Infomercial Activity – The Constitution
First of all, a BIG thank you to my 2011-2012 Northwest High School Seniors (particularly 8th block) for
inspiring me to let go of the power in the classroom enough to watch you guys put this lesson together!
Through the lens of one of the six major principles of the U.S. Constitution, make an infomercial where
you “sell” any one of the first six articles of the U.S. Constitution to the attendees at the Constitutional
Convention.
Inspiration: While the Founding Fathers are arguing the merits of the new Constitution during the
Constitutional Convention, you will be peddling your ideas to them during their breaks at Independence
Hall. You will focus the boundaries of your “product” by using a lens to extract only certain aspects of
the Article of the Constitution you are researching.
For example, if you are reading Article II of the Constitution through the lens of Separation of Powers,
you would ONLY pay attention to the parts of the Executive Branch that relate specifically to the concept
Separation of Powers. You would ignore age requirements, checks and balances, and other information
not related to your lens.
Your infomercial should be 1:30 to 2:30 long. “Cheese factor” is highly appreciated. We will watch a
few infomercials in class to understand the format we’ll be adopting. Since this assignment is academic
at its foundation, accurate information (vocab, concepts, etc.) is a MUST, but it can be cheesy and funny.
Rubric:
iMovie Project Grading Rubric (35 points)
(20 pts) Presentation:
general tone and clarity
of message
(20 pts) Organization:
Ideas flow and are
coherent
(10 pts) Design: All
aspects of video fit well
together
(15 pts) Parameters:
Concise, but thorough
Excellent
20 - Strong voice
Acceptable
14 - Adequate voice
Needs Improve
8 - Weak voice
20 - Well-organized
14 - Somewhat
organized
8 - No real flow
10 - Excellent effort
7 - Good effort
5 - Minimal effort
15 - 1 ½-2 ½ min
10 – within 15 seconds
5 – Way under or over
(10 pts) Creativity:
Conveys lens and
subject
(10 pts) Visuals: Fit
message and tone of
video
(15 pts.) Content: 5
vocabulary terms or
concepts are used
correctly
10 - Excellent
7 - Good
5 - Minimal
10 - Outstanding
7 - Adequate examples
5 - Visuals distract
15 - Complete
10 - Adequate
5 - Limited
Score: _______________
Name _____________________________________________________