This graphic organizer shows the reasons why the Constitution was written as stated in the Preamble of the Constitution.

This lesson, and the graphic organizer that goes with it, explains to the student the purposes for the Constitution of the United States as stated in its Preamble.  The student will learn how the preamble of a constitution sets forth the goals and purposes to be served by the government. 

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• understand why the Constitution of the United States was written.
• describe the 6 purposes of the United States government as stated in the Preamble.
• explain how the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States established that the power of the government comes from the people.

Essential Question

What are the purposes for writing a constitution?

Procedure:

1. Introduction

This lesson lists the 6 purposes of the United States government as stated in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States.  The students will study the graphic organizer that shows what the 6 purposes of the United States government are and be able to put in their own words what each purpose means.  Students will also understand the historic background as to why the power of the government comes from the people.

2. Explore

Students should use their device to research the background of why the preamble was written and why it was necessary.  After their research, the students should be prepared to explain to their class what the purposes of the United States government are in their own words.  Another resource for students to use is the short video on the Preamble.

3. Explain

Tell the students they will be able to understand and describe the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States and give the reasons why it was necessary to include it.  They will also be able to give the historical context as to why it was included (pre-independence and the failure of the Articles of Confederation.  They will demonstrate this by doing the following:

• Research the reasons why the Constitution of the United States was written and why the writers of the Constitution felt it was necessary to include a preamble with specific purposes.
• Using the Graphic Organizer as a backdrop, the students will create a presentation of why the Constitution of the United States was written and to go into detail about what each purpose means.  The presentation should also include how each purpose can be connected to the United States today. 

Directions: Tell the students that based on their research, they are to create a way to present to their class what a preamble is, why the writers of the Constitution of the United States felt it was necessary to write a preamble, and to explain the meaning behind each of the 6 purposes.  Along with the meaning, examples from today should be included to illustrate the purpose.  Examples of how the student can make a presentation can be a poster, slide presentation (i.e. PowerPoint), flip chart, or video.

4. Assess

Driving Question: 

What are the purposes identified in the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America?

Writing assignment: Have students use their device to create an essay as to why the Preamble to the Constitution of the United States was written and explain in their own words the meaning of each of the 6 purposes in the preamble. 

Extending the lesson: Have the students select one of the 6 purposes and explain how it can be seen in their school, community, state, or country.

License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International