December 15, 2015

THE BASICSTopic: The Bill of Rights

Articles “Bill of Rights Day to remember we shouldn't take our rights for granted” (12/14/15) (CentralMaine.com) “Actor Richard Dreyfuss: Constitution Binds us Together to Fight ISIS” (11/30/15) (Breitbart) “How JFK’s assassination led to a constitutional amendment” (11/22/15) (Constitution Daily) “Hillary Clinton Urges Silicon Valley to ‘Disrupt’ ISIS” (12/6/15) (The NY Times) “Of 11,000 attempts to amend US Constitution, only 27 amendments have passed” (8/30/11)

(Politifact) “The new women warriors: Reviving the fight for equal rights” (4/16/15) (CNN)

Questions to Consider What is the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution? Not all of the amendments that James Madison proposed made it into the final Bill of Rights. Is

there anything missing from the Bill of Rights that you would have included? Who was George Mason and what was his role in urging that a Bill of Rights be added to the

Constitution? What is the connection between John Locke’s philosophy of natural rights and the Bill of Rights? What is the connection between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights? What are the amendments that followed the Bill of Rights (first ten amendments)? Do they

change the meaning of the original 10 or add additional rights that respond to modern times? Is the process to add Constitutional amendments appropriate? Or is it too hard? Why did the

Framers choose to make it difficult to amend the Constitution?

How did the 25th Amendment solve the problem of presidential succession? Why did it take so many years to deal with this issue?

What is the Equal Rights Amendment? Why has the effort to ratify this amendment taken so many years? What are the reasons to add it to the Constitution? What do opponents say?

Does it matter that many Americans are not familiar with the Bill of Rights and cannot identify the rights included in them? Why?

Is there a connection between the Second Amendment and gun violence? What government does U.S. Bill of Rights limit? How are the rights included in the Bill of Rights limited by court decisions and custom? Is there a need for a Children’s Bill of Rights? What rights would be protected? How would a

proposed Student Assessment Bill of Rights affect schools? Which rights are most controversial in 2015? Why does the Bill of Rights matter in 2015? How might terrorist acts threaten the fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights? What is required of technology companies that balances the need for security with the right to

free expression? Is encryption part of freedom of speech? Does encryption assist terrorists? What is the amendment procedure for the Oregon Constitution? Is the number of amendments

helpful or cumbersome?THE EXTRASPre-teaching, Extensions & Further Reading

“Eight basic facts about the Bill of Rights” (12/14/15) (Constitution Daily) “The Bill of Rights: A Brief History” (ACLU) “Bill of Rights of the United States of America” (Bill of Rights Institute) “This Day in History: 1791, Bill of Rights is finally ratified” (History)

Lesson Plans

“Congress and the Bill of Rights in History and Today” (National Archives) “Life Without the Bill of Rights” (Bill of Rights Institute)

What’s the Connection? Constitutional

“Our Rights” (Annenberg Classroom) Oregon

“New Oregon law recognizes students and parents are key in developing better assessments” (Education Votes)

Students “Does America Need a Children’s Bill of Rights?” (Jurist)

Oregon State Social Science Standards8.14. Explain rights and responsibilities of citizens.8.18. Examine and analyze important United States documents, including (but not limited to) the Constitution, Bill of Rights, 13th-15th Amendments. 8.21. Analyze important political and ethical values such as freedom, democracy, equality, and justice embodied in documents such as the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. HS.33. Explain the role of government in various current events.HS.35. Examine the pluralistic realities of society (e.g., race, poverty, gender, and age), recognizing issues of equity, and evaluating need for change. HS.59. Demonstrate the skills and dispositions needed to be a critical consumer of information.HS.60. Analyze an event, issue, problem, or phenomenon form varied or opposing perspectives or points of view.

CCSS Anchor Standards2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.6. Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text.7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse media and formats, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words. 8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, including the validity of the reasoning as well as the relevance and sufficiency of the evidence.

We the People Lesson ConnectionsMiddle School, Level 2

Unit 5: How does the Constitution protect our basic rights? Unit 6, Lesson 29: What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?

High School, Level 3 Unit 3: How has the Constitution been changed to further the ideals contained in the

Declaration of Independence? Unit 5: What rights does the Bill of Rights protect?