Bill of Rights Lesson Plan

December 15 is Bill of Rights Day, celebrated in honor of the first 10 amendments of the US Constitution that are responsible for allowing us to enjoy the freedoms that we have today. Its important for students of all ages to be familiar with the Bill of Rights because its such a fundamental institution that applies to life as an American citizen. Indeed, we never seem to stop learning about the Bill of Rights as we repeatedly encounter it in history classes at school and controversial issues discussed by the media. Issues about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, due process, civil trial, power of the people and such all come back to the Bill of Rights, which represents the basics of the civil rights of Americans.

Around the time that Bill of Rights Day begins to approach, its a good opportunity for teachers to educate students about what the Bill of Rights represents. A good Bill of Rights lesson plan should not only educate students about what the Bill of Rights is and its components, it should also demonstrate to students and enable them to understand why the Bill of Rights is so important. Unfortunately, a lot of education makes use of the memorization of facts and the regurgitation of knowledge, and this kind of learning is ineffective because its in one ear and out the other. True learning not only addresses what, it addresses why and applies concepts to real life. A typical Bill of Rights lesson plan might entail students learning the amendments by heart and reciting them, but rather than lecturing to students or simply having them fill out worksheets, teachers might consider an interactive Bill of Rights lesson plan where students can participate and experience for themselves how the Bill of Rights affects them. While its a good idea to actually know what the first 10 amendments are, whats really important is to generally understand what they do for us and why it matters.

One way to do this is to facilitate a discussion about the Bill of Rights in which students could express their opinions and talk through the social issues regarding civil rights. A very interactive Bill of Rights lesson plan could involve setting up a simulation in which students are robbed of their rights. This could help them experience firsthand (within reason) how it feels to not have the freedoms that were granted, which we often take for granted.