Bill of Rights And Debate

as of 6/3/05  This is a DRAFT of this project.

• What needs to be done (but you might think of more)!
  Directions for written debate?
  Guidelines for Essay?
  Re-examine Rubric

Content Standards:

CONTENT STANDARD 1: Historical Thinking
1.7-8.2:  - formulate historical questions based on primary and secondary sources, including documents, eye-witness accounts, letters and diaries, artifacts, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams and written texts;  (Bloom’s Taxonomy and Cornell Notes Questions)

SS 1.7-8.4 Examine data to determine the adequacy and sufficiency of evidence, point of view, historical context, bias, distortion and propaganda, and to distinguish fact from opinion. (Annotated Bibliography)

CONTENT STANDARD 4: Applying History
4.7-8.3:  - describe relationships between historical subject matter and other subjects they study, current issues and personal concerns (Project Reflection Piece)
 

CONTENT STANDARD 5:  United States Constitution and Government

5.7-8.6: - explain how an individual’s rights to life, liberty and property are protected by the Constitution and criminal and civil laws (Project Reflection Piece)
 

CONTENT STANDARD 6: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

6.7-8.3:  - Research an issue of interest and be able to take and defend a position on that issue. (Debate Organizer and Written Debate)

Essential Questions:

• How does the Bill of Rights protect the rights of the individual?

• How is the Bill of Rights important to the lives of eighth grade students in Windsor, Connecticut? 

Procedure:

1. Introduction to Debate -- Who Fired the First Shot Activity or Decisions Decisions Online.  (Teachers, check with your librarian if you are unsure of how to log on to this resource).  Students are introduced to the project through the Project Introduction Handout With Topics . pub or  Project Introduction Handout With Topics . pdf.

2. Students pick their "partner" in another class on their team.

3. Each team of partners chooses an issue from a list.  Teachers gives each team member the Pro/Con articles related to their topic.

4. Students generate questions they think they need to answer in order to answer the question that they will debate using this Bloom's Question Organizer. REVISED

5. Students take notes on their debate questions using this notetaking sheet. doc.  Then students should possibly highlight their notes looking for their key arguments.

6. In the meantime, students will take notes from no less than two electronic sources -- if possible, one web source on the free Internet and one resource from a subscription database, i.e. SIRS, iCONN or EBSCO.  They can collect bibliography information on the following organizers -- World Wide Web Site .doc or Electronic Database .doc.  For two of the electronic sources that the students use, they will complete a web site evaluation sheet .  For homework, students will summarize their results concerning the value of the source in an annotated bibliography format.

7. Students will then use their research to participate in a written debate.  Students will use the debate organizer to help summarize their research.

8. After completing their written debate, students will check their understanding of the Bill of Rights with two assignments -- Name That Amendment . pub and Name That Amendment. pdf and an essay reflecting on the essential questions listed above.

9. The project will be graded with this rubric REVISED Students will organize their work for grading using this checklist REVISED.