Social Studies Lesson

Group Member Name: Bailee Henderson Lesson title: Analyzing the Preamble of the U.S Constitution

Grade Level/Subject: Big Idea/Central Focus:

Grade 5/ Social Studies The influence important documents had in the development of our
country
NC Social Studies Essential Standard(s):

5.C&G.1.3
NCSS Theme(s):
Analyze historical 1) Power, Authority, and
Governance
documents that shaped the foundation 2) Time, Continuity and Change

of the United States government.

Daily Lesson Objective: Students will be able to analyze the preamble of the United States constitution and its
importance and answer questions on the US Constitution. Students are expected to answer 8 out of 10 questions
correctly.
21st Century Skills: Academic Language Demand
Collaboration, Communication, Critical- Language Function: Analyze
thinking Vocabulary: Equality, suffrage, sentiments, grievances, and resolutions
Discourse: Turn and talks; small group discussion
Syntax: Data sheet and exit ticket

Prior Knowledge of Students:

I conducted an interview with two students in my 5 th grade class. The have heard of the constitution but did not know
many specific details about it. The have also heard the term preamble but have no concrete understanding of what it is
or the purpose that it serves.
Social Studies Content Section: This lesson is about the US Constitution but in particular the preamble of the US
Constitution. The U.S constitution is an important document for our country. The constitution was written by Thomas
Jefferson, James Madison, Thomas Paine and John Adams. The constitution is broken into 3 sections. The first section is
the preamble, the second sections are the articles and the third section are the amendments. The first part, the
preamble, is the introduction to the constitution. It informs us why the constitution is being written. It tell us that the
government is controlled by the people by starting with the phrase “We the People….”

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Identify and explain how the lesson connects to, at least, 2 of the 5 PASS components:

 Active: The lesson is active as the activities are hands-on. Students construct the preamble and they also draw
out what the parts of the preamble look like to them.
 Meaningful: This lesson is meaningful as learners break down the preamble and analyze why it is a vital portion
of the US Constitution.

Citizenship Connection: By investigating the preamble of the constitution students are making connections to
citizenship. The constitution is for the US and all of it’s citizens. Through the constitution, students are able to analyze
and identify what rights they have as citizens of the United States of America.

Activity Description of Activities and Setting Time

Engage in a short discussion
- What are some important laws that you all know about?
1. Focus and Review - Do a short turn and talk with the person next to you 2 min

2. Statement of Objective
for Student
3. Teacher Input
Today you will analyze the preamble of the constitution and then watch a short 3 min
video on the constitution and answer related questions.
The teacher will introduce the Constitution by telling the students that it is the 5 min
highest law of our land. The constitution explains how our whole government
works and it lists the basic freedoms that all people have.

The Constitution is divided into several section

Today we are going to focus on the Preamble:
The preamble explains who is writing the constitution and why they are writing
the constitution. It begins with an important phrase

Teacher will make anchor chart while discussing what the preamble is

Teacher will read the preamble

“We the People of the United States.”

Why are these words important? (Because they tell us that the governments
power comes from the people)

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Go into Guided practice

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 Direct students to resources available to help them with the activity.

Students will work to construct the preamble with the strips of paper provided.
They will use their resources to check their work.

For students who finish the construction of the preamble, they will begin to
work on drawing activity, where they will draw a picture of what each objective
in the preamble looks like to them.

Another activity is available for accelerated students who finish both activities
4. Guided Practice 15 min
in GP (constitution scavenger hunt)

Questions to ask students while you circulate:

 What is the importance of each piece of the preamble? What if we just
took out one of the pieces, what would that mean for our country?
 Why is the preamble the first part of the constitution? Why didn’t we
just begin the constitution with the articles or the amendments?
 What does each piece of the preamble mean to you? If you could put it
into your own terms, what would it sound like? What would you say to
get the main points across?
Students will watch brain pop video on the constitution and take the quiz that
5. Independent Practice 10 min
follows. This can be done on their laptops.
6. Assessment Methods Students will be assessed on the brain pop quiz. There are 10 questions on the quiz, they
of all objectives/skills: are expected to answer 8 out of 10 questions correctly.
Some students come to the front and read aloud the preamble in a
7. Closure 5 min
way that someone who wrote the constitution might read it.
Targeted Students Modifications/Accommodations: Student/Small Group Modifications/Accommodations:
English language learners: Pictures and images will be Struggling readers: Will be given a paraphrased example of the
used to show examples of the constitution and preamble to go alongside the actual word for word version so
preamble. The anchor chart will also be displayed. that they can compare.
Early finishers: Students or groups who finish early will
Autism Spectrum: Learners with autism will be allowed to complete a constitution scavenger hunt.
use a fidget during the lesson. Will work with a partner to
complete the 1st activity in the guided practice where they
construct the preamble.
Materials/Technology:
Anchor chart
Preamble construction activity
Preamble drawing activity
Constitution Scavenger Hunt
Laptops

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