Virginia Leaders’ Impact on America’s Founding

Lesson 1: Virginia’s Declaration of Rights (part 1)
Time Estimated: 1 day
Objectives:

Students will:

  1. Connect main ideas in Virginia’s Declaration of Rights to its author (George Mason)
  2. Place this document in its historical context.
Materials:
Strategies:
  1. Hook: Display picture of George Mason (www.gunstonhall.com/georgemason) via LCD projector.
  2. Ask students what they already know about Mason (prior knowledge).
  3. Teacher provides a summary description of the colonies during the American Revolution (based on historical background and earlier lessons), and points out the need for a listing of rights and freedoms guaranteed to all.
  4. Ask why George Mason is important to Virginia (see historical background).
  5. Ask what important world event was taking placed at this time (American Revolution)? Why would it be important for Virginians to have a guarantee of free speech and religion? (That’s partly what the war was being fought over).
  6. Ask students what was going on in America at the same time as Virginia is making it’s own government and writing a Declaration of Rights (the Revolutionary War, Declaration of Independence). Students may refer to their own copies of the timeline they’re making, using one column for America and a separate column for Virginia.
  7. Students add the Declaration of Rights to their Virginia section of timeline notice that the Declaration of Independence is written only one month later.
  8. Direct students to the actual declaration (review what a declaration is-an important statement), found at http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/
    virginia_declaration_of_rights.html    , displayed via LCD projector.
  9. Read aloud Section 1, and demonstrate think-aloud reasoning as teacher answers these questions and writes answers on the board:
    • What are the key words?
    • What does this section say?
    • What does that mean?
    • What does this look like? **For this, students may either act it out or draw a picture on poster board.
  10. Divide class into five groups. Students are to read one section of the Declaration, then report back to the class. Assign these sections of the Declaration, one to each group: Sections 9, 11, 12, 13 and 16. Students are to read only their section and answer the questions above.
    Teacher’s Note: Virginia Declaration of Rights section main points:
    Section 9: Excessive bails, cruel and unusual punishment
    Section 11: Trial by jury
    Section 12: Freedom of the press
    Section 13: Well-regulated militia is the proper and safe defense of a free state
    Section 16: Religion can be directed only by reason and conviction.
  11. Teacher circulates throughout class, making sure that students understand what to do, based on teacher’s modeling before.
  12. Closing: Call for students’ attention, reassure those who haven’t finished that tomorrow we will finish the group work, and present our Sections of the Declaration to the class. “Today we read a section of the Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason, and we illustrated what that right looks like.”
Differentiation:

Hard copies of Declaration will also be on hand for students to analyze up close and write on and highlight. Students may either act out or draw a picture of the Section of the Declaration as they finish their group work.