time value most? What type of government had people been living under and what type did they hope to create? What challenges lay ahead for the newly independent states?

Pairs then investigate Ben Franklins role in crafting a new government for the United States by watching the stories in the third row of the cube in What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? Ask pairs to imagine that they were present at the Constitutional Convention. How did the delegates write the Constitution? What did they disagree on? How did they compromise?

Phase 2: Studying the architecture of the U.S. government

Divide the class into three groups, and give each the responsibility for researching one of the Constitution topics outlined below.

Principles and Rights: The Constitution was based on principles such as democracy, fairness, and individual freedom. What is democracy and how was democracy put into practice? What are individual rights and how was the government set up to protect them? Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution after the Constitution was written?

Separation of Powers: The new government was set up so that no one person or part of the government could abuse power. What were the three branches of government laid out in the Constitution and what is the role of each? What do the phrases "separation of powers" and "checks and balances" mean? What are the checks and balances set up in the Constitution?

States versus Federal Government: Each state wanted to keep some of its independence and power, but also recognized that a strong federal government was needed. How did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention reach a compromise between state's rights and a strong federal government?

Students in each group, working in pairs, can begin their investigation by again exploring the third row of the cube in What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? This time, however, they should read the information presented and complete the activities, focusing on the issues with which their group is concerned. They should begin to take notes in AppleWorks that they can use when they report on their findings.

After they complete their work with the learning cube, pairs can meet in their larger groups to plan more research. Each pair (or group of three) can search World Book Encyclopedia or use Sherlock to search the Internet for primary source documents (like the Declaration of Independence) or articles that will help them find out more about their topic. All groups will find the World Book Encyclopedia article "Constitution of the United States" to be an excellent source and starting point for their research. Students can use the "Searching World Book Encyclopedia" and "Searching With Sherlock 2" Step-by-Step Cards to help with their research.

Groups meet to organize the information the pairs have collected, and to work together to create simple slideshow presentations about their topics in AppleWorks and can use the Step-by-Step Card "Making a Presentation With AppleWorks 6" for assistance. Groups might want to use the "Storyboard Card" template to help them plan and organize their presentations. Each group then presents its slideshow to the rest of the class using a projection system (or, if a projection system is not available, groups can print their presentations for the class).

Phase 3: Creating a blueprint for a class government

Convene a class constitutional convention, the goal of which is to create a blueprint for a class government modeled on the U.S. government. Begin by dividing the class into approximately six "states" based on where students live (recognized neighborhoods might be a good basis for states, but you can also draw arbitrary boundaries on a map). Have the students in each state create a name for their state. Each student then becomes one of the delegates for a particular state, just as each delegate at the Constitutional Convention represented a state. Nominate one or two students to be convention secretaries, who will take notes and record the decisions made by the delegates.

With you presiding over the convention, challenge student delegates to craft a government that is functionally democratic and that has three branches that share power. Student delegates should make use of what they learned in Phase 2, attending to each of the issues researched by the three groups. How can a three-branch government apply to the classroom situation? Who will fill the roles necessary to make the government work? How will government officials be chosen, by election or by appointment? What will each branch of the government do? How will the power of the states be balanced with the power of the central classroom government?

You may want to remind students that the government they create may not actually get to govern the classroom, since you reserve the right to be absolute monarch!

Phase 4: Drafting a class constitution

Divide the class into six new groups to document the new government. All the "states" should be represented in each group. Each group uses the appropriate tools in AppleWorks to perform its assigned task.

Phase 2: After they read the World Book Encyclopedia article "Constitution of the United States" students can find additional information by clicking the "Related Info" buttons on the bar above the article window or by following hypertext links in the article that may be relevant to their topic. Students may also want to read the article "United States, History of the."

PREPARATION

Ask students to name rules that they are asked to follow at home, at school, and in the world in general. Gather these rules as a list on the board, and organize them into categories such as government rules (wearing a helmet while riding a bike), school rules (needing a hall pass), family rules, (not watching television during the week), and ethical rules (telling the truth). Ask students why we need to have rules like these. How would life be different without them?

Discuss the evolution of democracy since its foundation in the ancient Greek city-state of Athens.

Compare the principles of democracy with other forms of government including anarchy, oligarchy, and a monarchy.

Make copies of any of the Step-by-Step Cards that will help students with completing the project tasks.

Make copies of the "Storyboard Card" template for students to use in planning their Phase 2 presentations. You can also make copies of the "Storyboard Example" template to give to students for reference.

Preview the Web sites listed in the "Resources" section, later in this project, and download or print any materials that might assist students with this project.

Students can write a preamble to the class constitution and add amendments to the constitution as issues arise. This models how amendments were added to the Constitution of the United States to please the delegates after the original document was created.

Students can research and write biographies of the Founding Fathers.

Students can create an illustrated timeline of the events leading up to the signing of the Constitution in 1789, including the Revolutionary War and the writing and signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Students can use AppleWorks, What's the Big Idea, Ben Franklin?, and World Book Encyclopedia to create a visual life story of Ben Franklin, including his work as an inventor, statesman, diplomat, and founding father.

As a class, create a "mini-society" based on the classroom government. The society can include jobs, currency, and so on, in addition to the government positions.

Students can compare and contrast the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution.

If digital camcorders and iMovie software are available, students can film their convention, create a desktop movie, and review it before they draft their constitution in Phase 4. For help using iMovie, go to the Desktop Movies in Education Web site.

BOOKS

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
http://earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/

Ben Franklin
http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/

National Archives and Records Administration:
The Constitution of the United States
http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/conmain.html

National Archives and Records Administration:
A More Perfect Union: The Creation of the U.S. Constitution
http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/conhist.html

State and Local Governments
http://lcweb.loc.gov/global/state/stategov.html