Classroom Constitution

Students write a classroom constitution to ensure that all students will be treated fairly and to create a welcoming environment for sharing, growing and learning.

Engage

Use Constitution Day on September 17th to discuss the importance of the US Constitution and initiate conversations about rights and responsibilities.

Begin with an exercise on fairness, discussing what it means and how it relates to equality. Have students summarize their ideas with an acrostic poem using the letters F-A-I-R.

Work as a class to write a preamble for your class constitution. You can follow the preamble format. For example:

"We the students of _____ class, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish _____ , insure _____, provide for ______, promote ______, and secure _____, do ordain and establish this Constitution for our classroom."

Create

Divide the class into small teams, and have each team choose 5 rights they think are most important. Each team should craft a clear and concise statement articulating each of these rights. Each team can get started with the Classroom Constitution Template.

When groups have finished, use the Project Wizard to combine all of their work into one file to discuss each team's ideas, which rights are similar and which ones have the best wording the class likes.

Share

Print the final constitution in large format so you can post it in the classroom for everyone to see. To ratify your classroom constitution, have each student come to the front to sign the document.

Resources

Jean Fritz.Shh! We're Writing the Constitution. ISBN: 0698116240

David Catrow.We the Kids. ISBN: 0142402761

Syl Sobel.The US Constitution and You. ISBN: 147920773X

National Constitution Center - Constitution Day

National Archives - Constitution

Schoolhouse Rock - Preamble (Note: Ad at front)

Standards

The Inquiry Arc

1. Developing Questions and Planning Investigations

2. Applying Disciplinary Concepts and Tools

3. Gathering, Evaluating, and Using Evidence

4. Working Collaboratively and Communicating Conclusions

Dimension 2: Civics

D2.Civ.3.K-2

Explain the need for and purposes of rules in various settings inside and outside of school.

D2.Civ.3.3-5

Examine the origins and purposes of rules, laws, and key U.S. constitutional provisions.