Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03
Lesson: 02
Suggested Duration: 3 days
La Declaración de Derechos
Lesson Synopsis:
Students learn about the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and compare the documents to the Texas documents.
TEKS:
4.15
4.15A
4.15C
Government. The student understands important ideas in historical documents of Texas and the United States. The
student is expected to:
Identify the purposes and explain the importance of the Texas Declaration of Independence, the Texas Constitution
and other documents such as the Meusebach Comanche Treaty.
Identify the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of
Rights (Celebrate Freedom Week)
Social Studies Skills TEKS:
4.21
4.21A
4.21B
4.21C
Social studies skills. The student applies critical thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a
variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
Differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews;
biographies; oral, print, and visual material; documents; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States
and Texas
Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting,
finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and
conclusions
Organize and interpret information in outlines, reports, databases, and visuals, including graphs, charts, timelines,
and maps
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Performance Indicator(s):

Compare the founding documents of Texas and the United States. Identify similarities and differences in a news
story for the local newspaper. (4.15C; 4.21A, 4.21B, 4.21C)
5B
Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:

Los derechos de las personas están protegidos tanto por el estado como por los gobiernos federales.
— ¿Cuál es el propósito e importancia de los documentos históricos fundamentales de los Estados Unidos?
— ¿Cuál es el propósito e importancia de los documentos históricos fundamentales de Texas?
— ¿En qué se parecen los documentos históricos fundamentales de los Estados Unidos y de Texas?
Vocabulary of Instruction:

libertad

Constitución

Declaración
Materials:

Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.
Attachments:







Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards (cut apart, 1 set per student or group)
Handout: Bill of Rights Sentence Stems (optional, 1 per student)
Handout: Texas Bill of Rights (1 per student)
Handout: Purpose of Founding Documents (1 per student)
Teacher Resource: Purpose of Founding Documents KEY
Handout: Compare Founding Documents (1 per student)
Handout: News Story (optional, 1 per student)
©2012, TESCCC
04/28/13
page 1 of 5
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Resources and References:


The Bill of Rights from the National Archives http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html
Transcription of the Bill of Rights from the National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
Advance Preparation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson.
Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.
Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.
Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.
Prepare materials and handouts as needed.
Background Information:
Texas Declaration of Independence –
 1836 – Written when Texas declared independence from Mexico; patterned after the United States document.
Constitution of the Republic of Texas –
 Written hastily in 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/mhc01.
 Patterned after the U.S. Constitution.
Texas State Constitution –
 1876 Constitution of the State of Texas: http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/constitutions/text/1876index.html
(Constitution still in force).
 There have been seven Texas constitutions: the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, the 1836 Constitution of the
Republic of Texas, the state constitutions of 1845 (written when Texas became a state), 1861 (amendment never
submitted to voters seceding from Union and joining Confederacy), 1866 (rejoining the U.S.), 1869
(Reconstruction Constitution), and the current constitution, which took effect on February 15, 1876.
 Both U.S. and Texas constitutions provide for federalism, a separation of powers, checks and balances, and a bill
of rights.
 Comparison:
 Both are bicameral (2 houses, House of Representatives and Senate).
 Both set up a system of limited government with 3 branches (Executive, Judicial, Legislative).
 Both state the duties of major officials and spell out how voters select those officials.
 Both include a Bill of Rights.
 U.S. Constitution added the Bill of Rights (1st 10 amendments); Texas Constitution built in the Bill of
Rights, including it in the Constitution as Article I.
 U.S. Constitution was written and signed in 1787 and has been amended 27 times; Texas Constitution
has been rewritten several times, current Constitution was written in 1876.
 In U.S. Constitution there is strong separation of powers and a strong executive; Texas Constitution has a
weak executive (power is divided between several elected officials).
 U.S. Constitution is relatively short (7,400 words, 27 amendments); Texas Constitution is long and
specifically spells out much policy (80,000+ words, 400+ amendments).
 U.S. Constitution is the highest law in the land; principle of federalism applies to the Texas Constitution,
which cannot go against the U.S. Constitution.
Texas Bill of Rights –
 33 sections (originally 29, amended to include others); members of the constitutional convention at the time were
writing in reaction to perceived abuses by the national and state governments under the Radical Republicans.
 Written so “That the general, great and essential principles of liberty and free government may be recognized and
established…”
 The U.S. Constitution added the Bill of Rights as the first ten amendments; the Texas Constitution puts the Bill of
Rights at the beginning in Article I.
 Comparison of the Texas Bill of Rights and the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Parallels between the U.S. and Texas founding documents:
 The government of England became oppressive, so the colonists wrote the Declaration of Independence to
declare their independence from England. When the colonists won that war, they needed a government. They
©2012, TESCCC
04/28/13
page 2 of 5
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02

