SS.5.CG.3.2

In this lesson, students will read an informational text about the events leading up to the American Revolution. They will discuss the preamble to the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Students will engage in a discourse circle about how the experiences of the colonists leading up to the American Revolution laid the groundwork that would later be reflected in the Constitution. This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and social studies.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson # 9 in the text unit for Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz. The lesson focuses on planning an expository essay after reading and annotating the second text The Bill of Rights: A Transcription. The lesson utilizes an essay planning template to help students organize the details from each text to support a common theme/central idea shared between the two texts. As an extension, students can draft the essay or turn the planning notes into a presentation using digital programs. This lesson will help students understand why and how the Constitution was created, including: the thirteen states and important historical figures present during the creation, the challenges and conflicts that state representatives faced during writing the Constitution, motifs and themes during the “Grand Convention,” and the relationship between state and national constitutions.

The lessons in this text-based unit will allow students to identify citizens’ civic duties outlined by the Constitution, the relationship between the federal and state Constitutions, and important historical symbols. Each part of the unit will include an in-depth dive into vocabulary and how it applies to the meaning of the text.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson # 12 in the text unit for Shhh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz. This lesson is a culminating activity where students deepen their knowledge of the Constitution after reading the text. Students will be organized into groups where they will be assigned specific Articles from the US Constitution. Every group will be assigned different Articles so that the class is able to cover the whole Constitution. In groups, students will analyze and interpret the articles they have been assigned while referencing the text, dictionary, and internet resources for support. Groups will be given chart paper to define and explain their specific Articles to the class. Students will take notes from the other group’s presentations, so they have notes on all of the Articles and not just the one they have been assigned.

This unit will help students understand why and how the Constitution was created, including: the original thirteen colonies and important historical figures present during the creation, the challenges and conflicts that state representatives faced during writing the Constitution, motifs and themes during the “Grand Convention,” and the relationship between state and national constitutions. Lessons will allow students to identify citizens’ civic duties outlined by the Constitution, the relationship between the federal and state Constitutions, and important historical symbols. Each part of the unit will include an in-depth dive into vocabulary and how it applies to the meaning of the text.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will review the three branches of government as outlined by the U.S. Constitution. Following the review, the students will get a chance to role-play the system of checks and balances to apply the principles of the Constitution to protect citizens from outlandish laws.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated lesson, students will use digital research skills to identify and analyze different types of government including representative vs. other types of government.  Students will complete a graphic organizer. This lesson is part one of a multi-part lesson that will end with a culminating project that identifies characteristics of a representative government using digital resources. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will work with a landscape architect to develop a plan for fountain placements and a walking path for a new city park. To complete the task, students must analyze and rank the U.S. Constitution‘s Bill of Rights according to the client’s directives. Students will apply geometry concepts to accurately plot and label coordinates on a park map. Throughout the process, students will work collaboratively to analyze and discuss their reasoning in this model eliciting activity.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will participate in a gallery walk of amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Students will illustrate and interpret the meaning of the amendments that cause major changes to the laws of the United States.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use the provided interactive research guide to identify and sort the three branches of government.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze how the Constitution is limited by the following concepts; popular sovereignty, rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, the amendment process, and the fundamental rights of citizens in the Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

Explore the court system and the role it plays in interpreting law and settling conflicts in this interactive tutorial. Learn why the U.S. Supreme Court is the most powerful in the U.S. court system, and they'll explain why the United States and the State of Florida both have supreme courts.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the history and background of the U.S. Constitution and how the Constitution and Bill of Rights safeguards our rights and liberties in this interactive tutorial. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This Grade 5 Civics Family Guide provides some ideas and activities to support civics education when at home, out and about, and in the community. The activities provided align to the civics learning benchmarks within Standard 3 at this grade level.

Type: Teaching Idea

Former U.S Senator and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martínez shares his journey to freedom in the United States. Mr. Martínez was part of Operation Pedro Pan in which unaccompanied Cuban children were sent to the United States to escape the newly formed communist regime of Fidel Castro. Before leaving Cuba, he spent time with his father who shared life lessons with his son. Mr. Martínez distinctly remembers the pilot announcing that they were in America. After moving around the state of Florida in settlement camps, Mr. Martínez was placed in foster care. After four years he and his family were reunited. Mr. Martínez helped his father become a veterinarian in the U.S and as a family they were highly active in the community. His family’s spirit of activism was the foundation of Mr. Martínez’s career as a public servant. He graduated from Florida State University Law School in 1973 and began his political career. He was appointed the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 2001 and became a United States Senator in 2005.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation