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Voices and Choices Series:
Constitution Today
Voices and Choices: Constitution Today is an instructional unit introducing seventh grade students to civic responsibility through an exploration of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the role of democracy in the United States, and issues of importance to students, New Yorkers, and the rest of the nation.
The unit is six weeks long and offers teachers 18 lessons and web-based tools to help students explore the Constitution, democracy, and the vital role of the informed citizen. In addition mini-lessons and classroom activities will guide students through the process of conducting Internet research on historical and current events.
Students will:
- Share their understanding of important issues of public debate in classrooms, with other participating students, and with publicly elected officials.
- Research current issues of public debate through news sources and online media, outline their opinions, highlight their research, and develop persuasive letters based on their evidence.
- Work collaboratively to develop and deliver a persuasive oral presentation supported by a visual multimedia presentation.
Through a series of six steps, students learn about the rights and responsibilities that come with living in a democracy by becoming informed and critical thinkers. |
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Standards [+]
The six week unit, Voices and Choices: Constitution Today, is designed to meet a variety of New York State and New York City Learning and Performance Standards by making the study of American history and government relevant to the lives of middle school students. The unit uses technology to investigate the relationship between current events and Constitutional issues that have been debated by Americans from the writing of the Constitution through today. The unit helps students make connections across time periods and therefore addresses the NYS Learning Standards for Social Studies- History of the United States and New York. Through the unit, students gain an understanding of how different people view the same event from a variety of perspectives, meeting the NYS Learning Standards for Social Studies- United States and New York State history. Students also conduct Internet research on historical and current events, meeting the NYS Social Studies Skills Standards for gathering, using, and presenting information. Additionally, Constitution Today meets many of the NYS Social Studies Skills Standards, NYC Performance Standards for English Language Arts, and the National Educational Technology Standards.
About the "Tech" in Social Studies and Technology [+]
The teacher’s guide for Voices and Choices: Constitution Today resides in a web-based content management system. The content management system includes all teacher resources and lesson plans. Using the web-based content management system, teachers can communicate with each other through email, weblogs, and discussion boards. Teachers can also set up their own class weblog where they can monitor their students’ understanding of the unit. Most importantly, the content management system gives teachers easy access to the following:
- Eighteen lessons
- Assessment strategies for each lesson
- Strategies for using technology
- Tips for differentiated instruction and classroom set up
- State and city standards
- Animated conversation starters
- Web-based guides called e-tutorials
- Classroom visuals
- Teacher narrative
- Online glossary of terms
- Printable handouts
- Resources for further study
- City-wide discussion boards
- Weblogs for ongoing dialogue and assessment
- Student website with step-by-step instructions
The content management system provides “print-friendly” versions of the entire unit including all 18 lesson plans, handouts, and additional resources. The “tech” in Social Studies and Technology gives teachers and students state-of-the-art tools to conduct historical research, analyze and debate current events, and explore participatory democracy.
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