Constitution and Civil Rights
By: Tiffany Clark
AHTC 2010 Summer Institute
To download this
lesson in PDF format, click here
Abstract
Children will
connect their experiences with larger national history by comparing classroom
structure (School and classroom rules and consequences) with government
structure (Constitution). Then apply the
need for that structure to the power of the Civil Rights movement in the
1960’s. Finally, the children will look
at personal responsibility in creating, maintaining, and upholding these
structures.
Essential
Questions/Enduring Understanding
1. Why do we
have rules?
2. What is the
role of the Constitution in the Civil Rights movement?
3. What does it
mean to be a citizen?
4. How can I
internalize and express my personal responsibility as a citizen?
Assessment
Understanding
of concepts will be shown both through written worksheets and through oral
participation in the classroom discussion.
Personal investment will be shown in the “Low Tech Blog”
Activities
This is a
two-day lesson with parts one and two taking place on day one and parts three
and four taking place on day two.
Setting the Purpose
Part one asks
the students to look critically at the reasons for the structures of their
classroom. This gives the children a
very personal purpose in the lesson.
Analysis
of local primary sources
The
local primary source that the children will be referring to will be their own
classroom/school rules.
Ties
to national primary sources
Students will
compare the purpose of the classroom rules to the purpose of the Constitution,
particularly Amendments 13 and 15. They
will then take these Amendments and apply them to oral histories of African
American People.
List
of Sources
Websites
listed above
Worksheets