The English Learner Collaborations project has added new lesson plan examples to the Emerging America website that demonstrate the use of scaffolds and supports for English Learners. 

When the Founding generation talked about the pursuit of happiness they had specific ideas in mind– a tranquility or contentment–the ability to look back on one’s life and feel satisfied with one’s decisions and behavior. To that generation, living a virtuous life was key to human happiness.

Kelley Brown, The Pursuit of Happiness: 

A new lesson, appropriate for 8th grade civics and adaptable for other grades, asks: What impact did the Magna Carta have on the U.S. Constitution and the shaping of the 14th Amendment? With a particular emphasis placed on the due process of law, students analyze and organize primary source documents ranging from a British Court of Common Pleas from 1610 to Chief Justice Warren’s notes on Miranda v. Arizona in 1966.

“...establish justice…” “...promote the general welfare….” “...secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity…”   Just in time for election day, here is a simple lesson on the founding goals for the government of the United States, adaptable for all grade levels.