Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
Grade 04 Social Studies Unit 03 Exemplar Lesson 02: Bill of Rights
This lesson is one approach to teaching the State Standards associated with this unit. Districts are encouraged to customize this lesson by
supplementing with district-approved resources, materials, and activities to best meet the needs of learners. The duration for this lesson is only
a recommendation, and districts may modify the time frame to meet students’ needs. To better understand how your district may be
implementing CSCOPE lessons, please contact your child’s teacher. (For your convenience, please find linked the TEA Commissioner’s List of
State Board of Education Approved Instructional Resources and Midcycle State Adopted Instructional Materials.)
Lesson Synopsis
Students learn about the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and compare the documents to the Texas documents.
TEKS
The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) listed below are the standards adopted by the State Board of Education, which are required
by Texas law. Any standard that has a strike-through (e.g. sample phrase) indicates that portion of the standard is taught in a previous or
subsequent unit. The TEKS are available on the Texas Education Agency website at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index2.aspx?id=6148.
4.15
Government. The student understands important ideas in historical documents of Texas and the United States.
The student is expected to:
4.15A Identify the purposes and explain the importance of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Texas Constitution, and other
documents such as the Meusebach-Comanche Treaty.
4.15C Identify the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and
the Bill of Rights (Celebrate Freedom Week).
Social Studies Skills TEKS
4.21
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a
variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
4.21A Differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software
interviews biographies oral, print, and visual material documents artifacts to acquire information about the
United States and Texas.
4.21B Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing,
contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing
inferences and conclusions.
4.21C Organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts,
timelines, and maps.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Performance Indicators
Grade 04 Social Studies Unit 03 PI 02
Compare the Texas founding documents and the United States founding documents. Identify similarities and differences as you write a news story for the local
newspaper.
Standard(s): 4.15C , 4.21A , 4.21B , 4.21C
ELPS ELPS.c.5B
Key Understandings
Individual rights are protected both by the state and federal governments.
— What is the purpose and importance of the founding documents of the United States?
— What is the purpose and importance of the founding documents of Texas?
— How do the founding documents of the United States and Texas compare?
Vocabulary of Instruction
Freedom
Last Updated 04/028/2013
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
Constitution
Declaration
page 1 of 15 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
Materials
Attachments
All attachments associated with this lesson are referenced in the body of the lesson. Due to considerations for grading or student
assessment, attachments that are connected with Performance Indicators or serve as answer keys are available in the district site and are
not accessible on the public website.
Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards (cut apart, 1 set per student or group)
Handout: Bill of Rights Sentence Stems (optional, 1 per student)
Handout: Texas Bill of Rights (1 per student)
Handout: Purpose of Founding Documents (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Purpose of Founding Documents KEY
Handout: Compare Founding Documents PI (1 per student)
Handout: News Story PI (optional, 1 per student)
Resources
The Bill of Rights from the National Archives http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html
Transcription of the Bill of Rights from the National Archives http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Texas Declaration of Independence: https://www.tsl.state.tx.us/treasures/republic/declare-01.html
Constitution of the Republic of Texas: http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mhc01
1876 Constitution of the State of Texas: http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/text/1876index.html
Advance Preparation
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson.
Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.
Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.
Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.
Prepare materials and handouts as needed.
Background Information
Texas Declaration of Independence:
1836 – Written when Texas declared independence from Mexico; patterned after the United States document.
Constitution of the Republic of Texas:
Written hastily in 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos.
Patterned after the U.S. Constitution.
Texas State Constitution:
1876 Constitution of the State of Texas (Constitution still in force).
There have been seven Texas constitutions: the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, the 1836 Constitution of the Republic of Texas, the
state constitutions of 1845 (written when Texas became a state), 1861 (amendment never submitted to voters seceding from Union and
joining Confederacy), 1866 (rejoining the U.S.), 1869 (Reconstruction Constitution), and the current constitution, which took effect on
February 15, 1876.
Both U.S. and Texas constitutions provide for federalism, a separation of powers, checks and balances, and a bill of rights.
Comparison:
Both are bicameral (2 houses, House of Representatives and Senate).
Both set up a system of limited government with 3 branches (Executive, Judicial, Legislative).
Both state the duties of major officials and spell out how voters select those officials.
Both include a Bill of Rights.
U.S. Constitution added the Bill of Rights (1st 10 amendments); Texas Constitution built in the Bill of Rights, including it in the
Constitution as Article I.
U.S. Constitution was written and signed in 1787 and has been amended 27 times; Texas Constitution has been rewritten
several times, current Constitution was written in 1876.
In U.S. Constitution there is strong separation of powers and a strong executive; Texas Constitution has a weak executive
Last Updated 04/028/2013
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 2 of 15 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
(power is divided between several elected officials).
