United States Constitution
Session 8: The Bill of Rights: Amendments 1 and 4

Materials

• Text of the Bill of Rights (available in students’ textbook or by searching the Internet and downloading)
• Class textbook
• Computer with Internet access

Instructional Activities

1. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   
   Americans are very aware of the rights they have as citizens. Which of our rights is most important, in your opinion? Why?
   
   After students have had a few minutes to write about this, let them share their responses with each other in pairs and then share with the whole class.
   
   
2. Provide the students with a copy of the Bill of Rights, and tell them that they will be examining Amendments 1 and 4.
   
   
3. Place the students in small groups, and ask them to discuss these amendments within their group. They should be prepared to answer the following questions in a general discussion later in the class period: What rights are protected by each amendment? What is an example of a way in which each right could be violated? Is it ever permissible to violate any of these rights?
   
   
4. After the students have finished their group work, conduct a general discussion in which they share the results of their group discussion.
   
   
5. Tell the students to select one of these rights and write a paragraph describing ways that American society would be different if this right were not guaranteed by the Constitution.