Forming our Government
Welcome to the Forming our Government web-quest. Actually, this is more like a scavenger hunt. Fun, right?! A scavenger hunt in history class?! It just doesn't get much better!!
Throughout this assignment there are three parts. In each part, you must follow the directions to complete the assignment. While you are completing the assignment, you are going to create a PowerPoint presentation. Yes, I want you to be creative! USE pictures! Have any (readable) font you want! Any format! On your PowerPoint, you are to answer the questions in bold on this page. Read through the scavenger hunt and follow the directions!
THIS WILL BE A TEST/PROJECT GRADE--just a heads up!
DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE YOUR PROJECT TO YOUR NAME---NOT YOUR COMPUTER. THE NAME OF YOUR PROJECT MUST BE "Government Webquest." If it is not, there will be a points deduction from your grade!
Slide 1:TITLE PAGE
Part I - The Articles of Confederation - Our First Constitution
After independence was declared, the Founding Fathers needed to form a government. They decided to write the Articles of Confederation.
Slide 2:Who were the founding fathers? (Do not tell me all of their names, but give me a summary of what and how the founding fathers contributed to our nation). Use this link to give me some information about our founding fathers.
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-founding-fathers/
Slide 3:What are the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Click on the following links to find out the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. List at least 4 weaknesses in your PowerPoint.
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/documents/articles/index.html
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution1.htm http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/articles/
Slide 4: What rights were given to the colonists?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/articlesofconfederation1.htm
Slide 5: What powers belonged to the states? What powers belonged to the national government?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/articlesofconfederation2.htm
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
Slide 6: After reading all of the information on the Articles of Confederation, think about the questions below. Choose two to answer in your PowerPoint.
1) Explain what the states wanted from a national government.
2) What kind of union did the states have? (How strong was it?)
3) Which states benefited the most from the Articles of Confederation?
4) Predict what it would be like if the Articles of Confederation still existed today.
Part II - Back to the Drawing Board - Writing the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation were not successful for many reasons. You should have discovered these reasons in part one. When the states realized that they needed to fix the government, they decided to meet in Philadelphia.
Slide 7: What happened in Philadelphia? Read the following links to find out what went on in Philadelphia. (please read each webpage--it will only make sense if you read all of them)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web02/segment4.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web02/segment5.html
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution2.htm (make sure the skim through all of the pages)
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
After much debate the Founding Fathers compromised and agreed on James Madison's Virginia Plan which called for three branches of government. Use the links below to discover what each branch did. For each branch, you will need to tell what the branch did and who is a part of that branch on the federal (national) level.
Slide 8: What is the Legislative Branch?
http://library.thinkquest.org/13506/legis/congress.html
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/government/national/legislative.html
Slide 9: What is the Judicial Branch?
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/government/national/judicial.html
Slide 10: What is the Executive Branch?
http://library.thinkquest.org/13506/exec/exec.html
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/government/national/executive.html
The Founding Fathers learned from their experiences with England and the Articles of Confederation. They knew that the national government needed to have more power, but they did not want it to have too much power. In order to prevent any group from being too powerful, the Constitution set up a system of checks and balances.
Check out these sites to find out more!
Slide 11: Describe the system of checks and balances.
http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_checksandbalances.htm
Play this game to help you better understand the checks and balances system:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usa_game/government/checks_and_balances.htm
Other Links to help you understand checks and balances:
http://library.thinkquest.org/13506/overview/over.html#cnb
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_lessons/3branches/6.htm
Slide 12: How did the Constitution fix the problems that existed under the Articles of Confederation?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution1.htm (make sure to look through all of the pages... there are six)
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
Part III - One more thing... A Bill of Rights
The Founding Fathers reached compromises in Philadelphia, but many states still feared that the individual rights of the people were not protected enough. They demanded that a Bill of Rights be added. Use the links below to answer the following questions.
Slide 13:Who wrote the Bill of Rights?
Slide 14:How many amendments are included in the Bill of Rights?
Slide 15:What do those amendments say?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution6.htm
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/billofrightsdef.htm
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
Once you are completely finished, DO NOT FORGET to save it to your name (NOT your computer), and turn it in to through the "turn in page."
DUE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20th
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to let someone know that you are thankful for them!
