5th Grade Unit Plan

Unit
:

Amendments Today

Subject Social Studies

:

Prepared By: Joan Toivonen

Standards
Common Core Language Arts: RI.5.10 By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social
studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grades 45 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
GCLE Social Studies: 5-U3.3.8 Describe the rights found in the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments to the United States
Constitution.
Objectives
Learners will be able to read and comprehend the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments of the Bill of Rights and identify the
rights people are given with each one by rewriting the amendments in their own words and writing or drawing why they are important.
Rational:
As part of the 5th grade curriculum students are required to learn the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments of the Constitution
in addition to comprehending social studies texts. Before this unit, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution would be taught.
To follow this unit I would teach about government. This Unit allows students to read and then comprehend the First, Second, Third,
and Fourth Amendments as well as make connections to how the amendments relate to them. It is important that students know these
amendments so that they know how they are protected by them and when the have been violated.
Overview & Purpose:
Students will read and summarize the amendments in their own words. They will understand what the First, Second, Third, and Fourth
Amendments mean, identify situations in which the Amendments are challenged, and how the Amendments relate to them.
Bell Ringer or
Daily
Activity
Materials Needed
Assessment
Lesson
Review from
Objective
Enrichments
previous lesson

 Learners will be able to 1. What Am I Energizer

Lesson 1
Beach Ball
define what the United 2. Welcome
Introduction to
Introductions
State Constitution and
the
students/introductions
What Am I
the
Bill
of
Rights
are.
Constitution
3. Read The Constitution
Learners will be able to
and
Explained and look at the
apply
the
Constitution
Amendments
original constitution
in their lives by
(Bill of
Teach how to annotate
creating their own
Rights)
and annotate while
constitution with at
reading
least three relevant
4. What does the constitution
constitutional
say?
statements
5. Write group constitution
6. Hand out Bill of Rights
Discuss what it is, what
it means, and why it
exists
What is an
amendment?
Why are there
Amendments?
7. SO What? Students will think
of a scenario where the
Constitution or Bill of Rights
protects them
8. Exit Ticket: describe the
Constitution and list three
relevant constitutional
statements, describe the Bill
of Rights
9. Close by inviting students to
share and introducing next
weeks topic, the First

Constitution Hand Out

Constitution Explained
Hand Out
Bill of Rights Hand
Out
Question Balloon
Pens/Pencils
Paper slips
Exit Tickets
Sticky Notes

Exit Ticket

Amendment
Lesson 2
Yes or No, Who Students will be able 1. Teach literacy connections
Amendment 1
(text to text, text to self, text
Am I
to explain the first
to world)
amendment
Name at least
Students will be able 2. Read the First Amendment and
one way the
annotate
Constitution
to identify the rights
affects you
associated with the 3. Discuss the First Amendment
4. Teacher think aloud of First
amendment
Amendment and sharing of
one right it gives
5. As a group, students think of
one right the amendment
gives
6. In pairs, students think of one
right it gives
7. Individually, students think of
one right the amendment
gives
8. Share the rights given in the
First Amendment
9. Exit Ticket: Put the First
Amendment into own words
10. In closing, as a group think
of and discuss at least three
scenarios in which the First
Amendment protects them
*Qualitative Spelling Inventory
will be given during the
remaining time

Labels
Bill of Rights Hand
Out
Pens/Pencils
Exit Tickets
Sticky Notes
NY Times Articles
Teacher Checklist

Exit Ticket

Lesson 3
Entry Ticket:
Amendment 2
draw the First
Amendment

Bill of Rights Hand

Out
Pens/Pencils

Exit Ticket

Students will be able 1. Read the Second Amendment

2. TPS its meaning and the rights
to explain the
it gives
Second Amendment

 Discuss
Decoding
Strategies

Students will be able 3. Discuss controversy surround

the amendment
to identify the rights
Ask the social studies
associated with the
amendment and
genre based questions
why it is important
and discuss their
importance
4. Read Constitutional Topic:
Second Amendment

