Introduction
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, 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."
By the end of this webquest you will be able to demonstrate mastery of the following
- Identify, explain and critique commonly held American democratic values, principles and beliefs through established documents (SS.4.C.1)
- Compare and contrast the powers of each branch of government and identify the responsibilities and rights of United States citizens. (SS.4.C.2)
- Explore the concepts of rule of law to create a visual or oral presentation of how these concepts protect individual rights and the common good. (SS.4.C.3)
Task
Global and national events take place each day that threaten the stability of our beloved United States. In order to help preserve our country as we know it, a special committee has been formed. The purpose of this committee is to examine the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United States, and formulate a plan to educate America's children about our nation's government.
Process
Follow and follow these instructions. Each underlined word or phrase is a link you will need in order to complete your task. Do your best. Remember, Uncle Sam is counting on you!
1. Read about the Declaration of Independence here and here. After reading, print and complete this word search. Then quiz yourself. Be sure to record your results.
2. Read about the Articles of Confederation here. Take this quiz and record your score.
3. The Articles of Confederation had several problems. Scroll down and read section called Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
Then choose which you think was greatest weakness and write an explanation of why you think so.
4. Watch this short video and then read the Preamble to the Constitution. Do you agree that the phrase "we the people" is the most important part of the preamble? Why or why not?
5. Read about the Bill of Rights. Talk about each one with your partner, and then play the Bill of Rights game.
6. The framers of the Constitution wanted to insure that no one group or individual had too much power, so they established three separate, but equal branches of government.
Read about it here.
7. Explore the links on Ben’s Guide to U. S. Government for Kids to learn more about the Legislative Branch, the Executive Branch, and the Judicial Branch.
8. Practice what you’ve learned by playing the Branches of Government game. Write your score and list 2 responsibilities for each branch of government.
9 Test your knowledge of the Checks and Balances provided in the Constitution. After you play, list 2 ways the branches check each other.
10. You can learn more about the Executive Branch by playing What’s What in the Executive Branch.
11. Now you are ready to go head to head with your partner in U. S. Government Jeopardy. Record the results of the game.
12. Review everything you have learned and write a 3-5 sentence paragraph telling why we need the Constitution. How does it protect our rights as United States citizens? How does it promote the general welfare of our country?
Evaluation
We the People
Assessment
Now that your research is complete you are ready to create a presentation explaining our nation's government to an elementary Social Studies class. Your presentation needs to focus on one of two areas, either the Constitution or Branches of Government.
If you chose to focus on the Constitution, you are expected to include the following information:
- An explantion of why the Framers wrote the Constitution
- The dates that the Constituion and Bill of Rights were ratified
- The preamble and an explanation of its meaning
- The Bill of Rights and an explanation or illustration of each
- Examples of good citizenship
If you chose to focus on the 3 Branches of Government, you are expected to include the following information:
- 3 branches of government
- Each branch’s responsibilities or duties (The Legislative branch should also describe the two houses of Congress.)
- The members of each branch
- An explanation of why we have the 3 branches of government
- An explanation of the checks and balances
You may choose one of the following projects: brochure, mobile, power point presentation, or large poster or tri‐fold board. (If using a power point, please save to a jump drive). You may use your Social Studies textbook and other outside resources (internet, encyclopedia, library books, etc.) to complete this project. Your completed project must meet the criteria listed above. The majority of work will have to be done on your own time.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You are now an expert on United States government and well prepared to share your knowledge with our children, the leaders of tomorrow. Thank you for your patriotism.
Credits
The links used in this webquest came from the following:
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/index.html
http://www.congressforkids.net/
http://www.landofthebrave.info
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com
Clipart came from http://clipart.mrdonn.org/government.html
Lesson developed by Gina Freed, 4th Grade
Arnoldsburg Elemenetary School
Calhoun County, West Virginia