Last week, we wrapped up our Government Unit. Here is a little bit about what we have been doing!
We started with the most important document for running our Country - The Constitution. We discussed the major points addressed in it including limited government, rights of the people, and it's purpose (to protect, give justice, provide for the overall welfare, etc.) Much like a video game instruction book for Minecraft, it lays out what our founding fathers believed would build a good government. We summarized the major sections of the Constitution then built video game covers that summed up the Constitutions purpose. Some students even included the Federalists and Anti-Federalist arguments ;0) Federalists arguing FOR strong government and anti-Federalists wanting more citizen's rights.
Student Council elections always falls perfectly when we are learning about Presidential Elections. We staged our own election, campaigned, and presented our speeches. We discussed how the next step would be the debates if this were presidential ;0)
The Federalists and Anti-Federalists finally came up with a compromise - THE BILL OF RIGHTS. In this way, one could have a strong national government and not worry about it taking away the rights of it's people. We discussed why rules are important, why we can't be a totally "Free" country (because then bad people would be free as well!), and illustrated each of the Bills of Rights.
Reading is one of the best ways to learn information. We have been pouring over Government non-fiction book in an attempt to learn as much as we can about how our country is run. Students are required to read at least ONE unit book, complete an information slip, and test on it. They also share the most interesting fact on a fact card to add to our 5th Grade Historians' WALL OF FACTS!
Be sure to keep checking in to see what is coming up next!