SUBJECTS

U.S. Government, Civics, U.S. History

 GRADE LEVEL

11-12

One of the most important but least used powers of Congress is the ability to amend the Constitution. Since the ratification of the Constitution, over 7,000 amendments have been proposed. Of those, only thirty-three have ever been passed through Congress and only twenty-six were then ratified by the states. Amendments continue to be proposed in Congress on a regular basis. A current amendment in the spotlight is the amendment on school prayer. Defeated in 1998 but reintroduced in 1999, it serves as an example of the many aspects a Congressman must consider when deciding to support or oppose an amendment. This lesson will go be beyond the well-studied amendments of the Bill of Rights and offer students insight into the changes the Constitution has undergone. Students will:

 Become familiar with both ratified and failed amendments

 Understand the many points of view to be considered when altering the Constitution

 Connect a current amendment proposal with historical proposals

 Determine the decision-making basis for passing an amendment

 Develop an original proposal based on the decision-making criteria

 Debate an original amendment proposal

 LESSON PLAN

Class 1

Introduce students to the concept of a constitutional amendment and have them work on the worksheet. As they finish, put them into groups to discuss their answers and begin researching various amendments.

Class 2

Finish research on amendments and create the graphic organizer. Have each group present its chart to the class.

Class 3

Have student groups make their lists of criteria for passing an amendment and present them to the class. Give students time to develop their personas and then direct them to begin writing their amendment proposals in their groups.

Class 4

Finish writing proposals and have students present them to the class. Have the class vote on the one proposal they want to debate and ask them to begin thinking of arguments in support or defense of the proposal based on their personas.

Class 5

Hold the debate. Have students sit in a circle and raise their hands to make a point or respond to another student. When all the arguments have been made, have the class vote. If time remains, more proposals can be debated. For closure, assign the letter to the constituency activity.

 RESOURCES

  The United States Constitution


 Access to the Internet for research

 Supplies for creating visual aids (PowerPoint if possible)

Related Websites:

 Constitution.net

 Searchable version of the U.S. Constitution

 CREDIT

Miss Neela Mookerjee