Bring the Bill of Rights to life! Create a visual Bill of Rights to hang in the classroom using Crayola™ Color Sticks™ Colored Pencils.

• 1.

  Students will read the Bill of Rights and choose an amendment to illustrate for the classroom quilt.

• 2.

  Measure an 8in. x 8in. square (20.3cm x 20.3cm) on white construction paper, and cut it out with scissors.

• 3.

  Use Color Sticks™ Colored Pencils and Crayola™ Heads ‘n Tails™ Markers to draw the illustration. Lay the Color Sticks flat to cover a large background area.

• 4.

  Punch holes in all four corners of the quilt square with a hole punch.

• 5.

  Connect the quilt squares together by threading large paper clips through the holes.

• 6.

  To create a header to hang the quilt squares, cut a long strip of posterboard with scissors. Write a heading with Heads ‘n Tails™ Markers. Punch holes along the bottom of the header and attach the quilt squares with paper clips.

• 7.

  Cut small strips of fabric with scissors and tie them onto the paper clips to finish the quilt.

Standards

• LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the grade level text complexity band independently and proficiently.
• LA: Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to grade level.
• LA: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
• LA: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade level topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
• LA: Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
• MATH: Solve problems involving measurement and conversion of measurements from a larger unit to a smaller unit.
• SS: Explain the purpose of government.
• SS: Identify key ideals of the United States' democratic form of government, such as individual human dignity, liberty, justice, equality, and the rule of law, and discuss their application in specific situations.
• SS: Use knowledge of facts and concepts drawn from history, along with elements of historical inquiry, to inform decision-making about and action-taking on public issues.
• VA: Intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of experiences and ideas.
• VA: Use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.
• VA: Describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resources include: The Bill of Rights (True Books) by Christine Taylor-Butler; The Bill of Rights: Protecting Our Freedom Then and Now by Sy Sobel J.D.; The Bill of Rights in Translation: What It Really Means (Fact Finders: Kids' Translations) by Amie J. Leavitt
• Invite students to examine the Constitution Convention in 1787. What was this meeting called? What major compromises were made to arrive at the document we call the U.S. Constitution today? How were the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution? Who was the main force behind adding the first 10 amendments to the Constitution and why?
• Encourage students to research amendments added to the Constitution after the Bill of Rights. Students should be prepared to present their findings to classmates. Students can use recycled materials to create costumes to wear while presenting the selected amendment.
• Students examine Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution which outlines the process of proposing and ratifying an amendment to the Constitution. Create a timeline for ratification including timeframes.