Bill of Rights WebQuest

WebQuest

Bill of Rights
Originally Written by
Elizabeth Coffey

Revised by Marcella Mueller

INTRODUCTION: NEWS ALERT! In Washington, D.C. today a Congressional Committee has met and decided to eliminate the Bill of Rights within the next two weeks. In spite of this decision, this committee will allow American citizens of all ages to express their beliefs as to why it would be unjust to eliminate the Bill of Rights. Now this is your opportunity to contact your Congressman to voice your opinion. Get involved now because we may only have the Bill of Rights for two more weeks.

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TASK: As a young American you have the right to know what is happening. Life could be much different without the Bill of Rights. Get informed now by researching the Bill of Rights and its importance. Your voices and thoughts need to be shared with the Congressional Committee to convince them that the Bill of Rights is a needed document to remain in existence not only for today, but for future generations to come. Get ready to write your reasons why the Bill of Rights must remain a part of our American Heritage.

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PROCESS:
1. Gather into assigned groups of three or four. At this point, the group will be given the particular Amendment to be researched.
2. Choose research methods to gather information. For example, encyclopedia, Internet links, or textbook. Begin
research about the Amendment that your group has been
assigned.
3. After the research has been completed by your group,
each member of your group will prepare an individual letter of persuasion to be addressed to your state Congressman. The letter should contain four justified reasons as to why it would be wrong to eliminate the Bill of Rights.
4. Completed letters are to be place in an envelope and addressed to the state Congressman for practice. This will allow the students a chance to find out who their U.S. representatives are in Washington, D. C.
5. When each member of the group has finished the letter of
persuasion, he or she may begin drawing an illustration of what life might be like if the Bill of Rights was not present to protect the rights of American citizens. These illustrations
will be placed together to create a mural which can be placed in the school hallway or some other location. This activity will not be included in the evaluation process.

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RESOURCES: To learn about the history and importance of the Bill of Rights you will need to consult your textbooks, encyclopedias, and these links: Historical - Ben's Guide to US Government Origins - Where the document was written; Purpose - Reasons for its existence.

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Evaluation: Students will receive evaluation based upon the following :

Letter writing: Correct letter format, grammar, punctuation, and four justified reasons in favor of keeping the Bill of Rights as part of our Constitution. (15points) Correct letter format, grammar, punctuation, and three or two justified reasons in favor of keeping the Bill of Rights as part of our Constitution. (10 points) Correct letter format, grammar, punctuation, and one justified reason in favor of keeping the Bill of Rights as part of our Constitution. (5 points) Student wrote or did not write a letter with any justified reasoning as to why the Bill of Rights should not be eliminated. No evidence was shown for correct letter format, grammar, or punctuation. ( 0 points)

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Conclusion: Students will understand the importance of the Bill of Rights for all United States citizens. Students will comprehend the meaning of the first ten amendments. Students will have knowledge of using basic resource materials and the Internet.

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