Creative Ideas for Presenting the Bill of Rights
Teaching the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments of the U.S. Constitution, to students is important because it makes the understand what rights each person has as a U.S. citizen and introduces them to the U.S. government structure. If the Bill of Rights is introduced in a fun and creative way students are more likely to pay attention. Because the language of the Bill of Rights can be difficult to read, presenting it can help students understand it better.
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Presented as 10 Posters
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The Bill of Rights can be presented in the classroom as 10 handmade posters. Legibly write each original amendment on a poster and explain what the amendment means to the class. Divide your class into 10 groups, meaning most likely groups of twos or threes, and have them color the poster with drawings that represent the amendment. Hang all of your posters on the wall around the room. The students' illustrations will help them easily remember their rights.
Presented as a Faux Original Copy
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If you are teaching the history of the Bill of Rights, you can tell students that it was written in 1787. Present the class with pictures of the original Bill of Rights. You can find them in the U.S. government archives. For fun, have your class make a classroom Bill of Rights written in a similar format. Post the classroom Bill of Rights on the wall next to pictures of the original Bill of Rights.
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Bill of Rights in Skits
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Divide your class into several groups and have each group pick an original amendment from a bowl. The group will have to come up with a skit that illustrates the amendment and what it means. Have each group come up to the front of the room and present their amendment skit. After each group is finished hold a group discussion about whether the groups successfully displayed the rights dictated in each amendment and go over amendments that may not have been covered.
Bill of Rights as a Movie
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You can present the Bill of Rights to your class by showing a movie about the history of the Bill of Rights. This will help the students understand the time period and introduce them to the creators of the Constitution. Show clips from the movie and then further explain the backgrounds of each major person involved in the making of the Constitution. Hold a class discussion about how and why the Constitution was created and which rights students feel are the most important.
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