Celebrate Constitution Day

September 17 is the annual celebration of Constitution Day. Schools are expected to create activities about understanding and appreciating our Constitution.

During the last two years, there has been much debate between Republicans and Democrats about our Constitution on the Internet and TV. These debates have provided the public with an "education" that they may never have received or remembered from their days in school. Unfortunately, too much of the information is either exaggerated or inaccurate and this has caused polarization among independents, conservatives, and progressive constituencies.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court ruled in the "Citizens United" decision that corporations were "persons" with first amendment rights to free speech. This decision allows unlimited political contributions by corporations to candidates for office, effectively repealing a series of laws and Supreme Court precedent rulings that supported the existing campaign finance reform laws.

Critics point out that this gives corporations and big business a huge financial advantage to select and then support the campaigns of candidates who will pass laws that are favorable to their demands—effectively limiting the election of populist candidates.

Recently, Republicans and some moderate Democrats have proposed the repeal of the 14th amendment that presently states that any child born on American soil is automatically granted U.S. citizenship. In addition, many of these supporters want to make this repeal retroactive and then deport all the children who received the "anchor baby" citizenship back to their native countries. The purpose of such an action is purported to be part of illegal immigration reform.

ProQuest, using your powerful eLibrary CE subscription as a content source, has created a BookCart learning activity to help your students learn more about the Constitution—"The Constitution and Bill of Rights."

This is one of 22 CourseCart learning activities that librarians and teachers can copy to their local collections. CourseCarts are collections of BookCart learning activities that address the major topics and issues of popular courses and textbooks—in this instance, U.S. Government & Civics.

This learning activity and all the other CourseCart learning activities in the collection can be copied by first opening eLibrary CE Teacher Edition, then clicking this CourseCart (XLS) link.

CourseCarts save time and provide teachers with the flexibility to make inquiry-based learning activities at a variety of points in a course when it's appropriate. Each Cart provides:

• Examples of essential questions that help students develop 21st Century critical thinking skills
• Student directions that guide the research process
• An option for call numbers to related print resources
• Optional quiz or assessment
• 21st Century literacy learning standard (search by standards information)
• ProQuest models for written reports and presentations

You won't find this combination of inquiry-based learning activity support in one place in any other online teaching and learning subscription. Only eLibrary has it, powered by ProQuest!

..."The Constitution and Bill of Rights" and other ProQuest BookCarts (free lesson plans powered by eLibrary content and other resources):

• Open eLibrary CE TEACHER EDITION: http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/curriculum/teacher.
• Click BOOKCART ADMIN link at the top.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab. Click the FOLDER US Govt & Civics CourseCarts.
• Scroll to find the "The Constitution and Bill of Rights."
• Click the COPY icon in the ACTIONS column to the right of the title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS tab to end the copying process.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart to customize it for their students. To edit this BookCart:

• Click the new BookCart TITLE with the prefix "COPY OF".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in the EMAIL box (required filler info).
• Option: Edit any ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for your students in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Option: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS and view your new student learning activity.

Good news! Reviewing and copying hundreds of ProQuest model BookCart learning activities has been made more convenient by using the new hyperlinked titles list organized by curriculum area (PDF). Be sure to login to our eLibrary CE Teacher Edition before you start using the list to copy Carts.

Students should create a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides using information from the pathfinder below. The report should cite at least three resources.

Students should address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can substitute or add others):

• Why is the Bill of Rights separated from the Constitution?
• How can amendments be added to the Constitution?
• Which amendment is the most important to you and why?
• What is the purpose of three branches of government?
• What provision of the Constitution or amendment would you repeal and why?
• What provision of the Constitution or amendment would you add and why?

Select the Topics search option > click Social Sciences > Government > United States Government > Constitution

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model (PDF) for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators might also wish to take advantage of a free (registration required) tool for creating a variety of printed resources including quizzes.

This is a time of political activism unlike most in American history. Students can explore the literature of political authors using the pathfinder listed below.

Students should select one of the works of more recent authors dating from 1960. Students should write an essay of at least 150 words explaining and critiquing the work of the author selected.

Type "Political Authors" in the Search box > Literary Works (Scroll down to find) > Click More

Students should learn more about the Constitution and the Supreme Court, especially during September (Constitution Day is on September 17). Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides that cites at least three resources.

Students should use the pathfinder listed below to save time searching and reinvesting it in analysis and synthesis and reporting, and address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can substitute of add others):

• What is the role of the Supreme Court in our government?
• What is one of the best and worst Supreme Court decisions in our history and why?
• Who is one of the most significant Justices of the Supreme Court and why?
• Why are certain people selected for the Supreme Court and how are they confirmed?
• How would you characterize the differences in decisions made by liberal and conservative majorities in the history of the Supreme Court?

Click the Study Units tab > Type "Constitution" in the Study Unit Title search box > Click "The United States Supreme Court and the Constitution"

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model (PDF) for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators might also wish to take advantage of a free (registration required) tool for creating a variety of printed resources including quizzes.

Find out more about all of ProQuest's research tools...