You’ve been assigned to teach the Constitution. Now what? Teaching civics can arguably be one of the most important endeavors for a social studies teacher. Teaching students about a document like the Constitution is historically significant, but it also impacts our present lives. This is something that all social studies teachers would be tasked to do.
But let’s face it…people actually go to law school and study Constitutional law because it is so complex and foundational. So how do you do it in a way that is meaningful to your middle school students? If you are a middle school teacher, you know that there is a lot more on their developing minds than the day’s civic lesson, and that this material most likely seems “out of reach” in their world.
In this blog, you will learn how to easily and interactively teach the Constitution to your Middle Schoolers!
Getting Started with Teaching the Constitution
Luckily, it is possible. Here is how I have approached this in my middle school class:
- I usually start with a mock creation of the Continental Congress, casting students as representatives, and dividing them up into the North and the South.
- Each section brainstorms what they feel would be most important for laws for the new country. If your students are struggling, give them some areas of focus (qualifications of leaders, the issue of rights, etc.)
- Have students present their thoughts. It might be fun to post an editable document and let each student (or group of students ) add to it.
Teaching the Constitution…simplified!
- Now that there has been a bit of engagement, it’s time to teach. I usually start out by giving the students a copy of the Constitution. We take a “walk-through” to see the structure and basic components.
- You will definitely need to do some direct teaching. You can create your own slideshow that gives the most important information without overwhelming them, and ask them to respond to information. If you are short on time, you may want to purchase some resources to teach the Constitution here. Just be sure not to make it overly detailed and add some interactive components so that they can respond in a meaningful way.
- Now it’s time for students to “get their hands on” the information. You could create a worksheet in a “scavenger hunt” style, where they are looking through the actual Constitution for the answers.
- Who doesn’t love a fun, interactive game? You could create many games on your Google Slides. There are lots of free formats for Jeopardy-style questions and other games on the web.
Assessment
Assessment is important. After doing this many ways, here is what I recommend:
- Questions should be both literal and inferential. For example: How old do you need to be to become a Senator? Who has more power, a Senator or a Rep?
- Short responses are also helpful. For example: Which Amendment is the most important to you? Explain why in a well-developed paragraph.
- Whatever you choose, I recommend doing this as an “open document” assessment. Students should be able to use their Constitution; memorizing the entire Constitution is certainly not advisable. Here’s a ready-made product if you need one:
Important: Don’t forget to grab your free product! There are 2 weeks of engaging discussion questions for your students…perfect for an easy anticipatory set…absolutely free!
Your Entire Year of U.S. History…Already Planned
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Questions? Email me anytime: linda@allinonemiddleschool.com
Best of luck to you and your students!
-Linda A. – “All in One Middle School“
Helpful links:
Membership for Social Studies Teachers American History Year-Long Curriculum
