8th Grade Constitution WebQuest

The US Constitution is the foundation of our laws in the United States. It has influenced the laws of many other nations. It is called the “living Constitution” because our current laws are based on its interpretation. The goal of this WebQuest/Project is to gain a greater understanding of the Constitution. 

Task:You are a journalist for the school newspaper. In your research you have

discovered that many of your classmates do not know anything about the US Constitution. Your goal is to research on the web to understand the Constitution so that you can teach your classmates its origins, significance, and relevance to our society.

You will use ONLY the websites in the RESOURCES section to answer the questions below. Using other sites to get information is not acceptable.

These questions will be used to help you construct a PowerPoint slide show about the US Constitution, discussing its origins, creators, and implications in our lives.

You will need paper and pencil to record your answers! 

1. When was the US Constitution written?  2. Who created the Constitution?

 3. Why was it written?

 4. What events led to its creation?

 5. Where was it written?

 6. The Constitution was modeled after several major historical documents?

Describe these documents and their significance.  

7. What problems in our society did the Constitution solve?  

8. What are its limitations?  

9. How would you improve the US Constitution?  

10. Do you feel it is as relevant today as it was when the Constitution was first created?

 

Process:1. You will use the resource section to guide your search. 2. You will answer all of the questions in the task section. 3. You will present your findings in a PowerPoint presentation 4. Your slide show will have one slide for each question (10 slides total)5. Each slide will have a picture or a visual.

 Resources:

US Constitutionhttp://www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html

US Constitution and linking documentshttp://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0101025.html

US Constitution Onlinehttp://www.usconstitution.net/constfaq.html 

Conclusion:You will understand what are the US Constitution’s origins, why is the US Constitution important, why does it work, and what are its strengths and weaknesses. You will also learn how to use the Internet to conduct research and present your findings.

Evaluation:RUBRIC BELOW

STANDARDSMEETS STANDARDS

EXCEEDS STANDARDS

INFORMATION/RESEARCH

1. INFORMATION NOT RELEVANT TO LESSON 2.FEW QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY

1.INFORMATION RELEVANT TO LESSON 2.SOME QUESTIONS ANSWERED

1.INFORMATION RELEVANT TO LESSON WITH RESOURCES 2. ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED

PRESENTATION 1.INCOHERENT 2.LACK OF VISUALS 3.WAS NOT ORGANIZED

1.HAS SOME UNDERSTANDING OF INFORMATION 2.HAS VISUALS 3. COHERENT 4. SOME ORGANIZATION

1.COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF INFORMATION 2.HAS VISUALS 3.COHERENT 4.VERY ORGANIZED