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Introduction Handouts L&Y #1: "Mabel's Day" 6:00 A.M. The alarm goes off. 6:05 A.M. Out of bed and into the shower. 6:30 A.M. Wake up the boys for school. 7:00 A.M. A quick breakfast. 7:15 A.M. Mail the rent check. 7:30 A.M. Catch the bus for work. 8:00 A.M. Start the work day.
L&Y #2: "The Law & You" How much do you know about laws, how they are made, and how they affect your everyday life? If you are like most Americans, your answer to these questions is "not much." In fact, you may wonder why you should know more about these things and what they have to do with you. Here are just a few of the ways you can benefit from learning more about the law. 1. You will have a better understanding of your rights and responsibilities as a citizen. 2. You will have a better understanding of how the government can help you and where you can go for help when you need it. 3. You can be a more responsible voter. 4. You will be able to do a better job of making sure that lawmakers represent your needs. 5. You can play a more active role in your community. 6. You will be a more responsible citizen. The lessons in this series will give you an overview of:
L&Y #3: "The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution" We, the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. IN ORDER TO FORM A MORE PERFECT UNION ESTABLISH JUSTICE INSURE DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY PROVIDE FOR THE COMMON DEFENCE PROMOTE GENERAL WELFARE SECURE THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OURSELVES AND OUR POSTERITY
Community Resource Lesson 1. Introduce yourself to the students and explain your law-related role in the community. 2. Begin the lesson by asking students, "How many of you have heard of the U.S. Constitution? Can you tell me why the U.S. Constitution is important and what it does?" Explain to students that the U.S. Constitution is the highest law of the land, and it spells out how our federal government is structured. Discuss the meaning of the word preamble and the prefix "pre." This will increase and/or reinforce vocabulary development. 3. If possible, distribute copies of the U.S. Constitution. (Call your local bar association for information on how to get paperback copies.) Have students turn to the Preamble and follow along while you read it aloud. 4. Tell students that the Preamble lists many of the reasons why the Constitution was written. Have students think about and discuss one or more of the concepts presented, and try to explain the meaning in their own words. Use L&Y #3 as a worksheet. 5. For each of the concepts listed on the worksheet, ask students for their ideas about what the founding fathers were trying to say. (Explain that at the time the U.S. Constitution was written in 1789, the founders were all men, thus founding "fathers.") Help them along as follows: In order to form a more perfect Union (so that all the states can work together as one unified nation instead of separately) Establish justice (to set up a system for making sure that everyone is treated fairly) insure domestic tranquility (to make sure we have peace within the nation) provide for the common defence (to make sure that our nation is safe from attack) promote the general Welfare (to make sure that all people are happy and their basic needs are met) secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity (to make sure we have freedom for ourselves and for our children and grandchildren)
Family Involvement Activities 1. Young children ages 2-5 won't understand what government is or why laws are important. However, they DO understand RULES because they must follow the rules you make for them at home. One important rule for young children to follow is "DO NOT take drugs or medicine from anyone but your parents, guardians, or doctors." This activity is something you can do with your young child to help him or her understand the importance of following this safety rule. Ask your child if he or she understands the meaning of the word RULE. Many young children will understand the concept of rule if you give them an example such as "No running in the house." Explain that it is very important to follow rules because they help us to be safe and healthy. Explain to your child that sometimes a stranger may try to get him or her to take a drug or something harmful. Tell your child that he or she should only take medicines or drugs from you or from a doctor. Explain that the rule about taking drugs or anything from strangers is "NEVER DO IT." Ask your child to tell you what might happen if he or she takes drugs or other harmful things. Your child may say, "I'll get sick," "I'll get in trouble," "I'll have to go to the hospital," or "I may die." Explain to them that it is very important that they follow the NEVER DO IT rule about taking drugs from strangers and other rules about strangers that you and their teachers have for them. 2. Another important rule for children to follow is to STAY AWAY FROM STRANGERS. Teach your child the following song to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Talk about safety rules, learn the song, and then act out the song with your child. TWINKLE, TWINKLE, WE ARE STARS WE STAY OUT OF STRANGERS' CARS WHEN WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO SCHOOL WE REMEMBER OUR SAFETY RULES |