CECsst.229


TITLE:  First Ten Amendment Poster Activity

AUTHOR:  Dede Landry, Lookout Mountain School; Golden, CO

GRADE LEVEL:  Appropriate for grades 7-12.

OVERVIEW:  This activity can be used for any grade by
adapting the research and written portion of the assignment
to the appropriate level of the students.  It should be used
as a culminating activity to a unit on The Constitution.

OBJECTIVE(s):
1.   Student will be able to write a historical perspective
     of one of the First Ten Amendments.
2.   Students will be able to write an analysis of a case
     decided by the Supreme Court based on one of the First
     Ten Amendments.
3.   Students will be able to write an evaluation and
     personal opinion of the Supreme Court decision.
4.   Students will be able to create a poster illustrating
     the case.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
Library resources, history textbooks, poster paper,
construction paper, markers and other art supplies.

PURPOSE:  This lesson provides an historical context for
looking at The First Ten Amendments and decisions made by
the Supreme Court Based on The First Ten Amendments.
Students study the context in which the First Ten Amendments
were written, research Supreme Court decisions based on the
Bill of Rights since its inception and analyze the extent to
which the decision reflects the intent of the Amendment.  To
demonstrate their understanding of how The First Ten
Amendments protects individual rights, students will create
posters that illustrate and select the Supreme Court
Decision.

Each poster should include:
1.  A brief historical perspective of the Amendment.
2.  A thorough description of a Supreme Court decision
    based on the Amendment.
3.  An analysis of the significance of the decision in
    protecting the rights of individuals.
4.  A personal reflection about the importance of the
    decision and the extent to which the student believes
    the decision promotes the ideals of the Constitution.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:  Students will work in pairs.
1.   After studying about the development of the
     Constitution, the students should be able to write
     about and discuss the reasons why each of The First Ten
     Amendments was added to the Constitution.
2.   Students will research Supreme Court decisions that
     have been based on the First Ten Amendments.
3.   Students will develop a poster that features a Supreme
     Court decision that reflects individual rights
     protected by one of the First Ten Amendments.
4.   Students will write a description of the decision, an
     analysis of the significance of the decision in
     protecting individual rights and  a personal reflection
     about it's importance and the extent to which the
     student believes the decision promotes the ideals of
     the Constitution.

EVALUATION:  Evaluation of posters will be a RUBRIC, based
on historical accuracy, clarity of writing, neatness and
creativity, personal reflection.