Students explore people, ideas, and documents that shaped democratic thought, including: the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, Charles de Montesquieu, and John Locke. First they read a geneal overview about each, and then they take a closer look at how they shaped the U.S. Constitution. Finally students choose one of three Enlightenment ideas and write an explanation for a younger child.
Students are introduced to the lesson focus on people, ideas, and documents that shaped modern democratic thought and the U.S. Constitution. They review the objective, then respond to a word cloud prompt by listing examples of democratic values and principles. Next, they post to a collaborative wall describing specific ways the U.S. government reflects those democratic values, drawing on what they know about the Constitution.
Teacher MovesPresent the lesson overview and objective. As students share examples of democratic values and how they appear in U.S. government, highlight key concepts such as liberty, equality, justice, popular sovereignty, individual rights, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism, prompting students to connect these ideas to historical and contemporary examples.
Students read Foundations of American Government to learn how earlier thinkers and documents influenced the democratic ideas later expressed by the Founders. While reading about John Locke’s Second Treatise of Government, they complete a graphic organizer capturing his key ideas about consent of the governed, protection of natural rights, and the right to overthrow an unjust government. They then continue reading and fill in a second organizer by identifying one important democratic idea associated with Charles de Montesquieu, the Magna Carta, and the English Bill of Rights.
Teacher MovesClarify key Enlightenment figures and documents as needed, and draw students’ attention to additional thinkers mentioned in the article, such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire, to broaden their understanding of Enlightenment political thought.
Students choose one primary source excerpt—either from the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, John Locke’s Two Treatises of Government (Sec. 95), or Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Law. They post to a collaborative wall by restating the chosen excerpt in their own words and explaining how its ideas helped shape democratic thought in the U.S. Constitution.
Teacher MovesDirect students to supporting resources such as The Magna Carta, Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor, New Ideas in Britain (Bill of Rights, John Locke), New Ideas in France (Charles de Montesquieu), and Developments in Democracy to deepen their understanding of the selected philosophers and documents and to help them connect specific ideas to constitutional principles.
Students choose one Enlightenment idea—natural rights, religious tolerance, or social contract—and create a poster that explains the concept in terms a fourth-grader could understand, including what it means for American citizens today. They design the poster on a digital canvas, in another graphics program, or on paper and upload a photo of their work.
Teacher MovesGive students time to read and discuss one another’s posters, encouraging them to notice how each Enlightenment idea is interpreted and applied to the rights and responsibilities of American citizens.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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