History-Social Science - Grade 8

WHAT	Bill of Rights
BIG IDEA	A constitution reflects the values and goals of the society that creates it.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION	What is your role as a citizen and participant in the U. S. government?
CONTENT STANDARD	Grade 8 United States History and Geography: Growth and Conflict 8.2. Students analyze the political principles underlying the U. S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government. 6. Enumerate the powers of government set forth in the Constitution and the fundamental liberties ensured by the Bill of Rights.
SKILLS and STRATEGIES	Discuss cause and effect, identify, analyze, and evaluate
ASSESSMENT	RAFT activity

The lesson

Background
Knowledge of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are critical for student understanding of the structure, function, and principles the United States government was founded upon. Students should have basic knowledge of our government and be ready to analyze, apply and evaluate the principles inherent in the Bill of Rights.

Mini-Lesson 1: Bill of Rights Student Reading
While use of your current textbook is a good starting point for instruction, you may need to expose your students to other readings, examples, and activities in order for them to gain deeper understanding of these core documents. The Bill of Rights reading passage was developed to provide students with more background knowledge, an opportunity to focus on key vocabulary, and practice reading and comprehension skills before launching into other related lesson activities.

Arrange students in pairs for the following reading lesson – partnering English language learners – levels 3 & 4 with English proficient students.
Teacher should pre-read the attached background information on the Bill of Rights modeling proficient reading for all students. Students should listen and follow along viewing the text on the overhead or student page as the teacher reads.
When pre-reading is complete, have students get their partner to re-read the background information on the 1^st Amendment of the Bill of Rights (see attached page containing Amendments 1 – 10; yellow highlight).
Each student should read the page while the other student follows along interacting with the text – circling, highlighting, and underlining selected words.
Partners should work together to pronounce vocabulary and concepts, reference sidebar definitions, and self-select challenging words.
Review and discuss important key vocabulary with students clarifying understanding of the first amendment rights.
Have students record self-selected words in their reading/vocabulary journal.

Supporting Lesson Activity: Can Do/Can’t Do
The Can Do/ Can’t Do activity provides an opportunity for students to interact with the core document being discussed, in this case, the Bill of Rights. Now that students have done some reading, focused on key vocabulary and have some foundational knowledge and understanding of the Bill of Rights, they are ready to consider the balance of rights and responsibilities in their role as citizens. A great way to do this is to provide them with different scenarios—things they will be familiar with—to decide what they can or can’t do within their 1^st Amendment rights. This is a compelling way to engage students in the discussion of rights, responsibilities, the balance of power between the people and government, and lends itself nicely to debate and writing prompts for students to further elaborate on their positions.

Arrange students into cultural and linguistically diverse groups.
Cut out the sentence strips and provide a set to each group.
Have students arrange each strip under the appropriate category listed above.
Clarify and discuss with students the rights and responsibilities inherent within the Constitution and the Bill of Rights making the connection to the balance of power between the government and the people.

Mini Lesson 2: Big Words for Big Minds
Once students have completed the reading and engagement activity, take time to explicitly teach targeted and self-selected vocabulary. There are many strategies to use for the explicit teaching of vocabulary. The Frayer model and its many variations is an excellent way to effectively teach vocabulary. Another model is the Big Words for Big Minds technique. Use of this model engages students in the understanding of challenging vocabulary and concepts. We have provided an example of this technique below using the word, rights, and in the Lesson Resources an example using the word, citizen. The word citizen is often difficult for students to fully understand and the root of this word is found in other morphologies like, citizenry and citizenship. It’s critical that students understand the concept of citizenry and citizenship as these concepts will be reintroduced throughout their schooling and they will be expected to understand this concept as they take on more participatory roles as citizens within our society. Please see the inset model below and refer to the full-page example and template for instruction.

WORD	Rights
Meaning	Liberties and Freedom Promise
Spanish (Or other L1)	Derechos
Synonyms	Protections
Antonyms	Being harmed (No protections)
Examples of (word)	Voting
Form	Constitution Written Document
Uses	Structure Function Protection of people

Supporting Lesson Activity
Students are now ready to make an evaluation or judgment regarding the Bill of Rights. Explain that students will be making a determination on the most important right inherent in the Bill of Rights—a right they would never give up. In order for students to make this choice they must have knowledge of their basic rights and be able to consider the implications if their rights were revoked.

Arrange students into heterogeneous table groups of 3-4—ensuring cultural and linguistically diverse groups. Emphasizing a mixed group structure will allow students to inform each other on citizen/human rights issues in other countries and cultures. For example, depending on their country of origin, some recent immigrants to the U.S. may be able to share current practice in their home country with regard to rights that can help to inform and reinforce the importance of our rights as Americans.
Ask students to work in groups to re-read the 1^st Amendment and come to a group consensus on the most valuable right/freedom inherent in the 1^st Amendment. (Teachers may want students to consider amendments 1-5 to expand student choice and depth of discussion after this activity).
Remind groups that each student should record their own choice and then the group must agree on a consensus choice. Individual student choice will be listed on the index cards provided with the student choice indicated on one side and the rationale for the selection on the other. Group choice will be shared aloud by the group leader using the appropriate voting sign (see student picket signs).
Students should be ready to report out after the timer sounds in 5 minutes.
Tally student and group responses on a class chart and then engage students in a discussion surrounding the classroom data. This will help the teacher clarify understanding so he/she can support students in drawing connections between present day events, issues, and historical events.

