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Simone McMahan
September 13, 2011


Preamble to the Constitution
Lesson Plan #3


Social Studies 3
rd
grade
Jenny McDonald Rabbit Creek Elementary

Anchorage School District Social Studies Curriculum:
The third grade social studies program uses the important ideas introduced in earlier grades
and applies them to the study oI Alaska. Emphasis is placed upon the history, geography,
and government oI Alaska including study oI Alaska Native history and cultures.
In the third grade, students will:
O IdentiIy ways in which authority, justice, responsibility, participation, Ireedom, diversity,
privacy, and property are evident in Alaska`s present and past.

bjective: The students will be able to explain the purpose oI the Preamble to the United States
Constitution and explain what the key phrases within the Preamble mean.

Materials:
O Copy oI the Preamble to the constitution one Ior each student
O Important phrases Irom the Preamble arranged on paper to be cut apart one Ior each
student
O Partially pre-cut 'picture Irame Ioldable construction paper, one Ior each student
O Pencil
O Crayons
O Scissors
O lue stick


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ey Vocabulary:
O Preamble an introduction that states the purpose oI the document that Iollows; the
Preamble to the Constitution.
O Constitution the system oI basic laws and principles oI a government; The US
Constitution is a written document stating the above principles.

Time Allowed: Two 30-minute periods

Assessment:
Pre-assessment - This week is Constitution week in the Anchorage School District and
across the United States. During last week`s lesson on Alaska`s physical relationship to the
rest oI the world, many students were exposed Ior the Iirst time to the knowledge that
Alaska is part oI the United States oI America (USA). Building upon this knowledge, we
will be discussing the USA`s Iramework oI laws and governing principles; the Constitution
and its Preamble.

Post-assessment During our discussions oI the Preamble and the US Constitution, I will
monitor their participation. I will also monitor their ability to Iollow directions while we are
creating our Preamble picture Irame Ioldable, as well as their level oI eIIort to Iinish the
project in the amount oI time allowed. While they are working on the Preamble Ioldable, I
will walk through the class to assess their ability to work independently and eIIiciently. The
Iinal assessment will take place aIter instruction when reviewing the work they have turned
in. I will take special note oI the students who are able to complete the Ioldable and turn in
a quality project.

Procedures:
Day ne -
1. I will begin the lesson with a reminder oI the discussion we had the week beIore; that
Alaska is a part oI the United States. We will then have a general discussion oI how long
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the United States has been a country and what type oI government we have. This
discussion will take place beIore any materials are distributed.
. We will then move on to a more speciIic discussion oI the US Constitution and its
preamble. I will hand out the pre-printed copy oI the Preamble to the United States
Constitution, which I will then read to the students.
3. AIter I have Iinished reading, I will stop and ask iI the students understand what it meant.
We will then have a discussion on the speciIics oI the Preamble, breaking it into six
separate sections. These sections will be used later when we create the picture Irame
Ioldable.
. The Iirst section oI the Preamble states 'We the People oI the United States, in order to
Iorm a more perIect union. I will ask the students what they think it means. AIter a
brieI discussion, I will tell them it is an important section because it gives the power to
govern to the people oI the United States. The people established the Constitution and
they used it to create a government to protect their rights and welIare.
. The remaining Iive sections Ior discussion will Iocus on 1) establish justice, 2)
insure domestic tranquility, 3) provide Ior the common deIense, 4) promote the
general welIare, and 5) secure the blessings oI liberty. Each oI these themes will be
talked about individually to ensure understanding.
6. Next, I will show the students the Ioldable we are about to create. I will model how
we are only cutting out the Iirst section oI the Preamble to glue onto the Ioldable. At
this time the students will take out their scissors and glue stick and as a group we
will cut out the section together. I will then hand out the pre-cut Ioldable 'picture
Irame and have the students glue the section to the Iirst Irame oI the Ioldable. Once
that it complete, the students will have a Iew minutes to open the Ilap and draw a
picture oI what this section means to them on the inside.

Day Two -
1. We will brieIly go over our discussion oI the US Constitution and its preamble beIore we
begin work on the remaining sections oI our picture Irame Ioldable. The students have
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Iive sections remaining to cut out, glue, and then draw a picture oI their interpretation oI
what they believe the Preamble phrase means.
. While the students are working independently, I will move through the class answering
any questions that may come up. I will also use this time to assess student`s participation
and eIIort during their work time.
3. A Iew minutes beIore the lesson ends, I will have the students stop their work and we will
review the essential concept oI the lesson why the Preamble is so important to the
Constitution oI the United States and how it outlines the basic purposes oI our
government.

uided or Independent Practice:
1. ave the students develop a skit that portrays its assigned section oI the Preamble. Each
group can present its skit to the rest oI the class so that they are able to guess which
phrase oI the Preamble is being portrayed.
. The people who worked on writing the Preamble were William Samuel Johnson,
Alexander amilton, James Madison, RuIus King, and ouverneur Morris. ave the
students research these men and share what they learned with the class.

#eflection:
1. What went well?

. What might I change?