We the People:
The Citizen and the
Constitution
The We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution
Program promotes civic competence and responsibility
among the nation’s upper elementary and secondary
students. The program enjoys active support from state
bar associations and foundations,and other educational,
professional, business, and community organizations
across the nation. Since the inception of the We the
People program in 1987, more than 28 million students
and 75,000 educators have participated in this course of
study.
On September 16, 1987, about 140,000 people gathered at the
nation’s capitol to celebrate citizenship and the American people
on the bicentennial of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.
In 1985, President Ronald Reagan named Warren E. Burger,
Chief Justice of the United States, chairman of the Commission of
the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution.
From its inception, the Commission focused on providing
America’s young people with a “history and civics lesson” to
commemorate the bicentennial of the Constitution.
The Center for Civic Education’s Executive Director, Charles N.
Quigley (center), reported during the Commission’s second
meeting in August 1985 that the Center had developed a national
high school program on the Constitution.
That program, the National Bicentennial Competition on the
Constitution and Bill of Rights, was funded by the Commission
from 1987 to 1992.
The National Bicentennial Competition on the Constitution and
Bill of Rights would use a specially designed curriculum
to reach more than 2 million students from 1987–1992.
The centerpiece of the program would be a competition that would
test students’ knowledge of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
In 1992, with the close of the bicentennial, funding for the National
Bicentennial Competition on the Constitution and Bill of rights was
transferred to the U.S. Department of Education and renamed We
the People: The Citizen and the Constitution.
During its twenty-year history, more than 28 million students and
90,00 educators have participated in the We the People: The
Citizen and the Constitution program.
We the People enhances students’ understanding of the
history and foundations of the institutions of American
constitutional democracy.
The culminating activity of We the People is a simulated
congressional hearing in which students testify
before a panel of judges.
During simulated congressional hearings, students demonstrate
their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles.
We the People students evaluate, take, and defend positions on
relevant historical and contemporary issues.
About 1,200 high school students and their teachers participate
annually in the We the People national finals.
While in Washington, students visit historic sites and
museums, and meet with members of Congress
and other prominent officials.
Independent studies by the Educational Testing Service revealed
that We the People students “significantly outperformed
comparison students on every topic of the tests taken.”
Students involved in the We the People program develop greater
commitment to democratic principles and values
than students in comparison groups.
For more information about
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, visit
www.civiced.org.
http://civiced.org/images/stories/WeThePeople/The_Pr
ogram/Hearings/Hearing_Questions/hsnationalhearing
questions2013-14.pdf
There are three commonly used methods
that other teachers have used to organize
their class into groups. You may use one of
these, a combination of these suggestions,
or create your own unique system.
Student Choice
Advantages
• excited about whom they will work with a sense
of ownership in the project.
• less personality conflicts
Disadvantages
• groups are sometimes lopsided as far as talents
and skills are concerned.
• too familiar with each other may.
Teacher Choice
Advantages
• balanced and equivalent.
• reduced awkwardness if they are unable to
find friends to organize into a group.
Disadvantages
• forced into a group setting and reluctant to
work well.
• may be difficult to determine which students
work well and in what area.
Teacher/Student Choice
After input or requests from students, the teacher
finalizes the group organization. What input each
student gives is entirely up to what you, as the
teacher, request from them. This system allows
for everyone in the class to play a role in team
organization. But, the teacher should be prepared
that not every request can typically be granted.
Be clear as to who will have the final say in group
organization.
Who Goes Where?
Unit 1: What Are the Philosophical and Historical
Foundations of the American Political System?
• AP European History Students
• The abstract thinker does better with the
philosophies
Who Goes Where?
Unit 2: How Did the Framers Create the Constitution?
• APUSH students
• The student that feels more confident with historical
events rather than current policies or court cases.
• Students who are interested in or excited about
studying the "Founding Fathers."
Who Goes Where?
Unit 3: How Did the Values and Principles Embodied in
the Constitution Shape American Institutions and
Practices?
• AP U.S. History students
• Those who have done well when studying the three
branches of government.
Who Goes Where?
Unit 4: How Have the Protections of the Bill of Rights
Been Developed and Expanded?
• Look for the student who is passionate about minority
or civil rights.
• A Civil War history buff
• Can understand precedent and court cases
Who Goes Where?
Unit 5: What Does the Bill of Rights Protect?
• Maybe a future lawyer.
• Loves to study case law and read court cases.
Who Goes Where?
Unit 6: What Are the Roles of the Citizen in American
Democracy?
• Volunteers and service-oriented students.
• Very patriotic
• Student leaders or students with outside civic service
experience.
• International students
Research, Research, Research, and More Research.
•
•
•
•
•
•
Plan library days or computer lab days
Depth and width research
Write the essay early and revise as you go
Follow-ups are most important
Present in front of class
Have classmates give feedback
Individual Grading
• Each student is responsible to show his/her contribution to
the research
• Create index cards for question practice drills
• Students might pass of index cards to the teacher
• During a presentation, grade each student individually as a
group
• Grade only the section of the speech that a student wrote
Group Grading
• Grade the speech overall, finished product and everyone
gets that score
• Grade the collective research
• Score a presentation for the whole group
• Reward or require students to meet as a group outside of
class time
• Extra credit or required credit to meet as a group with the
teacher after school.
COMMON CORE
SPEAKING AND LISTENING STANDARDS 6-12
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions.
• a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched
material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation
by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to
probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
• b. Follow rules for collegial discussions and decision-making,
track progress toward specific goals and deadlines, and
define individual roles as needed.
• c. Pose questions that connect the ideas of several speakers
and respond to others’ questions and comments with
relevant evidence, observations, and ideas.
• d. Acknowledge new information expressed by others, and,
when warranted, qualify or justify their own views in light
of the evidence presented.
We the People Alum
Florida Senator
Anitere Flores