Understanding the Arizona Constitution

Understanding the Arizona Constitution: 2012 Supplement

McClory, T. & McClory, T. (2013). Understanding the Arizona constitution: 2012 supplement (2nd ed.). Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press.

2. Constitution of the United Stateshttp://constitutioncenter.org/media/files/constitution.pdf

3. Constitution of the State of Arizonahttp://www.azleg.gov/const/arizona_constitution.pdf

Electronic Resource1. Original Intent or Evolving Constitution? Two Competing Views on Interpretation

Read “Original Intent or Evolving Constitution? Two Competing Views on Interpretation,” by Perry, from Insights on Law & Society (2004).

http://apps.americanbar.org/publiced/constitutionday/OriginalIntent.pdf

2. Man, Morality, and the United States Constitution

Read “Man, Morality, and the United States Constitution,” by Lambright, from the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law (2015).

3. Does the Federal Government Have Too Much Power?

Watch the video interview clips with legal scholars Jody Freeman and Randy Barnett.

http://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/federalism/does-the-federal-government-have-too-much-power/#.VCW1V8XClZ8

4. The Road to a National Curriculum: The Legal Aspects of the Common Core Standards, Race to the Top, and Conditional Waivers

Read “The Road to a National Curriculum: The Legal Aspects of the Common Core Standards, Race to the Top, and Conditional Waivers,” by Eitel and Talbert, from the Federalist Society (2012) to prepare for Discussion Question 1 in this topic.

http://www.fed-soc.org/publications/detail/the-road-to-a-national-curriculum-the-legal-aspects-of-the-common-core-standards-race-to-the-top-and-conditional-waivers

5. Frequently Asked Questions

Read “Frequently Asked Questions,” from the Common Core State Standards Initiative (2014) to prepare for Discussion Question 1 in this topic.

http://www.corestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/FAQs.pdf

U.S. and Arizona Constitutions for Teacher Candidates

ASSIGNMENT WEEK 1

Constitution Day Presentation

The following principles have been recognized as core tenets of the U.S. Constitution:

Checks and balances

Federalism

Judicial review

Limited government

Popular sovereignty

Separation of powers

Create a 12-15 slide PowerPoint presentation to educate a group of students or adults about the core tenets listed above for an upcoming Constitution Day celebration in a school setting. You may select a grade level 1-12, teachers, or parents as your audience. Please specify your intended audience and include other pertinent information within the presenter’s notes. Your presentation should be engaging and appropriate for your chosen audience.

In addition to your PowerPoint, include a 250-500-word essay describing two interactive learning activities for your intended audience to coincide with your presentation.

APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.

Discussion Questions  Topic 1: Discussion Question 1- word count 200 to 250

Based on the “Road to a National Curriculum” article and the “Frequently Asked Questions” from the Common Core Standards Initiative, do you think that the Common Core Initiative violates federalism?  Defend your position with examples from the U.S. Constitution or other readings.

Topic 1: Discussion Question 2- word count 200 to 250

Based on your understanding of the separation of powers, which branch of government has exercised the most power regarding Race to the Top, Common Core standards, and its assessments?  Which has exercised the least?  Defend your position with examples from the U.S. Constitution or other readings.