. . . THE CITIZEN AND THE CONSTITUTION

The primary goal of We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution is to promote civic competence and responsibility among the nation's elementary and secondary students.  What makes the program so successful is the design of its instructional program, including its innovative culminating activity. 

The foundation of the program is the classroom curriculum. It complements the regular school curriculum by providing upper elementary, middle, and high school students with an innovative course of instruction on the history and principles of constitutional democracy in the United States. The textbooks are designed for a wide range of student abilities and may be used as a supplemental text or for a full semester of study.  Critical thinking exercises, problem-solving activities, and cooperative learning techniques help develop intellectual and participatory skills while increasing students' understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy. After studying the textbook, students take a multiple-choice test and prepare for the simulated congressional hearing.  Upon completion of the course, they receive a certificate of achievement.

Participants hold a simulated congressional hearing as the culminating activity for the program.  The entire class, working in cooperative teams, prepares and presents statements before a panel of community representatives who act as congressional committee members.  Students then answer questions posed by the committee members.  The format provides students an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles while providing teachers with an excellent means of assessing performance.  Teachers may engage their students in the simulated hearing activity at the following levels:

• Elementary and middle school level classes may conduct noncompetitive hearings in front of a classroom or auditorium-size audience with community members acting as judges.
• Teachers at the high school level may conduct a noncompetitive hearing, but are encouraged to participate in the state and national competitive program. High school competition begins at the congressional district level with teams from each school vying for the district championship. District winners go on to compete at a statewide hearing, and state champions travel to Washington, D. C. to represent their state in the national finals. While in Washington, students also have an opportunity to visit historic sites and meet with members of Congress and other dignitaries.

On February 4, 2008, students from Bountiful High, Cottonwood High, Mountain Crest High, Orem High, and Sky View High participated in the State Competition at the University of Utah Student Union Building. Sky View won first, Mountain Crest won second place, and Orem High School came in third. Sky View High School represented Utah at the National Competition om Washington, D. C. The 2009 High School Competition will be held February 2.

On May 8, 2008, students from Bountiful Junior, Centennial Middle, Elk Ridge Middle, Pleasant Grove Junior, and Sunset Ridge Middle participated in the State mock congressional hearings at the University of Utah. Centennial Middle school won first place, Pleasant Grove Junior came in second, and Sunset Ridge Junior High placed third. The 2009 Junior High School Competition will be held on January 29.

Schools or teachers interested in participating in the Program can contact their Congressional District Coordinator. They are:

• Congressional District One Coordinator, (to be announced)
• Congressional District Two Coordinator, Dawn Hauser, 801-646-5443, dawn.hauser@granite.k12.ut.us
• Congressional District Three Coordinator, Matt Logan, 801-227-8765, logam754@alpine.k12.ut.us

Teachers interested in the "nuts and bolts" of teaching the program to secondary students as well as resource web sites can visit Utah's We the People web site here.

Teachers interested in attending a Regional We the People Summer Institute can check out the Center for Civic Education's web site at http://www.civiced.org

Alumni of the We the People Program are invited to participate either as student mentors or judges. If you are interested, please contact Taliana Pasi, Utah's Alumni Representative, at taliana@hawaii.edu or you may sign up on the Center for Civic Education's web site at http://www.civiced.org/

UPCOMING EVENTS

• September 17: CONSTITUTION DAY -- Lesson Plans to assist in the celebration of the United States Constitution are available from the Center for Civic Education at http://www.civiced.org. These lessons are designed to fulfill the federal mandate that every school--from elementary and secondary schools to colleges and universities-provide instruction on the U.S. Constitution on Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, September 17, the anniversary of the document's signing.

• February 2, 2009: We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution High School Competition at the University of Utah.

• January 29, 2009: We the People . . . The Citizen and the Constitution Junior High/Middle School Competition and Project Citizen Showcase at the University of Utah.