The United States Bill of Rights

The United States Bill of Rights
How does the Bill of Rights preserve Americans’
individual liberty?
Government ... should be formed to secrure
and to enlarge the exercise of the natural
rights of its members...
James Wilson, 1791
Overview
“The Bill of Rights” activity demonstrates how the first ten amendments, by
listing freedoms guaranteed to U.S. citizens such as freedom of speech and
due process, extend the protection of individual rights beyond that provided
in the articles of the Constitution. Students have the opportunity to examine
the importance of these liberties as well as the limits the Bill of Rights places
on the power of American government.
STANDARDS
Objectives
In the core lesson, students will:
CCE (5 - 8): II.A.1; IV.B.1; V.B.1, 2
CCE (9-12): II.A.1; II.C.1; IV.C.1; V.B.1,2
identify the fundamental liberties the
NCHS (5-12): Ch. 3, Era III: 3.B; Era X: 2.E
Bill of Rights protects in our society
NCSS: 2, 5, 6, and 10
prioritize the rights American citizens
enjoy
MATERIALS
explain the connections and
interdependence of each of the first
Student Handouts
ten amendments
Individual copies of the United
work cooperatively to apply
States Bill of Rights
(Appendix A)
constitutional protections to
hypothetical scenarios
Handout A: Which Rights Do I
Value Most?
Handout B: Bill of Rights
Scenario Cards
Handout C: Bill of Rights Today
Additional Teacher Resources
Answer Key
RECOMMENDED TIME
One 45-minute period.
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LESSON PLAN
I.
Background/Pre-Assessment/Homework [10 minutes the day before]
A. Distribute Handout A - Which Rights Do I Value Most?
B. Present the following scenario and directions:
The United States has been invaded by hostile forces and the federal
government has been overthrown. The leader of the new government thinks
he is a benevolent dictator and will allow American citizens to retain five
of the fundamental liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Select the five
that are most important to you. List them along with a paragraph defending
your choices. Complete Handout A for homework.
II. Warm-Up/Anticipatory Activity [15 minutes]
A. Ask students to share and defend some of their responses for Handout A -
Which Rights Do I Value Most?
B. Try to develop a consensus of the one right that nobody in the class would
be willing to give up (and/or if there is a right that everyone agrees they
could live without).
C. Discuss similarities and differences among the rights they could not live
without and the rights which they deemed expendable. Ask students if they
think any of these factors might change their opinions:
Age—would the rights have a similar ranking if the
students were adults?
Place in history—would the rights have a similar ranking
if the students lived during the Founding period?
Place in history—would the rights have a similar ranking
if the students were not living during the War on Terror?
Parents—would the rights have a similar ranking if the
students’ parents were attorneys? Ministers? Convicted
felons? Members of the military?
III. Activity [30 minutes]
A. Divide students into twelve groups .
B. Give each group one Scenario Card from Handout B - Bill of Rights
Scenario Cards (printed on card stock, if possible). Students should consult
an individual copy of the Bill of Rights (Appendix A) while working with
their group members and answer the following questions on a separate
sheet of paper:
1. Which right (if any) is being violated in the situation?
2. Which amendment (if any) in the Bill of Rights would offer
protection against such a violation?
C. After two or three minutes, have students pass their Scenario Card to the
group to their right.
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D. Repeat the procedure until each group has seen every Scenario Card.
E. When the groups have concluded with their final card, ask one member of
each group to stand as the group representative for their analysis of their
first card. Group representatives should align themselves in Amendment
number order to create a living Bill of Rights. (Some Amendments will
have more than one representative in the line.)
F.
Have each representative read their group’s scenario card and share with
the class the responses they generated with their partner(s.) Consult the
Answer Key for the correct answers.
IV. Homework Options
Distribute Handout C - The Bill of Rights Today. Students should conduct a
search for current events that illustrate the individual rights and protections
guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. Have students begin by searching the Bill of
Rights Institute Web site, www.BillofRightsInstitute.org, and reviewing the “Bill
of Rights in the News” links. Other Web sites and periodicals may be used.
Students should locate at least four examples and complete the graphic organizer
to summarize the stories and draw connections to their lives.
Extensions
Have students research the debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists over
inclusion of a Bill of Rights in the Constitution. In small groups, students will
assume the position of either a Federalist or an Anti-Federalist to write and
produce a modern day commercial that outlines the merits of their viewpoint
and persuades Americans to vote for or against the new Constitution.
In pairs, assign students to research one of the topics (e.g., Expression, Religion,
or Property) from the “Bill of Rights in the News Activity” section of the Bill of
Rights Institute Web site <http://www.BillofRightsInstitute.org/
article.php?sid=417>. Students should present a five-minute brief to the class
that summarizes the major positions on the issue and concludes with the
students’ opinions.
The United States Bill of Rights
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Handout A
WHICH RIGHTS DO I VALUE MOST?
The United States has been invaded by hostile forces from a terrorist organization, and the federal
government has been overthrown. The leader of the new government thinks he is a benevolent
dictator and will allow American citizens to retain five of the fundamental liberties guaranteed by
the Bill of Rights. Select the five that are most important to you and list them below, along with
their corresponding amendment number. At the bottom, write a short paragraph defending your
choices.
R
T
H
G
I
A E
M
E
M
D
N
T
N
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Reasons I selected these rights:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
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© The Bill of Rights Institute

