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Middle school students observe Constitution Day
On Monday, Sept. 17, Myra Halfacre's sixth grade World Studies classes celebrated Constitution Day. To commemorate the anniversary of that special day 220 years ago, each class participated in several activities in which the United States Constitution was expounded upon. As each class entered the classroom, they began their Writing to Win topic for the day. Monday's topic was "What America Means to Me." After writing on the topic, several students read aloud what they had written. Most students wrote about the freedom that they enjoy in America. Next, Mrs. Halfacre shared with her classes an editorial from Sunday's The Statesboro Herald written by Gerald Edenfield, president of the State Bar of Georgia. His article eloquently told about the Constitution and advised each reader to honor the day by remembering what the document stood for. After the students then read in unison the Preamble to the Con- stitution, they were invited to join in discussions of what each phrase of the Preamble meant. Finally, the students viewed a powerful video entitled "Our Constitution: The Document that Gave Birth to a Nation." At the end of the day, Mrs. Halfacre stated, "Since the sixth-grade curriculum deals with the histories, economics and governments of countries other than the United States, it was extremely meaningful to my students to be able to learn about the Constitution of the United States. All through the day as students came to class and left, I could see in them a growing sense of civic pride and a greater appreciation for their Constitution and for their country." John Hearn's classes discussed the different types of governments that their forefathers had to choose from. They then discussed the Federal System that they decided to use. Students also discussed in depth the organizational structure of the government and the rights that United States Citizens are granted by the United States Constitution. Elouise J. Wright's, Kim Norris'and Judith Taylor's Georgia Studies classes began their Constitutional Day activities on Friday, Sept. 14, with an oral test on the Preamble to the U. S. Constitution. After discussing Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), enduring understandings and essential questions relevant to the topic, they continued their activities on Monday, Constitution Day. The primary GPS used with these activities included SS8H4a,b: The student will describe the events that led to the ratification of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. Monday's activities involved a whole group lecture/discussion on the events that led to the call for the Constitutional Convention of 1787, the influence of selected delegates (including Abraham Baldwin and William Few of Georgia), and the importance of the Articles of Confederation, the New Jersey Plan, the Virginia Plan, the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Great Compromise. The Writing to Win topic was "Why should/should not we have the U. S. Constitution?" After sharing several of the writings, students moved on to their activity. It was a small group discussion on the conflicts between the Northern States and the Southern States. As it was at the original Constitutional Convention, they attempted to solve the slavery issue and the protective tariff problem. They proved to be extremely difficult and almost impossible to solve. Educators thought that this activity gave the students a greater understanding of what Abraham Baldwin and William Few had to deal with at the Constitutional Convention. The final activity was to read the "Constitutional Pledge" and to decide if they wanted to sign it or not. |
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