U.S. Constitution is relatively short (7,400 words, 27 amendments); Texas Constitution is long and specifically spells out much
policy (80,000+ words, 400+ amendments).
U.S. Constitution is the highest law in the land; principle of federalism applies to the Texas Constitution, which cannot go
against the U.S. Constitution.
Texas Bill of Rights:
33 sections (originally 29, amended to include others).
Written so “That the general, great and essential principles of liberty and free government may be recognized and established…”
The U.S. Constitution added the Bill of Rights as the first ten amendments; the Texas Constitution puts the Bill of Rights at the beginning
in Article I.
Comparison of the Texas Bill of Rights and the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Parallels between the U.S. and Texas founding documents:
The government of England became oppressive, so the colonists wrote the Declaration of Independence to declare their independence
from England. When the colonists won that war, they needed a government. They wrote the Constitution to set up a system of limited
government. They further wanted to make sure individual rights were protected, so they wrote the U.S. Bill of Rights.
The government of Mexico became oppressive, so the settlers in the Mexican state of Tejas wrote the Declaration of Independence to
declare their independence from Mexico. They knew they would need a government. They drew heavily on the U.S. Constitution to write a
constitution to set up a system of limited government for the new Republic of Texas (1836). When the Republic of Texas joined the United
States (1845) and became the state of Texas, a state constitution was written, and then rewritten several times in response to various
events. The 1876 version is the Texas State Constitution still in place. The writers of the Texas State Constitution (1876) further wanted to
make sure individual rights were protected, so they wrote the Texas Bill of Rights.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Teachers are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to meet the needs of learners. These lessons are
one approach to teaching the TEKS/Specificity as well as addressing the Performance Indicators associated with each unit. District personnel
may create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab
within the “My Content” area.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Instructional Procedures
ENGAGE – Rights
Notes for Teacher
NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1 – 10 minutes
1. Group students in groups of 2-3 students.
2. Say
In the last lesson, we learned about the Declaration of
Independence, where we heard the famous words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty,
and the pursuit of Happiness.”
We also learned that the Founding Fathers wrote the
Constitution to set up the government for the new nation, the
United States of America.
The Constitution the Framers wrote set up the government
for the new country. It spelled out what the government could
do, but it did not say what the government could not do.
People wanted strong guarantees that the new government
would not trample on their newly won freedoms. The Bill of
Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, lists the
rights of Americans.
Thomas Jefferson said, “A Bill of Rights is what the people are
entitled to against every government…”
Materials:
The Bill of Rights from the National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html
3. Project/display the Bill of Rights from the National Archives and briefly
Last Updated 04/028/2013
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 3 of 15 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
discuss.
4. Add further background by saying:
The opening of the Bill of Rights says this:
“The conventions of a number of the States having at
the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a
desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of
its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive
clauses should be added.”
This means that the states, in order to keep the
government from abusing its power, wanted assurances
added to the Constitution. The Framers added
statements to limit the power of the government and
thus protect the rights of the individual – the first 10
amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights.
EXPLORE –Bill of Rights.
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 1 5 minutes
1. Say:
Materials
Think back to (lesson 1) what we learned about the
Declaration of Independence and the grievances
(complaints) the colonists voiced about the English
government. Many of the amendments in the Bill of
Rights address the same concerns voiced in the
garievances. The Bill of Rights makes sure our
rights are protected. Let’s listen.
Transcription of the Bill of Rights from the National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Attachments:
Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards (cut apart, 1 set per student or
group)
1. Distribute the Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards.
2. While still projecting/displaying the Bill of Rights from the
National Archives, teacher reads the actual wording of the
primary source document, The Bill of Rights. (See the
transcription on the National Archives site.).
3. Students, in groups of two to three, match the amendment
with the explanation, and visual while the teacher reads the
actual wording.
4. Student groups discuss each amendment as they match the
cards to build a matrix.
EXPLAIN – U.S. Bill of Rights.
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
1. Students complete the following sentence stems:
Attachments
The Founding Fathers made sure the Bill of Rights was added to the
Constitution because…
One important amendment is ____.
It is important because …
Handout: Bill of Rights Sentence Stems
(optional, 1 per student)
EXPLORE –Texas Bill of Rights
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
1. With students still in their small groups (2-3 students), distribute the Handout:
Texas Bill of Rights.
Materials
2. Using the Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards from the earlier EXPLORE,
students work in pairs to compare the Texas Bill of Rights to the U.S. Bill of
Rights. Student identify with a checkmark each right listed in the Texas Bill of
Rights that is the same as in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
3. Facilitate a brief discussion comparing the U.S. and Texas documents. (see
background information, above), making sure students understand that both the
federal and state founding documents (Bill of Rights) protect individual rights.
Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards from earlier
EXPLORE
Attachments:
Handout: Texas Bill of Rights (1 per student or
group)
EXPLAIN - Texas Documents
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
1. Still in their groups, students complete the comparison (Venn Diagram and
Materials
Last Updated 04/028/2013
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 4 of 15 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
sentence stems) at the bottom of the Handout: Texas Bill of Rights and share
their ideas with the class.
Handout: Texas Bill of Rights from earlier
EXPLORE
EXPLORE –Comparing Texas and U.S. Documents
Suggested Day 2 – 20 minutes
1. Distribute the Handout: Purpose of Founding Documents.
Materials
2. Tell the story of the U.S. founding documents and the Texas founding
documents. Emphasize the parallels between the events and the writing of the
documents and provide information on how the documents compare. During the
discussion, guide students to fill in the handout and help them draw conclusions
about the purpose of the documents. (See Background Information, above. Use
information provided and/or add other information as needed.)
3. Facilitate a discussion to answer questions that may arise.
Article “BROAD­MINDED MEN OF TEXAS.;
Pioneers of the Lone Star State, with Rare
Forethought, Laid Its Foundations Well and
Strong” from the NYT content repository on
Project Share
Attachments:
Handout: Purpose of Founding Documents (1
per student)
Teacher Resource: Purpose of Founding
Documents KEY
Instructional Note
If desired, access articles on the Texas Constitution from the
New York Times content repository on Project Share to share
with students, modeling the news story they will create in the
Evaluate section. For one such article, published on 8/1/1898,
search in the repository for “BROAD­MINDED MEN OF TEXAS.;
Pioneers of the Lone Star State, with Rare Forethought, Laid Its
Foundations Well and Strong.” (Modern­day articles of interest
from current papers could serve as well.)
EXPLAIN – Comparing Texas and U.S. Documents
Suggested Day 2 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
1. In pairs, students take turns telling the stories of the U.S. and Texas founding
Materials
documents, using academic vocabulary and emphasizing the sequence of events
Handout: Purpose of Founding Documents
and the purpose and importance of the documents.
completed in the Explore section above
2. Teacher circulates, listening to ensure correct information is being relayed.
ELABORATE
Suggested Day 2 (cont’d) – 20 minutes
1. Students contribute to a class discussion where they use academic language to
answer the guiding questions and provide evidence to support the Key
Understanding:
Individual rights are protected both by the state and federal
governments.
- What is the purpose and importance of the founding documents of the
United States?
- What is the purpose and importance of the founding documents of
Texas?
- How do the founding documents of the United States and Texas
compare?
EVALUATE - compare U.S. and Texas Founding documents
Grade 04 Social Studies Unit 03 PI 02
Suggested Day 3 – 50 minutes
Attachments:
Compare the Texas founding documents and the United States founding documents. Identify
Handout: Compare Founding Documents PI
(1 per student)
Handout: News Story PI (optional, 1 per
student)
similarities and differences as you write a news story for the local newspaper.
Standard(s): 4.15C , 4.21A , 4.21B , 4.21C
ELPS ELPS.c.5B
1. Distribute the Handout: Compare Founding Documents PI and, if desired, the
Handout: News Story PI to help students complete the Performance Indicator.
2. Use a rubric to evaluate student learning.
Instructional Note
Newspaper articles require a different style of writing from what
is used when writing a story. A news article has all of the
important information in the opening paragraph. Parts of a news
article:
Headline: a short, attention-getting statement
Last Updated 04/028/2013
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 5 of 15 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
about the event.
Byline: who wrote the story
Lead paragraph: Put ALL the “who, what, when,
where, why and how” in the opening sentence(s)
of the article.
Explanation: After the lead paragraph, the writer
decides what other facts or details the reader
might want to know. The writer must make sure
that any important questions are answered. This
section can also include direct quotes from
witnesses or bystanders.
Last Updated 04/028/2013
Print Date 06/20/2013 Printed By Karen Johnson, MIDLAND ISD
page 6 of 15 Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
U.S. Bill of Rights Cards
First
Amendment
Citizens have freedom of
religion, speech, press,
assembly, and petition.
Second
Amendment
Citizens have the right to
bear arms.
Third
Amendment
No soldier shall, in time of
peace, be quartered or
placed in a citizen’s house.
Fourth
Amendment
A citizen’s house or
personal items shall not be
searched unless there is
good reason.
Fifth
Amendment
Citizens have rights when
accused of a crime.
©2012, TESCCC
04/12/13
page 1 of 2
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Sixth
Amendment
Citizens have the right to a
speedy and fair trial.
