1. Chapter 4 The Constitution
4.1 read in class
Discuss with a partner the questions below. Be prepared to share your answers.
• Why did Dwight Lopez file a lawsuit against his school district?
• Is the issue Lopez presented a constitutional issue? In other words, is it a case in which the Constitution will be consulted in order to make a decision?
• If you were the lawyer assigned to represent Lopez in this case, on what grounds might you argue that his constitutional rights were violated?

2. Put your name on your copy of the Constitution!
Use these terms to complete your reading notes for the chapter.
Open the Outline of the Constitution handout on the History Homepage. Fill it in.
Read Section 4.1 online or text pp59-60
4.1

3. 4.1 Examine the Outline of the Constitution on the Handout from the
previous slide.
Then answer these
questions in your Student
Online Interactive
Notebook: SION
1. What observations can you make about the way
the framers organized the Constitution?
2. Which branch of government did the framers give
the greatest number of specific (expressed) powers
to? What might be some reasons for that?
3. What inferences can you make about how the
framers intended to distribute power within the
federal government?
15 minutes

4. Structure of Government. 4.2
Video
Structure of Government.
4.2
To do this exercise, use the Chapter 4 Section2 Handout available on the History Homepage www2.sjs.org/Beniretto site. Read and follow directions on the sheet!
Read pages in your Graphic Novel The US Constitution
Go to Topics page in Civics on SJS.org
Online and text p 60-61
Note the structure of the Constitution carefully.

5. The Constitution
4.2
Analyze the Preamble as you watch the video Schoolhouse Rock: Constitution Preamble Lyrics on closed caption.
• What is this song about?
• How would you describe the music? Happy? Sad? Why?
In the lyrics, what words are unfamiliar to you? Where did these words come from? Look them up online.
• Why are 200 year old words meaningful?

6. Get Hand out #2 Preamble available online and work on it.
Directions:
Read each excerpt below.
2) Define each underlined term in the second column using your own words.
3) Create a visual or find a picture that illustrates the underlined concept(s).
4) Write 1 complete sentence on why the excerpt is important.
Be prepared to share with a partner, then a group of four.
If you missed class, do all the words.

7. Use Handout # 3 Preamble (available online) as a guide for the group discussion. Be prepared to have one person in your group share a response to the discussion items related to the excerpt. Be a good listener and add to the ideas, do not just repeat them.
If you missed class, answer the questions on your own.

8. in Wordle or Word it out, Make your own word cloud of the Preamble
Read pp in Graphic Novel, then do your Civics Topics page on the SJS webpage

9. The Bicameral Congress: Crash Course Government and Politics #2
Article 1
The Bicameral Congress: Crash Course Government and Politics #2
video

10. Read GN 38-41 How a bill becomes a law
I’m Just a Bill
Article 1 clause 2
Read GN How a bill becomes a law

11. Article 1 Clauses 3-8 see video
Read GN pp 42-52
The Legislative Branch
4.2 online and 61 in text

12. The Executive Branch Video
Article 2
The Executive Branch Video
Read pp in your graphic novel and respond on the topics page.
Online 4.2 text p 62
RESEARCH: Using 3 online newspapers, find an example of at least 3 of the President’s Job one from each site. Set up a Noodle tools project Executive Branch. Use Newspaper/website

13. The Judicial Branch Read pp 65-73
Article 3
The Judicial Branch Read pp 65-73
Using an authoritative website, detail one case the Supreme court has ruled on
The National Judicial Branch is mirrored in the State Judicial systems.
Video
Online 4.2 text p 62

14. Checks and Balances Video
Online 4.2 text pp 61-63

15. Articles IV, V, VI, and VII
IV pp GN; V pp78-81; VI pp 81-82; VII pp 82-84
Using the Articles Handout available online, fill in the chart.
Give the Article number
Then carefully explain the purpose of each Article
Finally, give an example that illustrates the purpose.
You may need to do some research here
Be sure that you can explain the Supremacy Clause
Online 4.2 text 62-63
4.2

16. Use the question as your thesis statement.
4.3
Why is a Constitutional Convention not necessarily a good thing? Agree or Disagree. Read this article and write a response on the Forum
Article
Be sure to use information from the article in your 3 paragraph response.
Use the question as your thesis statement.
Define a Constitutional Convention
Give reasons your agree or disagree. Support your responses with factual information pulled from the article.
Give a concluding statement.
Online 4.3 Pages 63-66

17. The Seven Principles of the Constitution or Why is it a living document?
Video
Online 4.4 text pp 66-70
4.4

18. Interpreting the Constitution video
4.5
Interpreting the Constitution video
Americans remain divided on how the Supreme Court should interpret the Constitution
Pew Research
Read article
Judicial Review video
McCullough vs Maryland
video
Court Cases online 4.5 text 72-75
United States vs Nixon
video
Goss vs Lopez video