The Civil Rights Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th Amendments) SPI- 5.4.3

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, we have been learning about the Civil Rights Amendments. These are four very important amendments to the Constitution. Each amendment is described below:

- 13th Amendment: Made slavery illegal in all states
- 14th Amendment: Provided equal protection of the law to all citizens, regardless of race. It also ensured that citizenship is given to anyone born in the USA.
- 15th Amendment: Gave African-American men the right to vote.
- 19th Amendment: Gave all women the right to vote.

I have attached several examples of informational text for you to analyze. On Wednesday, we answered  the four attached discussion questions over the amendments and on Thursday, we worked on the attached writing prompt. Each essay should rank these amendments in order of most to least valuable according to the evaluation of the student. This essay will be due on Wednesday, November 6.


Abolition of Slavery _1865_ _print-friendly version_
Civil Rights _1868_ _print-friendly version_
Voting Rights _1870_ _print-friendly version_
's Right to Vote _1920_ _print-friendly version_
Informational Text Analysis Civil Rights AMendments
CivilRightsAmendmentsWritingPrompt

The Judicial Branch!

On Thursday and Friday, we learned about the judicial branch of the U.S. Government. We discussed that the primary purpose of the Supreme Court (the highest court in the judicial branch) was "judicial review." "Judicial review" can be defined as the Supreme Court's power to declare any law passed by Congress or any action by the president as being "unconstitutional." We also performed case studies on a few Supreme Court cases dealing with the First Amendment to the Constitution (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.) I've attached copies of the case studies as well as an example of a writing prompt used in conjunction with those cases.


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SupremeCourtWritingPrompt

The Executive Branch of U.S. Government

Today in class, we learned about the Executive Branch of the United States government. We learned that this branch is primarily made of the president, the vice president, and the various members of the presidential cabinet. Below, I have attached a graphic organizer outlining some of the major responsibilities of the executive branch as well as the homework assignment for the night. Please let me know if you have questions. Thanks! Executive Powers GO
All in a Day's Work_Student Copy

The Legislative Branch of Government

Today in class, we learned about how the U.S. Constitution sets up the three branches of government and in particular, the legislative branch. We learned that the purpose of the legislative branch is to make laws. We created a vocabulary chart covering some very important terms and then students participated in a group activity where they were to construct their own plan for a legislative branch of government in their "committees." Some students represented small states and some represented large states. The guidelines for the activity are posted below. Please let me know if you have any questions. Note: Due to a shortened class period, 7th period worked on an alternative activity. They completed the vocabulary chart but then they were asked to come up with an idea for a law and construct a letter to one of their representatives requesting that their law be presented as a bill.

Preamble to The Constitution

Today in class, we began learning about the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. We analyzed the direct text closely and created our own summary for it. Please watch the video below to supplement our class activities or to catch up if you have missed. I've also attached a copy of the preamble with notes explaining each of the important aspects of it. Please email me if you have any questions. Thanks!
Breaking It Down- The Preamble 1 -

Newspaper Article Assignment!

On Friday, we began working on an assignment where students were asked to construct a newspaper article covering a very significant event in American history, the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Guidelines for the article are listed below:

- Approximately 1 page of text
- Must include a headline and an illustration
- Must address at least one of the questions listed below
- Must be turned in by Wednesday, October 23 (late work will NOT be accepted)

Questions to be considered in your article:
- Should we have signed the Declaration in the first place? Defend your position.
- Do you agree or disagree with Jefferson's plan for government? Defend your position.
- What do you think about the phrase, "all men are created equal?" Do members of the 2nd Continental Congress truly believe that? Defend your position.
- What is your opinion of King George III? Are we being too hard on him? Defend your position.
- What grade would you give Jefferson for his writing skills? Defend your position.
- What are the key arguments for the Declaration of Independence?

Grading Rubric (9 total points)
- 1-3 for creativity
- 1-3 for content accuracy
- 1-3 for detail

Declaration of Independence Overview! SPI- 5.4.5.

I've attached a Prezi covering an overview of the Declaration of Independence. Please review this. Also, I've attached a video detailing our classroom activity for this week. We are analyzing a primary source copy of the Declaration of Independence to determine its purpose. Please e-mail me with any issues. Thanks! Summary Organizers

1st 9 Weeks Exam Study Guide!

Please use all of your classroom materials to study the items on the study guide below. 1st 9 Weeks Exam Study Guide