Lesson Resources
Instructional Considerations (application/pdf)
Bill of Rights Student Reading (application/pdf)
Can Do/Can't Do (application/pdf)
Big Words for Big Minds (application/pdf)
RAFT Activity (application/pdf)

Strategies for differentiation

	HOW
Content	Process	Product
The United States Bill of Rights	Students explore and analyze the Bill of Rights. (Strategies are described in detail for different groups of students in the Instructional Considerations that accompanies this lesson.)	Students demonstrate their understanding of the Bill of Rights and how it reflects the values of goals of the society that created it.
Comprehensible input - demonstrations and modeling; gestures, pantomime, and role play; pictures, real objects, graphic organizers; restating and repeating Help students make the connection between "knowledge and power" - that the Bill of Rights is meant for all citizens - including them as students. Students living in generational poverty tend not to naturally "trust the system." Much of the information they have encountered at home may be negative in terms of their perceived and/or real treatment within the system. For this reason, it is critical to emphasize within the context of this lesson/unit that "knowledge is power" and that with more knowledge comes more access to information and resources so they can advocate for themselves and for others.	Activate the learning: Relate content (new material) to previously mastered material. 1. Engage students in oral informal discussion - to share the important and relevant aspects of the Bill of Rights. It is critical to engage students in informal disuccsion and provide anecdotes, mental models, and tangible examples to help reinforce their new learning. Learning activities: Provide modeling, rehearsal, movement, choral chanting and educational learning games associated with the history-social science content standard. 1. Explicitly teach targeted and self-selected vocabulary - through Frayer's model or Big Words for Big Minds model. 2. Partners work together to pronounce vocabulary and concepts, reference sidebar definitions, and self select challenging words. 3. Have students record self-selected words in their reading/vocabulary journal. Grouping Activities: Both individual and group-oriented learning activities should be planned as part of the learning process of the new content. 1. Arrange students in pairs for the reading lesson - partner English language learners at levels 3 & 4 with English proficient students. 2. Partners work together to pronounce vocabulary and concepts, reference sidebar definitions and self select challenging words. 3. Arrange students into culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Provide them with different scenarios - situations they would be familiar with- to decide what they can or can't do within their First Amendment rights. Incoporate learning center structures that allow for modifications as described in students' IEPs.	Choice Assessment Activities: 1. R.A.F.T. Create a foldable based on the student's interpretation and evaluation of the Bill of Rights - depicting one amendment on the left side and a visual representation on the right side. Develop a newspaper article responding to the addition of the Bill of Rights from the perspective of a Federalist or an anti-Federalist. Explain an evaluation of the Bill of Rights in a one-page position paper. Graph or chart the classroom vote and evaluate the results to determine relevancy to current issues. Choose an amendment and debate the importance of each exressed in the Bill of Rights. Create a poster - graphically and textually representing student's understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

HOW

Content

Process

Product

The United States Bill of Rights

Students explore and analyze the Bill of Rights.
(Strategies are described in detail for different groups of students in the Instructional Considerations that accompanies this lesson.)

Students demonstrate their understanding of the Bill of Rights and how it reflects the values of goals of the society that created it.

Comprehensible input - demonstrations and modeling; gestures, pantomime, and role play; pictures, real objects, graphic organizers; restating and repeating

Help students make the connection between "knowledge and power" - that the Bill of Rights is meant for all citizens - including them as students. Students living in generational poverty tend not to naturally "trust the system." Much of the information they have encountered at home may be negative in terms of their perceived and/or real treatment within the system. For this reason, it is critical to emphasize within the context of this lesson/unit that "knowledge is power" and that with more knowledge comes more access to information and resources so they can advocate for themselves and for others.

Activate the learning: Relate content (new material) to previously mastered material.

1. Engage students in oral informal discussion - to share the important and relevant aspects of the Bill of Rights. It is critical to engage students in informal disuccsion and provide anecdotes, mental models, and tangible examples to help reinforce their new learning.

Learning activities: Provide modeling, rehearsal, movement, choral chanting and educational learning games associated with the history-social science content standard.

1. Explicitly teach targeted and self-selected vocabulary - through Frayer's model or Big Words for Big Minds model.

2. Partners work together to pronounce vocabulary and concepts, reference sidebar definitions, and self select challenging words.

3. Have students record self-selected words in their reading/vocabulary journal.

Grouping Activities: Both individual and group-oriented learning activities should be planned as part of the learning process of the new content.

1. Arrange students in pairs for the reading lesson - partner English language learners at levels 3 & 4 with English proficient students.

2. Partners work together to pronounce vocabulary and concepts, reference sidebar definitions and self select challenging words.

3. Arrange students into culturally and linguistically diverse groups. Provide them with different scenarios - situations they would be familiar with- to decide what they can or can't do within their First Amendment rights.

Incoporate learning center structures that allow for modifications as described in students' IEPs.

Choice Assessment Activities:
1. R.A.F.T.

Create a foldable based on the student's interpretation and evaluation of the Bill of Rights - depicting one amendment on the left side and a visual representation on the right side.

Develop a newspaper article responding to the addition of the Bill of Rights from the perspective of a Federalist or an anti-Federalist.

Explain an evaluation of the Bill of Rights in a one-page position paper.

Graph or chart the classroom vote and evaluate the results to determine relevancy to current issues.

Choose an amendment and debate the importance of each exressed in the Bill of Rights.

Create a poster - graphically and textually representing student's understanding of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

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