About

Voices and Choices: Constitution Today is a six-week 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 New Yorkers and the rest of the nation.

The unit’s guides are the animated Statue of Liberty and the two stone lions guarding the New York Public Library- Patience and Fortitude. The guides talk about the Bill of Rights and its impact on students, their families, their friends, and the city.

Students research, write, discuss, and present their views on six issues facing Americans today. Students will showcase their knowledge and skills by presenting their arguments and backing up their perspectives on a particular issue with facts, statistics, and sources.

Through a series of six steps and 18 lessons, students participate in project-based learning that adheres to the Backward Design model of performance-based assessment. Lessons follow the workshop model. Mini lessons provide information about democracy and the vital role of the informed citizen. In addition the mini lessons also provide information about the importance of historical research and studying the past to understand the present. The unit offers teachers a comprehensive set of web-based resources and tools to carry out instruction, assign and receive student work and monitor student progress.

For more information, please contact the Jane Condliffe at (212) 870-3505 or visit the Unit Overview

Voices and Choices

Voices and Choices: Constitution Today is part of a three-unit series exploring the role of civics and active citizenship in a democracy. The units are designed to complement sixth, seventh, and eighth grade middle school curricula in social studies.

The sixth grade unit, Democracy in Ancient Greece, focuses on democracy and citizenship within the context of the western world’s first democracy in ancient Athens. The seventh grade unit, Constitution Today, focuses on current issues of public debate relating to the Constitution of the United States. The eighth grade unit, The Evolution of Civil Rights, focuses on the expansion of civil rights and democracy throughout US history.

For more information, please contact Jane Condliffe, at (212) 870-3505 or jcondliffe@teachingmatters.org

Teaching Matters

Teaching Matters is a non-profit professional development organization that partners with educators to improve public schools. We use technology in the classroom to prepare teachers and their students for 21st century learning and achievement. To learn about our programs please visit www.teachingmatters.org.

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 track 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.