Let Freedom Ring!

    American Government Unit

5th grade

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Lesley Leach

CECS 5500

August 5, 2000

 

 

 

 

Let Freedom Ring!

American Government Unit

5th grade

 

Overview:  Who will be our next president?  These and other questions concerning American government will be answered when 5th grade students complete the following unit, Let Freedom Ring.  History will come alive for students as they work through the task of creating a government for the colonies, and tracking the role of government to present day.  This unit brings social studies, language arts, mathematics, and technology knowledge and skills together in challenging students to discover the American system of government and the individual voice it provides to its citizens.

 

Unit Objectives:

Social Studies TEKS:

1.      The student understands the events that led from the Articles of Confederation to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the government it established. (SS TEKS 3)

ˇ         The student is expected to summarize the events that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. (SS TEKS 3B)

 

2.      The student understands important ideas in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution.  (SS TEKS 16)

ˇ        The student is expected to explain the purposes of the U.S. Constitution as identified in the Preamble to the Constitution. (SS TEKS 16 B)

 

3.      The student understands the framework of government created by the U.S. Constitution. (SS TEKS 17)

ˇ        The student is expected to identify and explain the basic functions of the three branches of government. (SS TEKS 17A)

ˇ        The student is expected to identify the reasons for and describe the system of checks and balances outlined in the U.S. Constitution. (SS TEKS 17B)

 

4.      The student understands important customs, symbols, and celebrations that represent American beliefs and principles and contribute to our national identity. (SS TEKS 18)

ˇ        The student is expected to explain selected patriotic symbols and landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the White House and political symbols such as the donkey and elephant. (SS TEKS 18A)

 

5.      The student understands the importance of individual participation in the democratic process.  (SS TEKS 19)

ˇ        The student is expected to explain how individuals can participate in civic affairs and political parties at the national level.  (SS TEKS 19A)

ˇ        The student is expected to analyze the role of the individual in national elections.  (SS TEKS 19B)

ˇ        The student is expected to explain how to contact elected and appointed leaders in the national governments. (SS TEKS 19 D)

 

6.      The student understands the importance of effective leadership in a democratic society.  (SS TEKS 20)

ˇ        The student is expected identify leaders in the national governments, including the president and selected members of Congress and the political parties.  (SS TEKS 20A)

 

7.      The student understands the fundamental rights of American citizens guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and other amendments to the U.S. Constitution. (SS TEKS 21)

ˇ        The student is expected to summarize the reasons for the creation of the Bill of Rights. (SS TEKS 21A)

ˇ        The student is expected to describe important individual rights including freedom of religion, speech, and press and the right to assemble and petition the government. (SS TEKS 21B)

ˇ        The student is expected to describe important due process rights including trial by jury and the right to an attorney. (SS TEKS 21C)

ˇ        The student is expected to summarize selected amendments to the U.S. Constitution such as those that extended voting rights of U.S. citizens. (SS TEKS 21D)

 

8.      The student is expected to differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print and visual material; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas.  (SS TEKS 25A)

9.      The student is expected to identify significant individuals such as César Chavez and Benjamin Franklin who modeled active participation in the democratic process (SS TEKS 19C)

 

TA TEKS:

10.  The student is expected to use interactive technology environments, such as simulations, electronic science or mathematics laboratories, virtual museum field trips, or on-line interactive lessons, to manipulate information.  (TA TEKS 8B)

 

11.  The student is expected to apply appropriate search strategies in the acquisition of information including keyword and Boolean search strategies.  (TA TEKS 4A)

 

12.  The student is expected to acquire information including text, audio, video, and graphics.  (TA TEKS 5A)

 

13.  The student is expected to use appropriate software to express ideas and solve problems including the use of word processing, graphics, databases, spreadsheets, simulations, and multimedia. (TA TEKS 7B)

 

Lesson 1:  Constitutional Convention
 
 


  

 

Time Frame:  5-6 class periods

 

Overview:  The action begins with the end of the Revolutionary War.  The colonies must form a government for the newly freed colonies, but will it be a monarchy like England or a republic? 

 

Students will form committees to research the creation of the Constitution.  Resources will include both primary and secondary information and will be gathered from print and technological sources.  Then, the class will reenact the Constitutional Convention where a new government for the colonies was created.  Factual events will be emphasized such as the movement from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, the addition of the Bill of Rights, and the roles that famous individuals like Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Benjamin Franklin played in the formation of the new government.

