Best Practices for Teaching Social Studies: What Award-Winning Classroom Teachers Do

PART I

Elementary and Middle School

CHAPTER 1

Celebrating Our Constitution

Diana Schmiesing

Fairfax, Virginia

Ifollow the tenets of the responsive classroom, which state that children need to feel that their classroom is truly their classroom and not the teacher’s. In September when the students arrive, I have few pictures and posters up on the walls. I want the classroom to reflect student’s ideas. I have a blank bulletin board with the title, Hopes and Dreams for Second Grade (idea published in The First Six Weeks of School by Paula Denton and Roxann Kriete).

For the first few weeks, the students explore the classroom and get to know me, and I establish routines and procedures. We discuss their hopes and dreams pertaining to second grade. The students then write and illustrate their ideas. To conclude the lesson, students buddy up and share their feelings. During morning meeting, students then share their hopes and dreams with the class. Then I lead a discussion on how we can fulfill their wishes. Through this guided discussion, the children realize that we need to establish some rules.

For homework, the children must write a classroom rule. I send home a 5 × 7-inch file card with this explanation:

We have been discussing our hopes and dreams for second grade and realize we need some rules so everyone can achieve their wishes. Tonight’s assignment for your favorite second grader is for him or her to write a classroom rule, and illustrate a student following that rule.

The following day, each student brings in his or her file card and shares the rule that he or she feels is important for the classroom. A sample rule is Don’t run in the classroom. I may ask what they think we should do instead of running. We establish We should walk in the classroom to be safe. We sort their rules into three main categories:

  1.   Respect your classroom and school.

  2.   Respect others.

  3.   Respect yourself.

We decide where we should place each card. It is fairly easy to place any of their rules into one of the three categories. I then ask the students if they are willing to sign a document stating that they agree to these rules. This lesson teaches students about the rights and responsibilities of a citizen and the need for the Constitution. Students discuss the historical context of events leading up to the signing of the Constitution and write laws for the classroom, which we develop into a class constitution.

The lesson leads to the celebration of Constitution Day, on or close to September 17 (the official date was September 17, 1787). On our constitution day, I devote a special area in the class for U.S.A. decorations and a special signing table. When children enter the classroom, I write the following on the board: Today is a special day! We will be signing our class constitution. Does anyone know what might have happened years ago? The children can check in by putting a response on a paper chart.

Of course, most children will guess that the event of long ago was the signing of the Constitution. We make a KWL chart (what we know, what we want to know, and what we have learned). Some points made are as follows:

•   The founding fathers put themselves at risk so we could be an independent country.

•   The founding fathers recognized a need for strong laws.

•   The founding fathers did not want to have a king or one person in charge, so they came up with three branches of government.

I ask children to step back in time. I hand them a copy of the painting Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States by Howard Chandler Christy. Each student is also given a Picture Detective Sheet to complete after looking at the painting. I then tell the children that this is when they have a chance to become one of the characters in the picture. The front of the room becomes the stage; some of the students perform and some are in the audience. I spend time discussing how actors perform and how audiences respond. When children clearly understand the expectations of this activity, I rarely get any silly behavior.

I tell the children that when they come onto the stage, they can imagine what their person was doing before the painting froze them in time. When I say Freeze, they must strike the pose exactly like the person in the picture. I tell the audience that when I say Curtain’s going up, they must be quiet and watch the performance. They look for clues to figure out what characters their classmates are playing. I do not say that everyone has to choose a different person, so I might end up with six George Washingtons! This could lead to a wonderful discussion on why all six chose Washington. Here are ten guiding questions for this activity:

  1.   Does your character look very important?

  2.   Did you choose him because you know who he is?

  3.   Why do you think he is facing the people?

  4.   Do you think the painter of the picture purposely put the desk and Washington on a different level?

  5.   Do you know who this person is? What do you know about him?

  6.   Does the picture let you know where the people are?

  7.   Do you see any women? Why do you think there weren’t any?

  8.   Why do you think some people are raising their hands?

  9.   Does this picture tell you what is happening? What do you think the man by the table is doing?

10.   Do you see any important symbols or people in the picture? How do you know they are important?

The student performances are wonderful. Their attention to detail is extraordinary. History comes alive! At the conclusion of the lesson, students sign their own classroom constitution. They see a copy of our real Constitution, and we discuss those first important words: We the