CONSTITUTION DAY LESSON

LESSON

In 1 day
Celebrating Our Constitution

Why are 200 year old words

meaningful?

Overview Materials
• Video of “Preamble” from
Students analyze key vocabulary from the Preamble as source like iTunes store.
they discuss the importance of the Constitution in the You can follow link from
School House Rock’s
lives of people today.
website
(http://www.schoolhouserock
Preview Students listen to and analyze the lyrics to the .tv/Preamble.html)
song “Preamble” from School House Rock.
• Copies of Student Handout
1: The lyrics to “Preamble.”
Activity In a Response Group, students analyze a word One for each student
cloud of the Preamble to the Constitution and discuss
• Visual 1: Word cloud of the
how the words relate to the 21st century. Constitution of the United
States
Processing Students write a short letter to the editor
• Copies of Student Handout
commemorating Constitution Day. 2: Vocabulary Matrix. One
for each student

• Copies of Student Handout

Objectives 3: Small Group Discussion
In the course of this lesson and participating in the items. One for each group
classroom activity, students will
• analyze the words to the Preamble of the Constitution.
• define key words from the Preamble.
• discuss the importance of the Constitution to 21st
century citizens.

Key Vocabulary
Union, justice, domestic tranquility, welfare, liberty,
posterity, ordain

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Procedures

Preview
Suggested time: 10 minutes

1. Greet students at the door. Distribute a copy of

Student Handout 1: Lyrics to “Preamble” to students
as they enter the room.

2. Play video and have students analyze lyrics. Play

the video “Preamble” for the students and have them
analyze the lyrics while the video is playing. Student Handout 1

3. Debrief the video and lyrics. Ask the students a

series of questions to debrief the song.
• What is this song about?
• How would you describe the music? Happy? Sad?
Why?
• What words are unfamiliar to you? Circle them.
• Where did these words come from?
• Why are 200 year old words meaningful?

Response Group
Suggested time:35minutes

1. Place students into groups. Group students

heterogeneously into triads.

2. Distribute handouts. Give each student a copy of

Student Handout 2: Vocabulary Matrix and each
group one copy of Student Handout 3: Discussion
Items. You will also want to make a dictionary and/or
thesaurus available for each group to use.

3. Explain the purpose of the activity. Project Visual

1: Word Cloud to students and tell them that this
lesson is intended to celebrate Constitution Day. To
that end, you want them to study the words in the
opening of the document. Tell them that each group
will be given an excerpt from the Preamble and will
define key words and discuss its importance today.
Visual 1

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Procedures

4. Give first excerpt to groups. Challenge students to

read the assigned excerpt taken from the Preamble.
Have students point to the key vocabulary found in
the word cloud. Direct the students to the same
vocabulary on their matrix.

5. Have groups use a dictionary or thesaurus to

complete the first two columns on their matrix. In
the first column, students are to define the term in Student Handout 2
words appropriate to their age level (not a textbook or
dictionary version). In the second column, students
are challenged to draw a simple visual to help
remember what the term means.

6. Have groups discuss the excerpt. Groups discuss

the question in the third column on their matrix. One
person from each group will be assigned the role of
presenter to share with the rest of the class what the
term(s) mean and why they are important to people
today. Stress to the students that groups must provide Student Handout 3
at least one example in their response.

7. Large group discussion. Each group will select one

person to present their group discussion to rest of the
class. (The role of presenter will rotate for the next
excerpt discussion.) Presenters from each group
should stand up. One by one, presenters should share
how their group defined key vocabulary and the
visuals they used to help them remember it.
Presenters should then provide an answer to the
excerpt and why it is important to people today.
Going Digital
Suggestion
8. Repeat the process. Assign the next excerpt and
Instead of a print dictionary or
follow steps 4-7. Have groups rotate the role of thesaurus, have the students use
presenter so that each person within a group of three the internet and sites like
will be presenter at least one time. www.wordsift.com to find the
meaning of key vocabulary.

