[Note:
I use this instead of a teacher directed lesson]
Activity: Forming a New Nation
Objectives
After completing this activity,
students will be able to:
discuss ideas and traditions
that were the basis for the U.S. government;
list the powers of the federal
government under the Articles of Confederation;
describe how other nations
treated the new government of the United States;
identify economic problems
that arose under the Articles of Confederation;
discuss the causes and consequences
of Shay's Rebellion;
explain why delegates met for
the Constitutional Convention;
describe how the federal government
is balanced under the U.S. Constitution;
discuss why some people oppose
the Constitution;
explain why some people wanted
a bill of rights.
Overview
In this activity, students
will work in pairs or trios to research the formation of the U.S. government
and the writing of the U.S. Constitution. They will use this information
to make brief oral reports to the class, and the class will then create
a chronology of events based on the presentations. The students will work
in groups to write a constitution for an emerging nation wishing to base
its government and constitution on those of the United States. As framers
of a new constitution, group members will evaluate the U.S. Constitution
in order to emulate or minimize its weaknesses in their constitution. Finally,
each student will use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the U.S. Constitution
with his or her group's constitution. In a concluding discussion, students
will explain why their groups chose to include certain elements and exclude
others.
Planning
Resources: Students should
be able to find most of the information they need in their textbooks [Call
to Freedom] or in other materials found in the library.
Preparation: Prepare a
blank Venn diagram and a model diagram filled out with sample information.
Photocopy Topics for Oral Reports.
Implementation
1. Give students an overview
of the activity by explaining its three stages. First, students will work
in pairs or trios to research the formation of the U.S. government and
the writing of the U.S. Constitution. They will use this information to
make brief oral reports to the class, and the class will create a chronology
of events based on their presentations. Second, students will work in groups
to write a constitution for an emerging nation wishing to base its government
and constitution on those of the United States. As framers of a new constitution,
group members will evaluate the U.S. Constitution in order to emulate its
strengths and eliminates or minimize its weaknesses in their constitution.
Finally, each student will use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the
U.S. Constitution with his or her group's constitution. In a concluding
discussion, students will explain why their groups chose to include certain
elements and exclude others.
2. Organize students and
assign a topic to each group. They will be giving a brief oral report (approx.
3 minutes) about the topic to the class. The rest of the class is to be
taking notes to construct a chronology of events based on their reports.
They must have accurate and thorough reports.
3. Have students take turns
giving their reports. When the reports are finished, students should as
questions for clarification and to extend their notes if necessary.
4. Divide class into three
groups and give them the Planning Guidelines section. They will play the
role of a framer of a constitution for a new nation. Their new nations
will be based on the U.S. Constitution. They will need to read this document,
not including the amendments, and discuss its strengths and weaknesses.
They will also need to be aware of the problems and mistakes that went
into the writing of the Articles of Confederation and how they were corrected
in the U.S. Constitution. Remind students that they should have this information
in their notes from the oral reports and that they need to know this information
in order to avoid repeating the same mistakes in their own constitutions.
5. Read and discuss the
Constitution. Students need to write down the parts they feel strong and/or
indispensable as well as the parts they feel are weak or no longer relevant.
6. Have students write
their constitutions. Remind them they may not directly copy any part of
the U.S. Constitution, but should use it as a guide.
7. After students have
completed their constitutions, show them a Venn diagram and explain how
it represents similarities and differences between two items. They should
use it to compare and contrast their constitution to that of the U.S. Constitution.
Have students explain why their group decided to retain certain elements
of the U.S. Constitution and why they eliminated others.
Topics for Oral Reports
In pairs or trios, you
will give an oral report on one of the following topics:
ideas and traditions that were
the basis of the American government
powers of the federal government
under the American government
foreign relations and the new
government of the United States
economic problems and the Articles
of Confederation
Shay's Rebellion
issues debated at the Continental
Convention
balance of the federal government
under the U.S. Constitution
opposition to the new Constitution
arguments in favor of the new
Constitution
proposed additions to the Constitution:
the bill of rights
In your report you must
thoroughly describe the circumstances surrounding the topic you are assigned,
including the causes and effects of the topic. You should also make it
clear whether your topic had a positive, negative, or neutral impact on
the formation of the new government. Include a visual aid. You will take
notes on your classmates' reports and they will take notes on yours. As
a class, you will construct a timeline of events surrounding the formation
of the new government and the writing of the U.S. Constitution.
Planning Guidelines
You and your group will
be writing a constitution for a new nation. The people of this new nation
wish to set up a democracy based on that of the United States. You have
studied the events in the United States beginning with the Articles of
Confederation and ending with the writing of the US Constitution. You understand
the mistakes that were made so that you will not repeat them in setting
up your own government. Now you must read the U.S. Constitution and evaluate
its strengths and weaknesses in order to write as strong a constitution
as possible for the new democracy. Here are some guidelines that will help
make your project a success:
1. As a group, review your
notes. Highlight the things the framers of the Constitution did that you
wish to repeat, and cross out the examples you do not want to follow.
2. Read the U.S. Constitution,
not including the amendments. As you read, stop to understand the meaning
of each section and to take notes on what you think is important
enough to include in your constitution as well as which parts you feel
would not be relevant to your new government. Also note issues you
think should have been included in the Constitution but were not.
3. Name your new nation
and begin writing its constitution. Start by listing the sections that
you will include in your document and assign those sections to members
of your group to write.
4. Group members should
help each other, critique each other's work, offer suggestions for improvement.
Write in modern English, write in a summary style, not in a detail style
as the Constitution was written.
5. Peer edit each others
work then write a final draft. Use a word processor, use Times or Palatino
font, size 12 for the text.
6. Feel free to create
a map of your country, write a brief history for it, or create some other
supplementary item(s). |
The Sound of Freedom Comes to America
