Oklahoma Academic Standard 4. The student will examine the formation of the American system of government following the American Revolution.

Objective 5.4.6  Explain how the Constitution of the United States was amended to include the Bill of Rights and summarize the liberties protected in each of the ten amendments.

In a Nutshell

The Bill of Rights was an important addition to the Constitution of the United States and without it the document would not have been ratified by the states. Students should be able to explain each of the ten amendments and describe the rights or liberties assured by each amendment, providing historical as well as contemporary examples.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Provide opportunities for students to identify democratic principles in historic documents, such as the Bill of Rights, and describe examples of democratic principles at work in state and national settings.

• Facilitate students to explore essential questions that are important to others, as well as enduring across the social studies, such as “What are basic human rights?” 

• Clearly state an opinion through written products, supported by commentary including examples, details, and reasoning analyzing the importance of specific individual rights guaranteed by the first ten amendments. 

• Acquire and use appropriate academic vocabulary and phrases related to individual rights and guarantees of due process expressed in the Bill of Rights. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• free speech, symbolic speech, press, assembly, religious association, religious expression, search and seizure, jury, counsel, peer

• amendment process used to ratify the Bill of Rights (proposal by 2/3 vote in both the House of Representatives and Senate; ratification by 2/3 of state legislatures)

• Some students may misunderstand that the Bill of Rights was not a part of the original Constitution but required ratification by the states through the amendment process. 

Instructional Resources