Learn about the checks and balances system of the three branches of the U.S. government.

In this lesson, students will review the development of the Constitution.  To experience what this might be like,  students will work together to create a set of rules, procedures, rights, and responsibilities needed to safely use computing devices and networks in our school. When they have finished they will compare their list to the school’s Acceptable Use Policy.

In small groups, students will be assigned two of the first ten amendments and pose the questions, “Which of these two amendments do you think is more important?” and “Why do you believe this?” in a survey of ten classmates. Then they will collect and organize the data electronically to create two visual representations of their information. Students will add their raw data and visualizations to a shared slideshow to present their findings to the class and explain why they chose this particular visualization model and what conclusions they can draw from their survey responses.This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2010256.Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Students will examine the Three-Fifths Compromise. They will look at how the Constitutional Convention decided to handle the issue of enslavement in legislation. Students will analyze primary and secondary sources to learn more about the development and lasting impact of this compromise.

Fifth grade students in Michigan begin their study of American history with American Indian peoples before the arrival of European explorers and conclude with the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791.