 

Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

ˇ        summarize the events that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. (SS TEKS 3B)

ˇ        explain the purposes of the U.S. Constitution as identified in the Preamble to the Constitution. (SS TEKS 16 B)

ˇ        identify and explain the basic functions of the three branches of government. (SS TEKS 17A)

ˇ        identify the reasons for and describe the system of checks and balances outlined in the U.S. Constitution. (SS TEKS 17B)

ˇ        summarize the reasons for the creation of the Bill of Rights. (SS TEKS 21A)

ˇ        describe important individual rights including freedom of religion, speech, and press and the right to assemble and petition the government. (SS TEKS 21B)

ˇ        describe important due process rights including trial by jury and the right to an attorney. (SS TEKS 21C)

ˇ        summarize selected amendments to the U.S. Constitution such as those that extended voting rights of U.S. citizens. (SS TEKS 21D)

ˇ        differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print and visual material; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas.  (SS TEKS 25A)

ˇ        identify significant individuals such as Benjamin Franklin who modeled active participation in the democratic process

ˇ        acquire information including text, audio, video, and graphics.  (TA TEKS 5A)

 

 

 

Materials: 

Teacher - Shh!  We're Writing the Constitution! by Jean Fritz, role cards, lists of helpful websites

Student - necessary materials for their role

 

Activity:

1.  Discuss end of Revolutionary War.  Challenge students to think of what will happen to the colonies now that they are free from England's rule.  Discuss as a whole group.

2.  Read Shh!  We're Writing the Constitution! by Jean Fritz.  Discuss plot.

3.  Introduce reenactment of Constitutional Convention.  Assign roles/committees to class.

Roles/Committees include:

ˇ        Drafters committee - task includes research their character's role in the Convention and working together with committee to plan how to reenact the drafting of the Constitution

o       Thomas Jefferson

o       Benjamin Franklin

o       George Washington

o       James Madison

o       John Adams

o       Roger Sherman

ˇ        Scene committee - task is to work together to decide what the environment looked like at the Constitutional Convention; must plan for props and room setup

ˇ        Costume committee - task is to work together to decide how men/women would have dressed at the Constitutional Convention

ˇ        Document committee - task is to find copies of the original Constitution and the Bill of Rights; work together to decide the basic meaning of the document

 

Each student will be given a role and/or committee assignment.  Two to three class periods should be allowed for students to research their given task.   Students should use print material as well as material from the World Wide Web.  Then, the whole class should gather and plan how to implement all of their tasks together.

 

The next two days should be allotted for the reenactment.  Allow students to conduct the convention with only guidance from the teacher.  Students should dress in costumes and act out their roles.  Teacher should make sure that the students cover the necessary understanding of the Constitution and Bill of Rights (see objectives) when they are dramatizing the convention.

 

4.  Discuss as a class what was learned.

5.  Student and teacher evaluate understanding and performance using the rubric.

 

 

Resources:

            http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/conhist.html

http://webspaceinc.com/selectedquotes/

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html

http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdexhome.html

http://www.nara.gov/exhall/charters/constitution/confath.html

ˇ        Explore the Amazing World of Early America

http://earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/index.html

ˇ         Hotlist of Revolutionary War Links

http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/history/bookmarks.html

http://www.teachers.nick.com/supplies/shows/charliebrown/charlieconstitution.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 2: Individual Responsibilities
 
 


  

 

Time Frame:  1-2 class periods

 

Overview What role do we play in government?  Individual responsibilities come to light in Lesson 2.  Through discussion, students will discover ways that people participate in government - voting, contacting elected officials, political parties, etc.  Next, students will be challenged to find contact information for their local representatives and other political officials.  The task will be presented in the form of a scavenger hunt.  After identifying and evaluating various search techniques, students will scour the Internet for specific details concerning government officials and their duties.  Students wrap up the lesson by drafting and sending a letter to a government official of their choice.