Throughout this assignment there are three parts. In each part, you must follow the directions to complete the assignment. While you are completing the assignment, you are going to create a PowerPoint presentation. Yes, I want you to be creative! USE pictures! Have any (readable) font you want! Any format! On your PowerPoint, you are to answer the questions in bold on this page. Read through the scavenger hunt and follow the directions!
THIS WILL BE A TEST/PROJECT GRADE--just a heads up!
DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE YOUR PROJECT TO YOUR NAME---NOT YOUR COMPUTER. THE NAME OF YOUR PROJECT MUST BE "Government Webquest." If it is not, there will be a points deduction from your grade!
Slide 1:TITLE PAGE
Part I - The Articles of Confederation - Our First Constitution
After independence was declared, the Founding Fathers needed to form a government. They decided to write the Articles of Confederation.
Slide 2:Who were the founding fathers? (Do not tell me all of their names, but give me a summary of what and how the founding fathers contributed to our nation). Use this link to give me some information about our founding fathers.
http://www.constitutionfacts.com/us-founding-fathers/
Slide 3:What are the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation? Click on the following links to find out the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. List at least 4 weaknesses in your PowerPoint.
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/documents/articles/index.html
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution1.htm http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/articles/
Slide 4: What rights were given to the colonists?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/articlesofconfederation1.htm
Slide 5: What powers belonged to the states? What powers belonged to the national government?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/articlesofconfederation2.htm
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
Slide 6: After reading all of the information on the Articles of Confederation, think about the questions below. Choose two to answer in your PowerPoint.
1) Explain what the states wanted from a national government.
2) What kind of union did the states have? (How strong was it?)
3) Which states benefited the most from the Articles of Confederation?
4) Predict what it would be like if the Articles of Confederation still existed today.
Part II - Back to the Drawing Board - Writing the Constitution
The Articles of Confederation were not successful for many reasons. You should have discovered these reasons in part one. When the states realized that they needed to fix the government, they decided to meet in Philadelphia.
Slide 7: What happened in Philadelphia? Read the following links to find out what went on in Philadelphia. (please read each webpage--it will only make sense if you read all of them)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web02/segment4.html
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web02/segment5.html
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution2.htm (make sure the skim through all of the pages)
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
After much debate the Founding Fathers compromised and agreed on James Madison's Virginia Plan which called for three branches of government. Use the links below to discover what each branch did. For each branch, you will need to tell what the branch did and who is a part of that branch on the federal (national) level.
Slide 8: What is the Legislative Branch?
http://library.thinkquest.org/13506/legis/congress.html
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/government/national/legislative.html
Slide 9: What is the Judicial Branch?
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/government/national/judicial.html
Slide 10: What is the Executive Branch?
http://library.thinkquest.org/13506/exec/exec.html
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/government/national/executive.html
The Founding Fathers learned from their experiences with England and the Articles of Confederation. They knew that the national government needed to have more power, but they did not want it to have too much power. In order to prevent any group from being too powerful, the Constitution set up a system of checks and balances.
Check out these sites to find out more!
Slide 11: Describe the system of checks and balances.
http://www.congressforkids.net/Constitution_checksandbalances.htm
Play this game to help you better understand the checks and balances system:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/usa_game/government/checks_and_balances.htm
Other Links to help you understand checks and balances:
http://library.thinkquest.org/13506/overview/over.html#cnb
http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/teacher_lessons/3branches/6.htm
Slide 12: How did the Constitution fix the problems that existed under the Articles of Confederation?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution1.htm (make sure to look through all of the pages... there are six)
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
Part III - One more thing... A Bill of Rights
The Founding Fathers reached compromises in Philadelphia, but many states still feared that the individual rights of the people were not protected enough. They demanded that a Bill of Rights be added. Use the links below to answer the following questions.
Slide 13:Who wrote the Bill of Rights?
Slide 14:How many amendments are included in the Bill of Rights?
Slide 15:What do those amendments say?
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/makingoftheconstitution6.htm
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/billofrightsdef.htm
SAVE YOUR POWERPOINT!
Once you are completely finished, DO NOT FORGET to save it to your name (NOT your computer), and turn it in to through the "turn in page."
DUE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20th
Have a Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to let someone know that you are thankful for them!