5. Revise previous ideas about the

Second Amendment and answer
the genre based questions
6. Exit ticket: What does the
Second Amendment to the
Constitution protect? Do you
think this protection is
necessary? Why or why not?
7. In closing, have students share an
idea they wrote down on their
exit ticket.
Entry Ticket:
Students will be able to 1. Read the Third Amendment
Lesson 4
2. TPS its meaning and the rights it
draw the Second
explain the Third
Amendment 3

gives
Amendment
Amendment
Discuss Decoding Students will be able to 3. Read aloud of Annenberg
Classroom Article
Strategies
identify the rights
4.
Answer
Social Studies genreassociated with the
based
questions
on the Third
amendment and why it
Amendment
is important
5. Read Family allegedly forced
from home by police files rare
Third Amendment suit Article
and annotate
6. Discuss the Article
7. TPS if this suit violates the Third
Amendment

Paper
U.S. Constitution
Online Article
Teacher Checklist
Spelling List
Exit Ticket
Decoding Words Help
Sheet
Colored Pencils
Computer

Bill of Rights Hand

Out
Pens/Pencils
Paper
Family allegedly
forced from home by
police files rare Third
Amendment suit
Article
Teacher Checklist
Exit Ticket
Colored Pencils
Spelling Inventory
3 Minute Reading
Assessment

Exit Ticket

8. Exit Ticket: What does the Third

Amendment to the Constitution
Protect? Do you think this
protection is necessary? Why or
why not?
9. In closing, have students share an
idea they wrote down on their
exit ticket.
*3 minute reading assessment will
be completed with a student who
finishes their exit ticket before the
other students

Lesson 5
Amendment 4

Entry Ticket:
Students will be able to
draw the Third
explain the Fourth
Amendment
Amendment
Discuss Decoding Students will be able to
Strategies
identify the rights
associated with the
amendment and why it
is important

1. Read the Fourth Amendment

2. TPS its meaning and the rights it
gives
3. Answer Social Studies genrebased questions on the Fourth
Amendment
4. Read Your 4th Amendment Rights
and annotate
5. How does it challenge the First
Amendment
6. Read the edited court cases of the
Fourth Amendment in schools
For the first case decide
as a group if it violates
the Fourth Amendment
For the second and third
cases the students will
decide in pairs if it
violates the Fourth
Amendment
For the fourth case the
students will
individually decide

Bill of Rights Hand

Out
Pens/Pencils
Paper
Your 4th Amendment
Rights
Teacher Checklist
Exit Ticket
Colored Pencils

Exit Ticket

whether it violates the

Fourth Amendment
7. Exit Ticket: What does the Fourth
Amendment to the Constitution
Protect? Do you think this
protection is necessary? Why or
why not?
8. In closing, have students share an
idea they wrote down on their
exit ticket.

Lesson 6
Posters On
Each
Amendment
NOT
COMPLETE
D

Entry Ticket:
draw the Third
Amendment
Vocabulary
Practice

1. Teach the hand motions for the

Students will take a
First through Fourth
mini-assessment
Amendments
where they will
describe each of the 2. Practice them as a group
3. Practice them in pairs
amendments and
4. Play the First through Fourth
identify them in a
Amendments Hand Motion
fake court case
Game
Students will learn and
5.
Students
will take the miniplay the First
assessment on the First
through Fourth
through Fourth Amendments
Amendments Hand
6. As a group, students will
Motion Game
Students will share
what they learned
over the unit with
another group

demonstrate and say the

meaning of each hand motion
for the First through Fourth
Amendments
7. Students will share the hand
motions and meanings with
another group and then listen to
the other group
8. In closing, thank the students for
helping me learn who I am as a
teacher, developing my teaching
skills, and for giving me

Bill of Rights Hand

Out
Pens/Pencils
Paper
Teacher Checklist
Colored Pencils
First Through Fourth
Amendments
Assessment
Student Portfolios
Airhead Candy (For
Hand Motion Game)
Printer Paper

MiniAssessment

practice teaching social studies.

Then have students write down
two things I did well and one
thing I could do better in the
future.