TITLE: THE BILL OF RIGHTS IS FOR US TODAY
AUTHOR: Jacque Peterson, Lehi Junior High School, Lehi, UT
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 7 - 9
OVERVIEW: A bill of rights is needed in a free society in order
to protect the rights of the individual from abuses by the
government. Government rarely acts against the interests of the
majority, and often the beneficiary of a specific decision is
one of the minority. Yet, the entire society benefits from the
protection of minority rights. Oftentimes protecting the minority
causes great controversy, but each person benefits ultimately.
We are all a part of some minority, whether it be race, religion,
economics, political beliefs, or social beliefs. We all need our
individual rights protected.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this activity is to acquaint the
students with the guaranteed rights of the Bill of Rights,
and assist them to see the application of these rights in
their daily lives.
OBJECTIVES: The students will be able to:
1. Identify and locate the Bill of Rights.
2. List the rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
3. Apply the rights to their daily lives.
4. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of committee work.
5. Use the newspaper to identify three rights currently
being protected or questioned by the Bill of Rights.
6. Memorize the titles or summary statements for the
Bill of Rights.
RESOURCES/MATEIALS:
Newspapers, butcher paper, copy of the First Ten Amendments.
ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1. All students will individually list the rights
guaranteed by the First Ten Amendments to the
Constitution. These will be checked and discussed
to insure all students understand these rights.
2. A. The students will be separated into groups of
three or four people, preferably with students of
dissimilar interests. Each group will take a
piece of butcher paper and make three headings:
(1) Rights in School,
(2) Rights at Home, and
(3) Rights in Public.
B. The students will then list ten rights for
each column. These could include rights such as
loud music, large groupings of friends, prayer at
home, etc.
C. The students will then write to the side of
each item in each list the number of the amendment
that corresponds to the right listed.
D. The group will add one more right from an
Amendment they had not used into one of the columns.
E. Each group will present its lists to the class.
F. Note--Add a rule that no group may ask the
instructor for clarification or information unless
the whole group agrees on the question. Also, the
whole group must agree before something can be
written on the paper.
3. The students will locate and mount on lined
notebook paper three newspaper articles demonstrating
current use of the Bill of Rights.
4. The students will memorize the titles or summary
statements of the Bill of Rights. These will be tested
by written exam.
TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
1. Have each group orally present one newspaper article to
the class. Follow up with a discussion.
2. Test the students' ability to identify the titles
and content of the Bill of Rights.
3. Discuss the problems and advantages of committee work.
4. Have the students discuss which one right is most
important. They should eventually realize that each
right is as important as the next, given the set of
circumstances.
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John Kurilecjmk@ofcn.org