wrote the Constitution to set up a system of limited government. They further wanted to make sure individual
rights were protected, so they wrote the U.S. Bill of Rights.
The government of Mexico became oppressive, so the settlers in the Mexican state of Tejas wrote the Declaration
of Independence to declare their independence from Mexico. They knew they would need a government. They
drew heavily on the U.S. Constitution to write a constitution to set up a system of limited government for the new
Republic of Texas (1836). When the Republic of Texas joined the United States (1845) and became the state of
Texas, a state constitution was written, and then rewritten several times in response to various events. The 1876
version is the Texas State Constitution still in place. The writers of the Texas State Constitution (1876) further
wanted to make sure individual rights were protected, so they wrote the Texas Bill of Rights.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION SUPPLEMENTAL PLANNING DOCUMENT
Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners.
The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus
Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page.
All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
ENGAGE – Rights
1. Group students in groups of 2-3 students.
2. Say:
 In the last lesson, we learned about the Declaration of
Independence, where we heard the famous words:
 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of Happiness.”
 We also learned that the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution
to set up the government for the new nation, the United States of
America.
 The Constitution the Framers wrote set up the government for the
new country. It spelled out what the government could do, but it
did not say what the government could not do. People wanted
strong guarantees that the new government would not trample on
their newly won freedoms. The Bill of Rights, the first ten
amendments to the Constitution, lists the rights of Americans.
 Thomas Jefferson said, “A Bill of Rights is what the people are
entitled to against every government…”
NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1 – 10 minutes
Materials:
 The Bill of Rights from the National
Archives:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/cha
rters/bill_of_rights.html
3. Project/display the Bill of Rights from the National Archives and briefly
discuss.
4. Add further background by saying:
 The opening of the Bill of Rights says this:
 “The conventions of a number of the States having at the time
of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order
to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further
declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added.”
 This means that the states, in order to keep the government
from abusing its power, wanted assurances added to the
Constitution. The Framers added statements to limit the power
of the government and thus protect the rights of the individual
– the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of
Rights.
EXPLORE – Bill of Rights.
©2012, TESCCC
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 15 minutes
04/28/13
page 3 of 5
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
1. Say:
 Think back to what we learned about the Declaration of
Independence and the grievances (complaints) the colonists
voiced about the English government. Many of the amendments
in the Bill of Rights address the same concerns voiced in the
grievances. The Bill of Rights makes sure our rights are
protected.
Materials:
 transcription of the Bill of Rights from
the National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/cha
rters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html
2. Distribute the Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards.
Attachments:
 Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards
(cut apart, 1 set per student or
group)
3. While still projecting/displaying the Bill of Rights from the National Archives,
teacher reads the actual wording of the primary source document, The Bill
of Rights. (See the transcription on the National Archives site.)
4. Students, in groups of two to three, match the amendment with the
explanation and visual while the teacher reads the actual wording.
5. Student groups discuss each amendment as they match the cards to build
a matrix.
EXPLAIN – U.S. Bill of Rights
1. Students complete the following sentence stems:
 The Founding Fathers made sure the Bill of Rights was added to
the Constitution because…
 One important amendment is ____.
 It is important because …
EXPLORE – Texas Bill of Rights
1. With students still in their small groups (2-3 students), distribute the
Handout: Texas Bill of Rights.