 

 

Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

ˇ        The student is expected to explain how individuals can participate in civic affairs and political parties at the national level.  (SS TEKS 19A)

ˇ        The student is expected to analyze the role of the individual in national elections.  (SS TEKS 19B)

ˇ        The student is expected to explain how to contact elected and appointed leaders in the national governments. (SS TEKS 19 D)

ˇ        identify leaders in the national governments, including the president and selected members of Congress and the political parties.  (SS TEKS 20A)

ˇ        differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print and visual material; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas.  (SS TEKS 25A)

ˇ        apply appropriate search strategies in the acquisition of information including keyword and Boolean search strategies.  (TA TEKS 4A)

ˇ        acquire information including text, audio, video, and graphics.  (TA TEKS 5A)

 

Materials: 

Teacher - lists of helpful websites

Student -

 

 

 

Activity:

1.  Night Before Activity - Brainstorm how you (or your parents) are involved in government.

2.  As students walk in the door, they write down one way that they are involved in government.  Discuss in whole group.  Add/delete as necessary.

3.  Discuss local and federal officials.

4.  Introduce scavenger hunt.  Tell students that we are going to locate information about our government officials.  Student's task is to locate information on the World Wide Web.

Mini-Lesson:  Search Techniques

1.  Introduce search techniques.  (Kathy Schrock's Guide For Educators - Effective Search Strategies -http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/searching/index.html; slide show)

2.  Give examples of appropriate search techniques for subject. 

3.  Ask for student  examples of subjects and appropriate search techniques.

 

5.  Students complete scavenger hunt making sure to note any site or search technique that was particularly helpful.

6.  Back in whole group, discuss any discoveries made about appropriate search techniques.

7.  Students choose one of the officials from the scavenger hunt and compose a letter to him or her.  Proper letter format should be reviewed at this time.

8.  Student and teacher evaluate understanding and performance using the rubric.

 

Resources:

ˇ        United States Senate

http://www.senate.gov/senators/senator_by_state.cfm

ˇ        United States House of Representatives

http://www.house.gov/

ˇ        Office of the Governor

http://www.governor.state.tx.us/

ˇ        Kathy Schrock's Guide For Educators - Effective Search Strategies -http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/searching/index.html;

ˇ        Design an Online Scavenger Hunt

http://k-6educators.about.com/education/k-6educators/library/weekly/aa061400a.htm

ˇ        Looney Tunes Teach The Internet - How Do I Find Things on the Web?

http://ltti.entertaindom.com/home.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Name ______________________

HR Teacher ________________

 

 

U.S. Government

Scavenger Hunt

 

Directions:  Find as many answers to the following questions as you can. Remember to use your Internet search strategies to help when your are hunting this information down online.  Make a note of any site or search technique that is helpful.  Happy Hunting!

 

 

1.  Current U.S. President   ______________________________

 

2.  President's political party      ______________________________

 

3.  Minimum age to become President    ___________________

 

4.  Length of President's term in office    ___________________

 

5.  Current U.S. Vice-President  ____________________________

 

6.  Senators representing Texas        _________________________

                                                _________________________

 

7.  Length of a senator's term in office  _____________________

 

8.  Total Number of Senators in Congress _______________

 

9.  President of the Senate  _____________________________

 

10.  Representative from District 6    ____________________

 

11.  Length of a representative's term in office  ______________

 

12.  Total Number of Representatives in Congress         ____

 

13.  Speaker of the House of Representatives  ______________________________________________________

       

14.  Chief Justice of the Supreme Court   __________________

 

15.  Length of a Supreme Court Justice's term on the bench

_______________________________________________________

 

16.  Mayor of Colleyville  _________________________________

 

17.  Mayor of Fort Worth  ________________________________

 

18.  Governor of Texas  _________________________________

 

19.  Lt. Governor of Texas  ______________________________

 

20.  Length of the Governor's term in office _______________

 

 

Lesson 3: Election Fever
 
 


  

 

Time Frame:  2-3 class periods

 

Overview Who will become the next president of the United States?  To find out, students join the 2000 Campaign Trail.   Students will undertake the task of educating younger students on the election process while learning about it themselves.  Pairs of students will research and prepare a pamphlet using a design program such as ClarisWorks Drawing to describe three political parties (Democrat, Republican, and one other), their candidates, and a mock ballot.  Copies of the completed pamphlets will be distributed to students throughout the school.  Recipients will be encouraged to read and discuss the election process, then cast their vote and return the ballot for tallying.  Fifth grade students will then tally and graph the votes using a spreadsheet.  Totals will be displayed and analyzed. 

