Interpreting the Constitution

The study of history provides opportunities for students to learn how to use useful information to support a position.  Respecting a position about an issue that is different than one’s own perspective is an important part of becoming tolerant as an individual and more aware of the complexities of issues. The Constitution is used throughout our history to interpret and justify positions on a variety of controversial issues.  The primary objective of this lesson is to create a debate on a contemporary controversial issue.  Using the Constitution as the basis of the issue, we help the students learn how to research relevant information on their topic and figure out how to frame a body of information into a thesis statement.  In so doing, the students learn to recognize how the Constitution can be interpreted in different ways to uphold a particular position.