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
Attachments:
 Handout: Bill of Rights Sentence
Stems (optional, 1 per student)
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
Materials:
 Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards
from earlier Explore
2. Using the Handout: U.S. Bill of Rights Cards from the earlier Explore,
students work in pairs to compare the Texas Bill of Rights to the U.S. Bill of Attachments:
Rights. Student identify with a checkmark each right listed in the Texas Bill  Handout: Texas Bill of Rights (1
of Rights that is the same as in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
per student or group)
3. Facilitate a brief discussion comparing the U.S. and Texas documents.
(see background information, above), making sure students understand
that both the federal and state founding documents (Bill of Rights) protect
individual rights.
Possible Answers (others are possible with solid explanation)
Section 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 23, 25, 27
EXPLAIN – Texas Documents
1. Still in their groups, students complete the comparison (Venn Diagram and
sentence stems) at the bottom of the Handout: Texas Bill of Rights and
share their ideas with the class.
EXPLORE – Comparing Texas and U.S. Documents
1. Distribute the Handout: Purpose of Founding Documents.
2. Tell the story of the U.S. founding documents and the Texas founding
documents. Emphasize the parallels between the events and the writing of
the documents and provide information on how the documents compare.
During the discussion, guide students to fill in the handout and help them
draw conclusions about the purpose of the documents. (See Background
©2012, TESCCC
04/28/13
Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
Materials:
 Handout: Texas Bill of Rights from
earlier Explore
Suggested Day 2 – 20 minutes
Materials:
 Article “BROAD-MINDED MEN OF
TEXAS.; Pioneers of the Lone Star
State, with Rare Forethought, Laid
Its Foundations Well and Strong”
from the NYT content repository on
Project Share
page 4 of 5
Grade 4
Social Studies
Unit: 03 Lesson: 02
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
Information, above. Use information provided and/or add other information
as needed.)
3. Facilitate a discussion to answer questions that may arise.
EXPLAIN – Comparing Texas and U.S. Documents
Attachments:
 Handout: Purpose of Founding
Documents (1 per student)
 Teacher Resource: Purpose of
Founding Documents KEY
1. In pairs, students take turns telling the stories of the U.S. and Texas
founding documents, using academic vocabulary and emphasizing the
sequence of events and the purpose and importance of the documents.
2. Teacher circulates, listening to ensure correct information is being relayed.
Suggested Day 2 (cont’d) – 10 minutes
Materials:
 Handout: Purpose of Founding
Documents completed in the
Explore section above
ELABORATE
Suggested Day 2 (cont’d) – 20 minutes
1. Students contribute to a class discussion where they use academic
language to answer the guiding questions and provide evidence to support
the Key Understanding:
 Individual rights are protected both by the state and federal
governments.
— What is the purpose and importance of the founding
documents of the United States?
— What are the purpose and importance of the founding
documents of Texas?
— How do the founding documents of the United States and
Texas compare?
EVALUATE – Compare U.S. and Texas Founding documents

Compare the founding documents of Texas with the founding documents
of the United States. Identify similarities and differences in a news story
for the local newspaper. (4.15C; 4.21A, 4.21B, 4.21C)
1. Distribute the Handout: Compare Founding Documents and, if desired,
the Handout: News Story to help students complete the Performance
Indicator.
2. Use a rubric to evaluate student learning.
©2012, TESCCC
04/28/13
Suggested Day 3 – 50 minutes
Attachments:
 Handout: Compare Founding
Documents (1 per student)
 Handout: News Story (optional, 1
per student)
Instructional Note:
Newspaper articles require a different
style of writing from what is used when
writing a story. A news article has all of
the important information in the opening
paragraph. Parts of a news article:
 Headline: a short, attention-getting
statement about the event.
 Byline: who wrote the story
 Lead paragraph: Put ALL the “who,
what, when, where, why and how” in
the opening sentence(s) of the
article.
 Explanation: After the lead
paragraph, the writer decides what
other facts or details the reader
might want to know. The writer must
make sure that any important
questions are answered. This
section can also include direct
quotes from witnesses or
bystanders.
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