Citizenship-B Curriculum
Unit 8: American Government: The Constitution and System of Government
Lesson 1: The Constitution
Lesson Objectives: / Suggested MaterialsStudents will...
●be able to explain the basic purpose of the Constitution
●be able to correctly answer the N400 question about support for the Constitution / ●Citizenship: Passing the Test: Chapter 7, pages 106-107
●Poster or image of the Constitution
●U.S. Constitution in Simple English available online at:
“100 Civics Questions” covered in this lesson
1. What is the supreme law of the land?
3. The idea of self-government is in the first three words of the Constitution. What are these words?
Suggested Tasks & Activities
●Introductions and review of syllabus, if necessary for new students.
●Warm-up to topic: Write the word “Constitution” on the board and show a poster or image of the Constitution (if available). Ask students to tell you what they know about the Constitution. Do they remember anything about the Constitution from the History section? (The Constitutional Convention was covered in Unit 4, so you can review these questions: 1. What does the Constitution do? 2. When was the Constitution written? 3. What happened at the Constitutional Convention? 4. The Federalist Papers supported the passage of the U.S. Constitution. Name one of the writers.)
●Read & discuss pages 106-107 of Citizenship: Passing the Test
●Print and give to students Page 7 (the Preamble) from the U.S. Constitution in Simple English. Read and discuss with students. Why do we have a Constitution?
●Remind students that in their Interview, they will be asked the question, “Do you support the Constitution and form of government of the United States?” What does this question mean? How should they answer?
●Students practice asking & answering the 2 civics questions and 1 N400 question in pairs (switching pairs at least once if time allows)
Notes for Teachers
This unit begins a new section in the curriculum. This is a natural point in the curriculum for new students to enter the class, so you may have new students at this time. If introductions/orientation takes up a large portion of the lesson time, shift some of the activities to the following lesson.
Citizenship-B Curriculum
Unit 8: American Government: The Constitution and System of Government
Lesson 2: The Constitution Continued: The Separation of Powers
Lesson Objectives: / Suggested MaterialsStudents will...
●be able to list the three branches of the U.S. government
●be able to explain the purpose of the separation of powers
●be able to name at least one power reserved to the federal government and at least one power reserved for the states / ●Citizenship: Passing the Test: Chapter 7, pages 108-111
●Citizenship Now! pages 61-63
●Separation of Powers Sort
●Government Graphic
“100 Civics Questions” covered in this lesson
12. What is the “rule of law”?
14. What stops one branch of government from becoming too powerful?
41. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the federal government. What is one power of the federal government?
42. Under our Constitution, some powers belong to the states. What is one power of the states?
Suggested Tasks & Activities
●Read & discuss pages 108-111 of Citizenship: Passing the Test
●Read & discuss pages 61-63 of Citizenship Now!
●Hand out the Government Graphic and go over the information. Tell students they will study each branch in more detail in future lessons.
●Write up the three branches of government on the whiteboard. Cut up the first page of the separation of powers sort and have students complete it together on the whiteboard.
●Small group discussion: Why is separation of powers important? What does it protect against?
●Writing journal: students write a paragraph comparing U.S. government to the government in their country of origin. (Is there an independent judicial system? A legislative body? Who is the chief executive? Etc.)
●Separation of Powers sorting activity: on a worksheet or on the board, the teacher makes a list of some of the powers of the branches of government (pass laws, enforce laws, interpret laws, declare war, etc.). Independently, in pairs, or as a whole class, students assign these powers to the correct branch of government. Alternatively, this activity could be completed with powers reserved to the federal government vs. powers reserved to the states.
Citizenship-B Curriculum
Unit 8: American Government: The Constitution and System of Government
Lesson 3: Amendments: The Bill of Rights
Lesson Objectives: / Suggested MaterialsStudents will...
●be able to explain how the Constitution is changed through the use of amendments
●will be able to describe at least 2 rights reserved for the people through the First Amendment / ●Citizenship: Passing the Test: Chapter 7, pages 112-116
●Citizenship Now! Chapter 6, pages 64-66
●First Amendment Crossword from (answer key:
“100 Civics Questions” covered in this lesson
4. What is an amendment?
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
10. What is freedom of religion?
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Suggested Tasks & Activities
●Warm-up: review classroom rules that were established at the beginning of class (these should be posted somewhere in the classroom). Can we change the rules? What should we do if we decide we need a new rule? This process of changing the rules also happens with the Constitution. The Constitution can be changed by the people. We change the Constitution through making amendments.
