Main content
Course: Constitution 101 > Unit 1
Lesson 5: Methods of Constitutional Interpretation- Methodologies | Constitution 101
- Background: Constitutional Methods
- Background: Constitutional Methods—Examples
- Activity: How Do We Interpret the Constitution?
- Understand: Methods of Constitutional Interpretation
- Apply: Methods of Constitutional Interpretation
© 2024 Khan AcademyTerms of usePrivacy PolicyCookie Notice
Activity: How Do We Interpret the Constitution?
Make the Constitution come alive in your classroom with this free hands-on investigative activity about the United States Constitution.
Activity: How Do We Interpret the Constitution?
The Founding generation ratified the Constitution of the United States in 1787, over two hundred years ago! One of the longest-lasting Constitutions in the world, constitutional scholars, politicians, and judges work every day to interpret the Framers' words and apply it to modern times. The Constitution isn’t a particularly long document, and the Founding generation wrote it so that everyone—lawyer and non-lawyer alike—could read it, understand it, and lay claim to it as their own.
In this hands-on activity, students learn the skills necessary to engage in constitutional conversations. That means:
- building a historical foundation through storytelling
- learning how to interpret the Constitution like a constitutional lawyer
- developing the skills of civil dialogue and reflection.
Give us feedback!
Have you tried this activity? Tell us your thoughts in this short survey.
Overview
This activity is designed to be completed in two 45-minute class periods. The activity consists of the following parts:
- Setting the stage—Students re-watch the videos on the Walkthrough of the Original Constitution and the Walkthrough of the 27 Amendments to remind themselves of the various parts of the Constitution (30 minutes).
- Background—Review the traditional methods for interpreting the Constitution in this worksheet (15 minutes).
- Apply—Review the list of quotes from Supreme Court cases in Activity Guide: Constitutional Interpretation Method Identification. Identify the constitutional methodology that connects to each quote (20 minutes).
- Build norms for civil dialogue—With the rest of your class build a list of norms for your classroom to ensure civil dialogue as you dive deep into interpreting the Constitution (25 minutes).
Related National Constitution Center Content
Want to join the conversation?
In what views do people have about the constituition?(2 votes)