When Should the Constitution Change? Mike Candau Krissi Kuni Richmond HS

Subjects and Grade Levels Courses: U.S. Government U.S History Grade Level: Juniors and Seniors

Essential and Unit Questions Essential Question: Why do laws change? Unit Questions: Are 200-year old laws still relevant today? Should the second amendment, Right to Keep and Bear Arms, be repealed? What other laws, national or local, may be challenged sometime in the future and why?

Benchmarks Standard 12.3 The student will analyze the amendments to the United States Constitution in terms of the conflicts they addressed and the reasons for their adoption. Standard 12.4 The student will summarize landmark Supreme Court interpretations of the United States Constitution and its amendments, with emphasis on basic freedoms, due process, equal protection of the law, and government powers, and will analyze the historical trends and contemporary patterns of United States Supreme Court decisions.

My Unit’s Learning Objectives Students will compare and contrast the arguments for and against repealing the second amendment (right to bear arms) with the issues leading to the repeal of Slavery. Students will identify one local or national law that needs to be repealed or changed and develop a convincing argument to support that assertion in a persuasive presentation. Students will create a web page and include: their presentations links to source references that support their arguments a survey form to collect responses from classmates pertaining to the position they take.