Classroom Based Assessment
Constitutional Issues
Your Name
Your Teacher & Period
Date
Constitutional Issue
• Your Issue Related to the
Constitution is Free Speech during
times of War
Research Question
• “How can you balance the right to free speech
and the ability of the government to
effectively wage war?”
State Your Position
• Take a position on the subject (I am in favor of
stricter speech controls during wartime
because… or I am against stricter speech
controls during wartime because…-- obviously
you need to be more eloquent than that but it
gets the point across). Your Project will argue
your point, like a persuasive essay, using solid
facts, established court cases/government
policies, and the Constitution to strengthen
your argument.
Advocate for Your Position
• Explain how you would advocate
and
promote your position at the local, state, or
national level:
(to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly)
Source:
Opposite View Point
• Present a logical position that goes against
your position. Meaning, if you are in support
of stricter speech control you need to present
a logical, realistic argument in support of less
strict speech control. By doing this you are
acknowledging that there are at least 2 sides
to every issue.
• Logical argument against your position:
Source:
Refute the Argument
• Why this argument doesn’t work:
Source:
Connect Your Issue to the Constitution
• Look through the First Amendment. How
does this address your issue? Is there more
than one component of the First Amendment
that applies? If not in the amendment, what
about the articles? The Preamble?
• Part(s) of Constitution Connected to your
issue:
Source:
Four Court Cases and a Government
Policy related to your position
• Court Case(1) Schenck v. United States
• Date:
• Names:
• What Happened:
• How this upheld the Constitution:
Source:
Four Court Cases and a Government
Policy related to your position
• Court Case(2)
• Date:
• Names:
• What Happened:
• How this upheld the Constitution:
Source:
Four Court Cases and a Government
Policy related to your position
• Court Case(3)
• Date:
• Names:
• What Happened:
• How this upheld the Constitution:
Source:
Four Court Cases and a Government
Policy related to your position
• Court Case(4)
• Date:
• Names:
• What Happened:
• How this upheld the Constitution:
Source:
Four Court Cases and a Government
Policy related to your position
• Government Policy:
• Date:
• Names:
• What Happened:
• How this upheld the Constitution:
Source:
Individual Right(s) Connected to Your Issue
• Fundamental rights and basic liberties of
individuals such as those mentioned in
the Declaration of Independence
(equality, life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness) and the Bill of Rights
(freedom of expression, religion, rights of
the accused, and property rights).
Source:
How the Common Good is Connected to Your
Issue: This should be your own opinion backed up
by a source
• Promote the General Welfare/Common Good:
Ex. "The legitimate object of government is to
do for a community of people whatever they
need to have done, but cannot do at all, or
cannot so well do for themselves in their
separate capacities." Abraham Lincoln,
"Fragment on Government,“ 1854
Source:
Thesis Statement
• THESIS: State your position on the
Constitutional Issue balancing the individual
right with the common good.
Thesis Builder and Online Outliner
http://www.ozline.com/electraguide/thesis.php
Bibliographic Citation A: (primary or secondary)
• (Citation)
• Is it credible? How do you know?
Bibliographic Citation B: (primary or secondary)
• (Citation)
• Is it credible? How do you know?
Bibliographic Citation C: (primary or secondary)
• (Citation)
• Is it credible? How do you know?
Bibliographic Citation D: (primary or secondary)
• (Citation)
• Is it credible? How do you know?
Bibliographic Citation E: (primary or secondary)
• (Citation)
• Is it credible? How do you know?