United States Constitution
Session 9: The Bill of Rights: Amendments 5, 6, and 8

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:
   
   On television crime shows, police often “read rights” to someone they are arresting. Can you remember and write down the words that are used? To help you out, the phrase begins: “You have the right to remain...”
   
    After students have had a few minutes to write about this, have them read in unison what they wrote. Then lead a general discussion about why these rights are read. Do the students think that people need to be told their rights in a situation like this?
   
   
2. Divide the students into groups to examine the rights guaranteed in amendments 5, 6, and 8. As they examine the amendments, have them take notes on the rights that are protected in each amendment, what the impact would be of a violation of these rights, and whether there is ever a justification for violating these rights. Are there parts of the amendments that do not seem to agree with the rest?
   
   
3. If time and resources permit, have the students do research on the application of these rights in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Tell them to be prepared to write on the question of whether a national crisis justifies suspending these rights.