There have been 45

Presidents of the
United States.

How many can you

name?

• 0-9 = Poor
• 10-18 = OK
• 19-27 = Good
• 28-36 = Excellent
• 37+ = Genius!
 Enquiry Question:
What type of government framework does the
constitution establish?
 Learning Outcomes
• To analyse the US Constitution to discover the
framework of the government it established
• To identify and exemplify the fundamental
concepts the constitution is based on
• To explore the areas of debate surrounding
these fundamental concepts
 Document Analysis:
The Constitution
• To understand the Six Big Ideas which underpin the
Constitution you need to be familiar with the text
itself.
• Mapping the text of the Constitution allows you to
see the attention the Founders gave to the structure
and power of government.
• The 4447 words of the U.S. Constitution are the
foundation of the nation and establish the federal
government's structures and branches.
• By counting the words in each article and calculating
the percentage of the whole it represents, you can
determine how much of the overall constitution was
dedicated to each structure or power.
 Document Analysis:
The Constitution
YOUR TASK:
• Fill out the table on the hand-out to determine the number of
words contained in each Article of the Constitution, and the
percentage of the whole document that represents.
• This can be done easily with a digital copy of the text using the
word count feature available in most word processing programs
– use your chrome book/tablet/smart phone to access a digital
copy.
• Map the Constitution by representing the percentages from the
table in a visual form on the hand-out.
• Using different colours for each of the Articles and the
Preamble, colour in the squares to represent the percentage of
the whole Constitution that is dedicated to each article.
• Each square represents 1% of the document (round up or down
as necessary).
 Which topics
received the most
Does the map suggest attention in the
hypotheses about the Constitution?
relative importance to
the Founders of the
powers of the new
government? To what extent do the
powers of each branch
of government
displayed in the map
Discuss these match how the federal
government works
questions in pairs and today?
be ready to feedback
your ideas.
 Learning Outcomes
• To analyse the US Constitution to discover the
framework of the government it established
• To identify and exemplify the fundamental
concepts the constitution is based on
• To explore the areas of debate surrounding
these fundamental concepts
 Six Big Ideas
• There are six fundamental concepts and ideas
that the US Constitution is based on.
• For each concept, using your prior knowledge
of UK politics and government, discuss in pairs
and agree on a definition.
 Document Analysis:
The Constitution
YOUR TASK:
• You will now analyse the text of the
Constitution to identify specific examples
of the Six Big Ideas in action.
• You will be divided into six groups with
each group assigned a Big Idea.
• You will need a copy of the
Constitution(printed or electronic).
• You need to identify two examples of your
‘Big Idea’ in action.
• Complete the hand-out with the quote
from the Constitution and its location. You
will then explain the quote to hone in on
its meaning.
• There will be multiple correct answers for
each Big Idea.
• Each group will share their examples with
the class.
Example:
Separation of Powers-
Article II, Section 2, clause
2 says that the Executive
"shall have Power, by and
with the Advice and
Consent of the Senate, to
make Treaties, provided
two thirds of the Senators
present concur." This
means that two branches,
the President and Congress
(the Senate), have to agree
before a treaty goes into
effect.
 Learning Outcomes
• To analyse the US Constitution to discover the
framework of the government it established
• To identify and exemplify the fundamental
concepts the constitution is based on
• To explore the areas of debate surrounding
these fundamental concepts
 Debating Political Ideas
• More than 220 years after the
ratification of the Constitution,
the Six Big Ideas still inspire
debate.
• Different understandings of how
the Big Ideas should be
manifested in the actions of the
federal government often
engender debates over what
government should be doing in
the name of the people it serves.
• You will obtain an understanding
of these current disputes by
taking sides in a debate featuring
current issues.
YOUR TASK:
• In pairs you will be assigned a
scenario based on one of the Six
Big Ideas.
• One of you will argue for Position
A and the other will argue for
Position B.
• You need to identify 5 key
arguments (and examples!) to
support your position.
• Work together to discuss the
arguments and counter
arguments before committing
them to your hand-out.
 Learning Outcomes
• To analyse the US Constitution to discover the
framework of the government it established
• To identify and exemplify the fundamental
concepts the constitution is based on
• To explore the areas of debate surrounding
these fundamental concepts
How good is your geo-political knowledge?
On the blank map of the USA, label as many states
correctly as you can.
 Homework
Application Task:
N/A
Flipped Learning Preparation Task:
Reading and Note Taking:
Principles of the US Constitution and their
effectiveness today
(Edexcel Politics for AS & A Level, Pearson p327-330)
Stretch & Challenge Task
History.com – The Federalist Papers