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Procedures

Processing
Suggested Time: 10 minutes; complete for homework Going Digital
Suggestion
1. Challenge students to create a letter to the editor.
Have students write a short letter to the editor on the Have students use a web tool
that allows them to create a
topic of Constitution Day and why words written over realistic looking newspaper
200 years ago are still important today. item by using
http://www.fodey.com/generat
2. Encourage students to reflect on their small group ors/newspaper/snippet.asp .
work and class discussion. As students put their Make sure students complete
their letter in a word processor
response together, have them use their matrix and before copy/pasting into this
memory of the class discussion to assist their writing. web-tool.

© Teachers’ Curriculum Institute

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Hey, do you know about the U.S.A.?
Do you know about the government?
Can you tell me about the Constitution?
Hey, learn about the U.S.A.
In 1787 I'm told
Our founding fathers did agree
To write a list of principles
For keepin' people free.
The U.S.A. was just startin' out.
A whole brand-new country.
And so our people spelled it out
The things that we should be.
And they put those principles down on paper
and called it the Constitution, and it's been
helping us run our country ever since then.
The first part of the Constitution is called the
preamble and tells what those founding
fathers set out to do.
We the people,
In order to form a more perfect union,
Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
Provide for the common defense,
Promote the general welfare and
Secure the blessings of liberty
To ourselves and our posterity
Do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.
Student Handout 1: Lyrics to “Preamble”
In 1787 I'm told
Our founding fathers all sat down
And wrote a list of principles
That's known the world around.
The U.S.A. was just starting out
A whole brand-new country.
And so our people spelled it out
They wanted a land of liberty.
And the Preamble goes like this:
We the people,
In order to form a more perfect union,
Establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
Provide for the common defense,
Promote the general welfare and
Secure the blessings of liberty
To ourselves and our posterity
Do ordain and establish this Constitution for
the United States of America.
For the United States of America...
Note:
The lyrics here have a slightly abridged wording of
the Preamble to the United States Constitution. The
actual document starts, "We the people of the United
States, in order to form a more perfect union...“
Music & Lyrics by: Lynn Ahrens
Performed by: Lynn Ahrens
Visual 1: Word Cloud of Preamble

Word Cloud made possible using www.wordle.net

 Student Handout 2: Vocabulary Matrix

Directions: 1) Read the excerpt. 2) Define each underlined term in the second column using
words students your age would use. 3) Create a simple visual to represent one or more of the
terms taken from the excerpt in the third column. 4) With your group, write a brief summary as to
why these words from the excerpt are important to citizens today. Be prepared to share a specific
example in your group’s response to the large group discussion.
Word Cloud made possible using www.wordle.net

Why is it
Excerpt Definition(s) Visual important?

We the People of the United

States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union…

…establish Justice, insure

domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common
defense, promote the general
Welfare…

…and secure the Blessings

of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and
establish this Constitution
for the United States of
America.

Word Cloud made possible using www.wordle.net
Excerpt
We the People of the United
States, in Order to form a
more perfect Union…
…establish Justice, insure
domestic Tranquility,
provide for the common
defense, promote the general
Welfare…
…and secure the Blessings
of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and
establish this Constitution
for the United States of
America.
Student Handout 3: Discussion Items
Directions: Use this handout along with Student Handout 2: Vocabulary Matrix as a guide for
the group discussion. Be prepared to have one person in your group share a response to the
discussion items related to the excerpt. The role of presenter will rotate for each excerpt.
Discuss the following items related to the excerpt.
•What does Union mean?
•How would you describe “union” to other classmates?
•What did the authors mean when they said “a more perfect union?”
•What can we do today to make our union more perfect?
•What do the terms Justice, Domestic Tranquility, and Welfare mean?
•How would you describe these terms to other classmates?
•What did the authors mean when they said “provide for the common
defense?”
•Give an example of how the government provides Justice, Domestic
Tranquility or Welfare.
•What do the terms Liberty, Posterity, and Ordain mean?
•How would you describe these terms to other classmates?
•What did the authors mean when they said“..to ourselves and our
Posterity?”
•What blessings of Liberty do you hope to pass along to your posterity?