Constitution Inquiry

Synthesize and Evaluate

Thomas Jefferson said, “I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times.” Excerpted from a letter to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816.

Things to think about:

• What is the connection between Jefferson's quote and our inquiry statement, The Constitution is a living document?

• How do changing values and events in American history continue to shape the Constitution?

• Consider the current event, landmark case, and historical event that you have chosen. How have these events and cases led to change in The Constitution?

• How does your analysis, so far, show how the Constitution is a living document?

Communicate Your Ideas
Use your new knowledge, your thinking and your creativity to develop a podcast to communicate your ideas to a specific audience.

Plan for podcast (5 minutes maximum)

• Decide what type of podcast you want to do: (speech, conversation, interview, panel discussion, informational lecture with audio inserts, storytelling, etc)

• Write the script. Be creative in your choices. Who is your audience?

• Practice

• Record your podcast. See the tutorials below. Be creative in your presentation.