The Bill of Rights

Materials: Print out the Bill of Rights Activity Sheet and cut along the dotted lines. Place the different Rights in strategic places in the room. Students should each have a pencil. 

This lesson assumes that the students have some familiarity/ background knowledge on the topic already, including: 

• The Bill of RIghts are a set of amendments to the constitution. 
• They protect individual rights from overreach by the government. 
• They also might be familiar with some of the particular rights protected by the amendments. 

*Note: If you need to review this information for this lesson, here are two good videos to use: one and two. I recommend you do this between the “Warm-Up Question” and “Bill of Rights Activity” 

Warm-Up Question

Are there things that should never be taken away from people? Why? What are they? 

• Recommended facilitation: Give silent thinking time. Then, have students turn-and-talk to a student next to them about what they think, encouraging student to give reasons for their opinions. Then, invite students to share out whole-class (either their own ideas or interesting thoughts they heard from their partner). 

Bill of Rights Activity 

The authors of the US constitution decided they needed to protect the people from a government that becomes too powerful, so they created the Bill of Rights! The Bill of Rights is a set of amendments, or additions, to the constitution that protect people from the government. They are rights that should never be taken away from people. 

• Purpose: Students quickly engage and form opinions about each of their protected rights.  
• Split the students up into groups of 2-3, depending on the size of your class. Each group will start at a different “Right” placed around the room. They will have 1 minute at each station, then rotate to the next one. 
• At each station, the students will read the freedom, and then put a check, x, or ? underneath the text. 
  • A check mark means they think this freedom is important and should be protected from the government. 
  • An x means they think this freedom is not important and should not be protected. 
  • A ? means they are not sure or have questions about it. 
• Recommendation: Use a timer to keep them on track at their stations. 

Whole Group Discussion 

• Collect the sheets at each station and briefly scan them to get an idea of what the students think about each freedom 
• Discuss each one as a whole class, prompting students to defend their opinions (checks or x’s) with reasons, or to ask questions clearly.
  • Habits of discussion: Encourage students to agree or disagree respectfully: (“I disagree with ____’s idea because ____” or “I agree with _____ ‘s idea because _____”). This facilitates respect through active listening and collaborative knowledge building. 
  • Recommendation: After every 3 or 4 “rights,” lead a brain/stretch break to keep the students focused. 
  • To conclude content: 
• If time and desire, pose some philosophy questions 
  • What does it mean for people to have “rights”? Why do we have them? 
  • Do we only have rights because the government gives them to us in the constitution, or do we have them for some other reason? Why? 
  • If someone violates your rights, whose responsibility is it to help? Why? 
  • Do our rights only get stronger over time, or can they weaken? Why do our rights get stronger or weaker? 

Wrap-Up Question

(if you want to bring it back to content)

Bringing it back to the Bill of Rights 

• What is the most important right protected in the Bill of Rights? The most surprising or interesting? Why?