logo - Supreme Court In Review
 

Lesson Plan 9:

Small Country

Civics/Government Standard

Benchmark 2, Indicator 2

Describes how citizens' responsibilities require subordination of their personal rights and interests for the public good (e.g., justice, fairness, equity).

Benchmark 2, Indicator 3

Knows core civic values inherent in the founding documents have been the focus for unity in American society (i.e., free speech, religion, press, assembly, and other basic civil rights).

Benchmark 2, Indicator 4

Explains the importance of share political and civic values and beliefs to the maintenance of a government by constitution in a divers American society (i.e., freedoms and responsibilities within the Bill of Rights, civil rights amendments and other documents related to our government by constitution)

Benchmark 2, Indicator 5

Identifies and explains the fundamental values and principles of the American constitutional republic as expressed in the historical documents, speeches, events, and ways in which these values and principles can be in conflict.

Description:

This exercise is best used after a study of the Bill of Rights. It gives students the opportunity to consider just how important each Right is to them. It comes from suggested class exercises to accompany chapter three of Government in the United States (Macmillan Publishing Company). It was written for students taking government independently but can easily be adapted to regular class setting by dividing students into groups of 5, having them complete the exercise and then announce and defend their choices to the class. The teacher should make sure students understand what will be given up if they give up each right.

Materials:

Government in the United States text book (Macmillan Publishing Company)

Procedures:

Get together in groups of at least 5 government students and carefully discuss the following. Pretend that you live in a very small country with a constitution, a Bill of Rights, and a government very much like that of the United States. Your country has been conquered by people from another planet. The conquerors agree that they will allow your people to retain five of the rights listed below, and will let the people of your country choose the five rights they want. Discuss together each of the following rights. Why is it important? What would you really be giving up to let each go? How will it effect future generations? After you have carefully discussed each right, choose the five you feel are most important. Now decide as a group which five to keep. If you feel strongly about some of your own choices, try to convince the group to vote with you. Explain to them why these rights are so important. Turn in the list of five rights that your group wishes to keep. Have every member of the group sign the list.

Which one of the ten is the most important right and which is the least important:

1. Freedom of religion

2. Freedom of speech and press

3. Right to assemble peaceably and petition the government for redress of grievances

4. Right to bear arms

5. Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure

6. Right to a speedy and public trial by jury

7. Right to be confronted by witnesses, be informed of the nature of the accusation, and to compel witnesses to testify

8. Right to reasonable bail, have assistance of any attorney, and be free from cruel and unusual punishment

9. Freedom from compulsion to testify against oneself

10. Right to due process of law

This lesson plan, found at http://www.col-ed.org/ cur/sst/ sst252.txt, was authored by Becky Dunbar, Crossroads School in Anchorage, Alaska.