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Handout B
SCENARIO CARDS
scenario
1
scenario
scenario
2
scenario
Sara, an eighteen-year-old college
A neighbor is suing the Joneses
student, is arrested for stealing a
because a tree in the Joneses’ yard
classmate’s term paper and selling
fell on their roof during a hurricane.
it on the Internet. When she appears
The neighbors want the Jones family
before the judge, she asks for a
to pay $850 to have their roof
lawyer to help defend her. The judge
repaired. Mr. Jones requests that a
tells her if she is smart enough to
jury be present to hear this case.
be in college, she knows enough to
The judge says it is not necessary
defend herself. Besides, she is not
since the amount of the repairs is
being charged with a felony, so the
so small.
stakes are not very high.
scenario
1
scenario
scenario
2
scenario
scenario
3
scenario
scenario
4
scenario
Mr. Reynolds, an avid hunter,
opens the door of his home one day
Carolyn is arrested for shoplifting
to find agents from the Bureau of
a candy bar from a neighborhood
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
convenience store. At trial, she is
outside. They inform him that
found guilty. The judge decides that
certain provisions of a new federal
the appropriate punishment is to cut
law allow them to confiscate his
off Carolyn’s hands so that she will
rifles so that he may not engage in
not be able to shoplift again.
terrorist activities or plot against the
United States government. They
have no evidence that he is
connected to any such activities.
scenario
3
scenario
scenario
4
scenario
© The Bill of Rights Institute
The United States Constitution
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Handout B
SCENARIO CARDS
scenario
5
scenario
scenario
6
scenario
Jesse, a fourteen-year old student,
decides to protest the war in Iraq.
He wears a T-shirt to school with a
As you prepare to board a plane to
picture of the White House and the
go on vacation, you are turned away
caption “Weapon of Massive
at the gate. You are told that all travel
Misinformation.” His principal pulls
plans to the nation you wish to visit
Jesse aside and asks him not to wear
have been cancelled because the
the shirt again because it is
United States government disagrees
disruptive to the learning
with its treatment of women.
environment. Jesse wears it the next
week and is suspended from school
for three days.
scenario
5
scenario
scenario
6
scenario
scenario
7
scenario
scenario
8
scenario
A known drug dealer is arrested for
suspected connections to an inner
Sixteen-year-old Ryan is the captain
city murder. The police act as though
of the football team. Before the
he should know why he has been
Friday night game, he and his
arrested and immediately begin to
teammates are required to submit
interrogate him. They continue until
to a drug test. Ryan’s test shows
he admits he knows the victim of
traces of marijuana. He is not
the crime and was in the
allowed to participate in the game
neighborhood where the murder
and he is suspended from school.
took place.
scenario
7
scenario
scenario
8
scenario
6
Being An American
© The Bill of Rights Institute

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Handout B
SCENARIO CARDS
scenario
9
scenario
scenario
10
scenario
Your parents are very religious
Because of the budget deficit, the
people, but you are not. Today, your
United States government is looking
parents are going to a service at their
for ways to cut costs. They have
place of worship and they expect
announced a plan to house
you to come along. You refuse. They
unmarried soldiers in the homes of
make you come anyway and they
American citizens who do not have
ground you for the following month.
children.
scenario
9
scenario
scenario
10
scenario
scenario
11
scenario
scenario
12
scenario
Because Members of Congress are
You are in the security line at the
unhappy with students’
airport. The transportation safety
standardized test scores in many
agent requires you to take off your
states, they pass a federal law that
coat, take off your shoes, and empty
abolishes local school boards and
your pockets. The agent also
requires a standardized national
completes a pat-down search.
curriculum.
scenario
11
scenario
scenario
12
scenario
© The Bill of Rights Institute
The United States Constitution
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Handout C
THE BILL OF RIGHTS TODAY
Complete the graphic organizer below by locating stories and news articles about issues related to
the Bill of Rights today. Begin by searching the Bill of Rights Institute website,
www.BillofRightsInstitute.org. Click on the “Bill of Rights in the News” link. You may use
other newspapers and periodicals. Attach article or printouts to this page.
Ways h
t s
i
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s
s
I
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H ad n
il e T
/ op c
i
Su
a
m
m
y
r of A c
it
r
e
l
Re a
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t d
g
i
M ht Touch
of A c
it
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2
( or 3 e
s n e
t nce )
s
A e
m nd e
m nt
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M L e
fi
8
Being An American
© The Bill of Rights Institute

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