Goal for the day: To identify values underpinning the American constitution
The next two days are going to practice what I’m calling a “rolling seminar.” We will work together as a class to answer two difficult questions.
· What values are most important to the Constitution?
· Are these those most important values for government to embody in the 21st century?
I’ll start by giving you seminar questions that I think will help illuminate what values are at the foundation of our Constitution. You’ll have 10 minutes to read the questions and jot some ideas based on your study of the two chapters of The Democratic Debate and your seminar prep question from last night.
We’ll then divide into two groups and fishbowl seminar. If you’re an observer, instead of evaluating the seminar performance of your peers, you will be responsible for applying what comes out of the discussion to the question “What values are the most important to the Constitution?”
As a group, you’ll share your observations and ideas at the end of a half hour of discussion. We’ll break after the first discussion and then switch. As we move through the two half hour seminars and reports from the observers, we’ll refine a list of values that apply to the Constitution.
We’ll spend the last part of class dividing up these values for at-home research. This research can happen in groups or as individuals. It depends on what your interests are and how many values we have on the board at the end of the class.
Assignment for Friday, August 29th
You will research the importance of a particular value to the Constitution (on your own or with a partner), filling out the research worksheet and bringing it to class.
Use this link to work through the Constitution and the Amendments and evaluate how important you value is to these documents.
The next two days are going to practice what I’m calling a “rolling seminar.” We will work together as a class to answer two difficult questions.
· What values are most important to the Constitution?
· Are these those most important values for government to embody in the 21st century?
I’ll start by giving you seminar questions that I think will help illuminate what values are at the foundation of our Constitution. You’ll have 10 minutes to read the questions and jot some ideas based on your study of the two chapters of The Democratic Debate and your seminar prep question from last night.
We’ll then divide into two groups and fishbowl seminar. If you’re an observer, instead of evaluating the seminar performance of your peers, you will be responsible for applying what comes out of the discussion to the question “What values are the most important to the Constitution?”
As a group, you’ll share your observations and ideas at the end of a half hour of discussion. We’ll break after the first discussion and then switch. As we move through the two half hour seminars and reports from the observers, we’ll refine a list of values that apply to the Constitution.
We’ll spend the last part of class dividing up these values for at-home research. This research can happen in groups or as individuals. It depends on what your interests are and how many values we have on the board at the end of the class.
Assignment for Friday, August 29th
You will research the importance of a particular value to the Constitution (on your own or with a partner), filling out the research worksheet and bringing it to class.
Use this link to work through the Constitution and the Amendments and evaluate how important you value is to these documents.