Part 1

This part of the lesson is designed to be groundwork to help the children see the relevance of their classroom rules, but also of the Constitution. It allows for a personal connection to national issues.

1. Class discussion

Start by asking the children to list some of the class rules and/or school rules. Writing them on the board would serve to reinforce them.

Once several of them are listed, ask the question “Why do we have rules?” This is also an interesting time to write down the children’s answers.

Ask the students about consequences for breaking the rules. What are they? Then follow up with “Why do we need to have consequences?” Certainly write these down so that they can be referred to on day 2. If the children haven’t gotten to the depth you want, ask the question “Would people obey the rules if there were not consequences?”