US Constitution WebQuest

By Kristy Kilburg

Chinook Elementary

5^th Grade

Introduction  Task  Resources  Process   Evaluation  Conclusion

Introduction

July 4, 1776 , the Declaration of Independence, one of the most famous documents, declared the American colonies free and independent of the British rule.  This was the start of freedom.  A little over a decade later, the Constitution and Bill of Rights came into effect.  They set forth basic laws for our nation, which affects every citizen.  This land is known as America , land of the free and home of the brave.  The Constitution has allowed our country to be strong, free, and fair.

Task

As you talk to the students at Chinook Elementary, you realize many students do not know much about the United States Constitution.  After completing this Webquest you will work on a newspaper article informing other students in the school about the Constitution. You will need to study the Constitution to learn why the Constitution was created and why the Constitution is important.  You will also learn how the Constitution affects our lives.

Your assignment is to write a newspaper article.  Your article should include all of the answers to the questions below.  To answer these questions, you should go to the websites listed in the Research section of this Webquest.  Remember, you are writing for the school newspaper.  You will need to gather the information and present it in the form of a newspaper article.

	What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, resulting in the need for improvement?
	The United States Constitution replaced the Articles of Confederation.  What is a Constitution?
	The Virginia Plan was the starting point of the Constitution.  What did the Virginia Plan provide?
	Ten amendments known as the Bill of Rights were added to the Constitution.  In your own words, what does the first amendment state and how does it affect our lives?

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Resources

Biographies of the Founding Fathers This site will link you to information about the delegates who signed the United States Constitution.

U.S. Constitution #1 This site will link you important information about the United States Constitution.

Dictionary Search This site will allow you to type in any word and will give you its definition.

U.S. Constitution #2 This site will give you important fact about why our Constitution was written and an outline of the United States Constitution.

The Constitution of the United States This site will provide you with text of the Constitution as well as biographies of the delegates who signed the Constitution.

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Process

	Print out the worksheet for the Constitution WebQuest questions (double click on the word worksheet).
	Use the links under the Resource section to search the Internet for the answers.
	With the completion of your answers, begin writing your article.  Remember the audience you are writing for does not have any knowledge about the forming of the Constitution.
	Refer to the Evaluation section to view the rubric in which you will be graded.
	After careful work and revising, you will turn in your final essay typed using Microsoft Word or handwritten neatly.  You will turn this final paper in with the completed WebQuest worksheet.

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Evaluation

Please view the evaluation link by double clicking on the title Evaluation.  Your paper will be graded based on this rubric.    

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Conclusion

Have fun!  With the completion of this assignment you should have some basic understanding of our United States History.  This knowledge will help you with our next unit of study in social studies, The United States Constitution.  The Internet will be your source of gathering the information.  You can do it!

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