●Read & discuss pages 112-116 of Citizenship: Passing the Test
●Read & discuss pages 64-66 of Citizenship Now!
●Students complete the First Amendment Crossword puzzle (may be assigned as homework)
Citizenship-B Curriculum
Unit 8: American Government: The Constitution and System of Government
Lesson 4: Amendments: The Bill of Rights Continued
Lesson Objectives: / Suggested MaterialsStudents will...
●be able to discuss the importance of the rights reserved for the people in the Bill of Rights
●be able to spell the key words/phrases: Bill of Rights, right, freedom of speech, citizens, vote / ●Citizenship Now! Chapter 6, page 66
●U.S. Constitution in Simple English available online at:
●Citizenship for Us: Chapter 5 (Study Guide), page 145 (The Bill of Rights)
“100 Civics Questions” covered in this lesson
None specifically, but it is a good chance to review the following questions (from previous lesson):
4. What is an amendment?
5. What do we call the first ten amendments to the Constitution?
6. What is one right or freedom from the First Amendment?
10. What is freedom of religion?
51. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States?
Suggested Tasks & Activities
●Warm-up: Which rights from the Bill of Rights were discussed in the previous class? Can students name any other rights they have in the U.S.? Do they know where these rights come from?
●Print and give to students pages 31-33 (containing The Bill of Rights) of the U.S. Constitution in Simple English or page 145 of Citizenship for Us. Read and discuss. Which rights did they already know about? Which were new to them? Why do students think the Bill of Rights was written? Which rights do they feel are most important to their daily lives?
●Dictation practice using key words/phrases: Bill of Rights, right, freedom of speech, citizens, vote (the teacher may create sentences or use PowerPoint slides from previous units)
●Pair practice with Civics questions from page 66 of Citizenship Now!
Citizenship-B Curriculum
Unit 8: American Government: The Constitution and System of Government
Lesson 5: Amendments: Voting Rights
Lesson Objectives: / Suggested MaterialsStudents will...
●be able to identify at least one amendment that relates to voting rights
●demonstrate knowledge of the number of amendments in the Bill of Rights and the total number of amendments to the Constitution
●demonstrate knowledge of the difference between registering to vote and voting and correctly answer N400 Application questions about these concepts
(if not met in Lesson 4):
●be able to spell the key words/phrases: Bill of Rights, right, government, Constitution, freedom of speech, citizens, vote / ●Citizenship: Passing the Test: Chapter 7, 117-121
●Realia: voter registration card, sample ballot (these can often be found during election season on the MN Secretary of State’s website)
“100 Civics Questions” covered in this lesson
7. How many amendments does the Constitution have?
48. There are four amendments to the Constitution about who can vote. Describe one of them.
54. How old do citizens have to be to vote for President?
Suggested Tasks & Activities
●Read & discuss pages 117-118 of Citizenship: Passing the Test
●Complete activities on page 119-121 of Citizenship: Passing the Test
●Remind students that on the N400 Application there are two questions relating to voting: Have you ever registered to vote in any election in the United States? And Have you ever voted in any election in the United States? Using a voter registration card and sample ballot (if available) clarify the difference between registering to vote and voting. How should students answer these questions?
●Small group discussion or Writing Journal prompt: Why is voting such an important right? How do you think you will feel when you go to vote in your first U.S. election?
●Dictation practice using key words/phrases: Bill of Rights, right, government, Constitution, freedom of speech, citizens, vote (the teacher may create sentences or use PowerPoint slides from previous units)
●Pair practice of Civics questions on page 120 of Citizenship: Passing the Test
Citizenship-B Curriculum
Unit 8: American Government: The Constitution and System of Government
Lesson 6: Review
Students will review the core objectives from the unit. Teachers should identify which objectives their students had the most difficulty with and focus their review on those objectives.
See above lessons or the Unit Overview for a list of objectives. / ●Citizenship: Passing the Test: Chapter 7
●Three Branches Matching Activity from Part C of
●Unit 8 Assessment
Suggested Tasks & Activities
- Independently or in pairs, students complete the Three Branches Matching Activity
- Students complete the Unit 8 Assessment: Constitution Review Quiz independently
- Think-Pair-Share: students take 5 minutes to list the things they remember learning in this unit. They share with a partner. The partner shares at least one thing his/her partner learned with the class.
- Fly Swatter Review Game
- “Back to the Board” Vocabulary Review Game
1