The Bill of Rights Annotated Close Read – Civics & American Government

In these Bill of Rights Annotated Close Reads for Civics and American History, students close read and think critically about the first ten Amendments to the United States Constitution. The full text of each Amendment is included, surrounded by critical thinking questions that help students understand the language and impact of each Amendment, while a review at the end of the activity tests comprehension of the main ideas. This resource is perfect for middle and high school Civics, American Government, and American History students!

Aligned to the following Florida State Standards for Middle School Civics:

• SS.7.CG.2.3: Identify and apply the rights contained in the Bill of Rights and other amendments to the U.S. Constitution. 
• SS.7.CG.2.4: Explain how the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights safeguard individual rights. 

This resource includes:

✯ The First 10 Amendments to the United States Constitution, with pacing wide enough for students to underline, circle, and annotate the text! 

✯ Questions in the margins and beneath the text guide students towards a deeper understanding of the language, intent, and impact of our Bill of Rights freedoms and protections. Students are asked to define key vocabulary, interpret the language of the text, think critically about the main ideas behind each Amendment, and apply the freedoms and protections in the Bill of Rights to example scenarios and Supreme Court Cases. 

Questions include:

• What two things is Congress not allowed to do when it comes to religion?
• What would happen if we lost our First Amendment rights? Think about each of the freedoms and consider what might happen if the government could interfere in each of them.
• In District of Columbia v. Heller, the Supreme Court ruled that a law banning handguns and requiring that weapons kept in the home for self-defense be stored unloaded and disassembled was unconstitutional. Why do you think this law violated the Second Amendment? 
• What kind of searches does the Fourth Amendment prohibit?
• Due process is when a person accused of a crime is given rights, treated fairly according to written laws, and allowed a trial to determine their guilt or innocence. What would happen to our criminal justice system if this protection was taken away? 

✯ A review worksheet at the end of the activity gives overview questions to ensure comprehension, as well as a chance to exercise a little creativity as students illustrate a protest sign defending one of their Constitutional rights. 

This resource is presented as a non-editable PDF and includes an Answer Key. There is also a digital version available through TPT Easel, which can be assigned directly to Google Classroom or shared with your students via a link!

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