Freedom, Opportunity, Equality - Lesson #1 (Grades 3-5)
Objective(s)
Students will identify one or more basic rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights or another amendment, and bring this to life in a song.
Standards Addressed
Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion.
Essential Understandings
We add amendments — additional rights— to The Constitution so that it guarantees rights to all Americans
These amendments have improved the Constitution over time
We need to keep amending the Constitution
Key Vocabulary
Constitution
Bill of Rights
Amendment
Lyrics
Materials Needed
“Freedom, Opportunity, Equality” song from We Stood Up
The lyrics to “Freedom, Opportunity, Equality”
A copy of the Bill of Rights
Introduction
1. Read aloud pages of the Bill of Rights.
2. Prompt for students to reflect on in writing, or via Turn and Talk: What is one “right” named here that you think matters a lot? What does it promise us?
3. Share out some responses.
4. Ask: Does the Bill of Rights give every American everything they need? (No. That is why we have added more amendments to the constitution for hundreds of years)
5. What is missing, in your opinion? What rights do you think should be included in new amendments?
Lesson
1. “Listen to this song “Freedom, Opportunity, Equality,” from We Stood Up. It is talking about Americans having freedom, opportunity, and equality. We will listen and read along with the lyrics. While we do this, I want you to listen for which #Amendment set enslaved people free.”
2. Distribute the lyrics and templates and play the song. Tell students: “While you listen, underline the lyrics that name the rights that this song says all Americans should have.”
3. Discuss students’ annotations as a class. Ask: “What are some more rights that you think are important for Americans to have?” Together, read the list below that summarizes some important amendments to the Constitution and gives the year when the amendment was signed into law.
4. Generate some model triads of good things that come with each amendment with students. Examples:
a. With Freedom of Religion: Praying, Praising, Community
b. With Freedom of the Press: Truth, Information, Independence
c. With Voting: Power, Choosing, Justice
5. Have students work independently or with partners to select the amendment that they want to write a song about.
1789, 1st Amendment: Freedom of religion
1789, 1st Amendment: Freedom of the press (news and newspapers can’t be controlled by the government)
1789, 1st Amendment: Freedom of assembly (people can get together peacefully)
1865, 13th Amendment: No slavery
1870, 15th Amendment: All (male) US citizens can vote
1919, 19th Amendment: Female US citizens (women!) can vote
1964, 24th Amendment: You can’t make people pay or pass a test to vote
6. Students can use the templates to write new versions of this song, highlighting the amendments and rights of their choice. They can sing or rap over the instrumental track, and record it on a phone. They can alternatively write and illustrate their lyrics on a colorful poster.
Assignment
Use a provided template (fewest scaffolds, or highly scaffolded version) to write your own version of this song. Lyrics may be written on these templates or reproduced on a poster.
Dig Deeper/Extensions (Optional)
Record students’ performances of their songs using a simple recording program like Audacity or Garageband, or let them sing/rap over the track while it is playing and record this on a phone.
Have students use the template to write a new song about a right Americans need but which is not (yet) detailed in an amendment to the Constitution.
Civics Journal (Optional)
Write about a time when your rights, or the rights of someone you know were not respected. Be descriptive. Show rather than tell so the reader can see what you saw and feel what you felt.
Online Adaptation
1. Open the lesson with a video recording explaining the Bill of Rights for students.
2. Embed the video link and prompts in an interactive program like Peardeck or Nearpod.
3. Next, have students listen to the We Stood Up song “Freedom, Opportunity, Equality” and read along with the lyrics.
4. Share a slide or screen showing key amendments above (#1, 13, 15, 19, 24). Ask students to choose and explain their choices.
5. Choose an amendment, and use the template to begin creating your own version of “Freedom, Opportunity, Equality” as a model for students. Once you check for understanding, let them create their own songs.
Grades K to 2 Grades 6 to 8 Grades 7 to12 Bill of Rights Videos
Freedom Webquest- Lesson #2 (Grades 3-5)
In this webquest you will hear and see examples of different ways people have tried to move this county forward to freedom, opportunity, and equality for all Americans. Click on all the links, listen to the words and music, and fill in your responses below.
1. Go to ABRAHAM LINCOLN’S ‘MAY OUR CHILDREN’ where you hear Abraham Lincoln’s words. How long does Lincoln expect the benefits of FREEDOM to last?
2. Go to WHAT IS FREEDOM? PART 1: JULIAN BOND, JOHN LEWIS, AND ANDREW YOUNG. What is a civil right?
3. Julian Bond, John Lewis, and Andrew Young say what freedom means to them, including the following terms which you see below in a word cloud:
4. Go to FREEDOM, OPPORTUNITY, EQUALITY and listen to the song. MAKE A WORD CLOUD of what freedom means to you.
5. What if a friend said to you, “Freedom means we have no responsibilities”? Listen to the song FREE TO BE. Think about the lyrics, and fill in the blank below with a response to your friend who said that freedom means no responsibilities:
“Actually, freedom means _______________________________________________!”