Objectives
My primary objective for this unit is to bring the Constitution back to life for our students! I want students to realize that the Constitution was created by people for people. Moreover, I want to help students develop the tools they need to critically examine and interpret the Constitution for themselves.
Specifically, these "tools" include my students' abilities to read and compare complex texts, to analyze text structure, and to creatively consider how different systems and structures interact with one another. Understanding the interaction of checks and balances, for instance, requires a shift in the way students think. Instead of simply memorizing a specific fact, students need to analyze scenarios from multiple, competing perspectives. In developing their own interpretations, I also seek to have students cite and qualify specific sources to demonstrate how different ideas have influenced their thinking.
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