1. The Preamble

2. Imagine that on a field trip sailing trip to a small, remote island, you all became stranded without any communication with parents, the school, or other adults and had little hope of being rescued in the foreseeable future. The area where you’re marooned can provide the basic necessities of food, shelter, and water, but you will have to work together to survive.
Are you better working together or alone? (Be open to their ideas, but point out reasons why they have a better chance at survival if they work together.)
How will you work together?
How will you create rules?
Who will be responsible for leading the group to help all survive?
How will they be chosen?
How will you deal with people in the group who may not be following the rules?
Do Now

3. Activity
There is a paper on each desk that continues the content of the focus question.
As a group answer each question with a consensus of view – agreement at the table.
When you are ready ask for a marker and write your short answer on the paper assigned to your table.

4. Identify Secure the Blessings of Liberty for our Posterity,
Promote the General Welfare,
Establish Justice,
Form a more perfect Union,
Insure Domestic Tranquility,
Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves, and
Provide for the Common Defense

5. form a more perfect union
establishing justice
ensuring domestic tranquility 
providing for the common defense
promoting the general welfare
securing the blessing of liberty to ourselves 
securing the blessing of liberty to our posterity 

6. Exit
Having just released themselves from Britain's monarchy, what would the colonists fear most?
Judging from some of the complaints the colonists had against Britain, what might be some of their concerns for any future government?

7. The Preamble – DAY 2

8. Learning Objective
understand how the Preamble of the Constitution (in outlining the goals of the new government under the Constitution) was written with the deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation in mind, aiming to create “a more perfect union,” and
understand how the Preamble drew its justification from the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence.

9. What’s the point of this
The aim of this activity is to show students, through a close reading of the Preamble, how its style and content reflect some of the aspirations of the framers for the future of republican government in America. 
Some words to understand
Diction - the choice and use of words and phrases in speech or writing
Connotation - an idea or feeling that a word invokes
Denotation - the literal or primary meaning of a word
What’s the point of this

10. Looking at Words Article of Confederation Begins Constitution begins
“[W]e, the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting
Constitution begins
We the People of the United States”
Defines the American nation as a single entity, created by the people, not the states.
Looking at Words

11. Look at Words “do ordain and establish this Constitution”
make explicit the source of the Constitution’s legitimacy:
it comes from the people who “ordain and establish” it for certain specific purposes.
Principle of popular sovereignty
the people have the right to
“institute new Government laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness”.
Look at Words

12. The first three goals of the Constitution are new ones
In Order to Form a More Perfect Union
Articles of Confederation
The states create the government and, as creators, are superior to it.
Constitution
“more Perfect” in the Preamble means better and stronger in a particular way
Confederation was a “league” of 13 sovereign states, the Constitution provides for a new “form” of government, a “more perfect Union” in which the states surrender a portion of their sovereign power to the national government for certain explicit purposes.
The first three goals of the Constitution are new ones

13. The first three goals of the Constitution are new ones
Establish Justice
JUSTICE CAN MEAN BOTH THE LEGAL SYSTEM AS A WHOLE AND THE IDEA OF FAIRNESS
Solution
Establish the SUPREME COURT
Provision for the Federal Courts
Prohibition of terrible state practices
Establishes the Constitution as the Supreme Law of the Land
The first three goals of the Constitution are new ones

14. The first three goals of the Constitution are new ones
Insure Domestic Tranquility
Shays Rebellion – ‘nuff said

15. [P]rovide for the Common Defense
Surround by hostile European powers
Promote the general welfare
The concern for general welfare relates to the idea in the Declaration that legitimate government aims at the common good.
secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity
Liberty is now a “blessing” to be secured and there is a salutary concern for future generations.
Remaining Goals

16. Finally
In this way the source of authority and the goals of the Preamble point back to the purposes of government and the rights to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence.

17. Exit Ticket
Summarize your conclusions concerning the critical differences between the Articles and the Preamble, citing the sources of these documents as referents.