 

 

Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

ˇ        explain how individuals can participate in civic affairs and political parties at the national level.  (SS TEKS 19A)

ˇ        analyze the role of the individual in national elections.  (SS TEKS 19B)

ˇ        explain selected patriotic symbols and landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the White House and political symbols such as the donkey and elephant. (SS TEKS 18A)

ˇ        use appropriate software to express ideas and solve problems including the use of word processing, graphics, databases, spreadsheets, simulations, and multimedia. (TA TEKS 7B)

ˇ        differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print and visual material; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas.  (SS TEKS 25A)

ˇ        apply appropriate search strategies in the acquisition of information including keyword and Boolean search strategies.  (TA TEKS 4A)

 

 

Materials: 

Teacher - lists of helpful websites, example of pamphlet, donkey and elephant pictures, campaign paraphernalia; project requirements

Student -

 

 

 

 

 

Activity:

1.  Begin with one of the 2000 presidential candidates on the screen/computer monitor when students walk in the room.  (You could also have pictures up on the wall.)  Ask students who they are.  Discuss candidates and party affiliations.

2.  Introduce task - Pamphlet educating younger students about Election 2000.  Students must include, but are encouraged to go beyond the following requirements:

ˇ        Information about two major parties - Democrat and Republican (including symbols)

ˇ        Information about one other party

ˇ        Information about candidates for each party

ˇ        Each partner's opinion on which candidate should win and why

ˇ        Mock ballot

ˇ        3 graphics

3.  Students research information to complete task.  They will use print materials as well as technological sources.

4.  At their own pace, students begin designing their pamphlet using their choice of application (examples: ClarisWorks drawing, Hyperstudio, etc.)

5.  Peer edit and make corrections.  Publish.

6.  Teacher will copy and distribute to willing participants.

7.  After other students vote, they will return their ballot to our class.  Students will tally the results.

8.  Compile results as a whole group.

9.  Graph results using a spreadsheet.

10.  Discuss results.  Make observations.

11.  Students write observations and inferences concerning the mock election data (about 1-2 paragraphs.) 

12.  Student and teacher evaluate understanding and performance using the rubric.

 

Resources:

ˇ        Time For Kids - Election Connection

http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/electconnect/

ˇ        Election 2000 Links Page

http://ss.uno.edu/SS/Links/Vote.html

ˇ        Brain Pop - Election Special 2000

http://www.brainpop.com/specials/election/

ˇ        Georgewbush.com

http://www.bush2000.com

ˇ        Gore 2000

http://www.algore2000.com/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lesson 4: Presidential Accommodations
 
 


  

 

 

Time Frame:  1-2 class periods

 

Overview: After discussing the likely winner of the 2000 presidential election, students will explore the benefits of becoming president.  Students will take a virtual tour of the White House and investigate details about the presidency, including his salary, schedule, and historic moments of the presidency.

 

 

Objectives:

The learner will be able to:

ˇ        explain selected patriotic symbols and landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty and the White House and political symbols such as the donkey and elephant. (SS TEKS 18A)

ˇ        identify leaders in the national governments, including the president and selected members of Congress and the political parties.  (SS TEKS 20A)

ˇ        use interactive technology environments, such as simulations, electronic science or mathematics laboratories, virtual museum field trips, or on-line interactive lessons, to manipulate information.  (TA TEKS 8B)

 

 

 

Materials: 

Teacher - picture of White House or screen for displaying websites

Student -

 

 

 

Activity:

1.  Have picture of White House posted when students walk in the room.

2.  Ask students for as many facts about the picture as they can give you.  Tell them that they will learn more about the White House today by taking a virtual tour.

3.  Hand out Tour Guide sheets.  Let students know that they are responsible for choosing one room (or other teacher-approved, acceptable topic) to briefly report on to the class.

4.  Students visit White House site and take a virtual tour.

5.  Give students 15-20 minutes to prepare report on one aspect of the White House.

6.  Students give brief presentations concerning the White House.

7. Student and teacher evaluate understanding and performance using the rubric.

 

Resources:

ˇ        White House

http://www.whitehouse.gov

ˇ        White House Historical Association

http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha/default.asp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name  ___________________________

HR Teacher ______________________

 

Let Freedom Ring!

Grading Rubric

 

For each criteria (1-7), circle the point value that you feel best describes your work in this unit.  Add up all the points and record the total at the bottom of the page.

 

 

Points

1

2

3

4

1.  Understanding of Constitutional Convention

Relatively no understanding of events;  lacks knowledge to describe events leading to the formation of the Constitution

Little understanding of events;  can describe few important events leading to the formation of the Constitution