This unit addresses the value of our rights and explores the responsibilities citizens must fulfill in order to protect their rights. Students often have misconceptions as to the true meaning and value of “rights.” Through active participation and many opportunities for reflective thought, learners will come to understand the origin and meaning of their rights in a personal and intellectual way. Examination of responsibilities associated with these rights, including the responsibility to promote the common welfare, is also a key component of this unit. The teacher, volunteers, and/or students will need to arrange interviews with community members in preparation for Lesson Three. Consideration of the common welfare will lead to the experiential component of this unit in which the learner will create a poster illustrating ways of fulfilling the responsibilities associated with the rights, benefits, and well-being of all.

The learner will:

• explain the purpose of the Constitution and the Preamble to the Constitution.
• identify the Bill of Rights as the origin of our guaranteed rights and explain why it was added to the Constitution.
• describe the social contract between cities and their government and give an example of how nonprofit organizations and their government carry out this contract.
• identify and describe five rights guaranteed to citizens in the Bill of Rights.
• evaluate whether desired actions are constitutionally guaranteed rights.
• state reasons for protecting guaranteed rights.
• explain and defend views regarding reasonable limits for guaranteed rights.
• describe the role of nonprofit organizations in preserving and promoting guaranteed rights.
• describe sources of responsibilities.
• list responsibilities associated with corresponding rights.
• predict the consequences of fulfilling or not fulfilling responsibilities.
• identify ways of fulfilling responsibilities to protect the rights of all and promote the common welfare through voluntary action.
• demonstrate how the guaranteed rights in the Bill of Rights promote the common welfare.

The unit assessment contains three parts which require higher level thinking and responses from students. In the first part, the student must identify one of the five basic guaranteed rights from a written description. In the second part, students must decide whether or not an action is protected by a guaranteed right as well as recall important ideas regarding founding documents. Finally, in part three, students must construct a written response regarding a right and associated responsibilities, and then take a stand regarding the right to vote. A point value for each part is not given. Teachers may decide how they wish to evaluate the assessment. Equal or "weighted" value may be assigned to the three parts of the assessment

The Instructional Procedure of the lessons in this unit emphasizes the use of cooperative grouping as a predominant approach. Teachers can alter this approach, yet maintain the content necessary for teaching the concepts. The assessments in the lessons also rely on student collaboration and teacher involvement as the learners acquire a firm grasp of the objectives. The final unit assessment provides the opportunity for individual assessment of learning.