Seventh
Amendment
Citizens have a right to a
jury of their peers when put
on trial.
Eighth
Amendment
Bails, fines, and punishment
will not be excessive.
Ninth
Amendment
Citizens have rights that
may not be listed.
Tenth
Amendment
Powers not given to the
federal government are
given to the states.
Microsoft. (Designer). (2010). Clip art [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://office.microsoft.com/en‐us/images/
©2012, TESCCC
04/12/13
page 2 of 2
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Bill of Rights Sentence Stems
1. The Founding Fathers made sure the Bill of Rights was added to
the Constitution because __________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
2. One important amendment is _______________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
3. It is important because ____________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/12
Page 1 of 1
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Texas Bill of Rights
Below are the rights included in the Texas Bill of Rights. Check the rights that are listed in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
______Section 1
Texas is a free and independent state that must follow the U.S. Constitution.
______Section 2
The power of the government is determined by citizens.
______Section 3
All men have equal rights and will not be denied those rights because of sex,
race, color, creed, or national origin.
______Section 4
Citizens will not be required to take a religious test to qualify for an elected office.
______Section 5
Citizens will not be disqualified in the courts because of their religion.
______Section 6
Citizens have the freedom to worship what they want.
______Section 7
Government money will not be given to any church.
______Section 8
Citizens have the freedom of speech.
______Section 9
A citizen’s house or personal items shall not be searched unless there is good
reason.
______Section 10 Citizens have the right to a speedy and fair trial.
______Section 11 Citizens have rights if they are arrested.
______Section 12 Citizens have a right to trial.
______Section 13 Bails, fines, and punishment will not be excessive.
______Section 14 No citizen shall be convicted of the same crime twice.
______Section 15 Citizens have a right to a jury of their peers when put on trial.
______Section 16 Citizens have rights when they agree to a contract with another person.
______Section 17 Property will not be taken by the government unless compensated.
______Section 18 Citizens will not be put in jail for being in debt.
______Section 19 No citizen will be deprived of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
______Section 20 No person shall be taken to another State for a crime.
______Section 21 Citizens cannot be convicted of a crime if they die.
©2012, TESCCC
04/12/13
Page 1 of 2
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
______Section 22 Citizens are not allowed to overthrow the government.
______Section 23 Citizens have the right to bear arms.
______Section 24 The military is not allowed to be in power.
______Section 25 No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered or placed in a citizen’s house.
______Section 26 One business cannot control an entire industry.
______Section 27 Citizens have the right to assemble.
______Section 28 Only the Legislature can stop laws.
______Section 29 Everything in the Bill of Rights is accepted by the government.
______Section 30 Citizens who have committed crimes have rights.
______Section 31 Citizens put in jail wrongfully will be given compensation (money).
______Section 32 Marriage is between a man and a woman.
______Section 33 Citizens have access to public beaches.
Compare Documents
Texas Bill of Rights
U.S. Bill of Rights
Similarity
©2012, TESCCC
04/12/13
Page 2 of 2
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Purpose of Founding Documents
U.S.
Declaration of
Independence
U.S.
Constitution
U.S.
Bill of Rights
Purpose of
document
Texas
Constitution
Texas
Declaration of
Independence
©2012, TESCCC
05/07/12
Texas
Bill of Rights
Page 1 of 1
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Purpose of Founding Documents KEY
Oppressive English government U.S.
Declaration of
Independence
War between colonies and England. Need to set up new government Declare independence from England Purpose of
document
Oppressive Mexican government Event Cause ©2012, TESCCC
U.S.
Constitution
Desire to ensure individual rights against possibility of oppressive government Ensure individual rights are protected Set up new government Set up new government Declare independence from Mexico Texas
Declaration of
Independence
War between Texas and Mexico. Need to set up new government Event Effect/Cause Event Effect/Cause Texas
Constitution
Event Effect/Cause 05/07/12
U.S.
Bill of Rights
Ensure individual rights are protected Desire to ensure individual rights against possibility of oppressive government Event Effect/Cause Texas
Bill of Rights
Event Effect/Cause Page 1 of 1
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Compare Founding Documents
Texas Founding Documents
U.S. Founding Documents
In general
Similarity
Declaration of
Independence
Constitution
Bill of Rights
One similarity between the U.S. Founding Documents and the Texas Founding
Documents is
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
One difference is
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
©2012, TESCCC
04/12/13
Page 1 of 1
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
News Story
Masthead for your newspaper (name of paper, its cost, and the day your story was published).
Headline (title) of your article
Drawing to go with your article
Byline (name of author)
Your article about the founding documents
(Lead paragraph and further explanation)
©2012, TESCCC
05/09/12
Page 1 of 1