MINIPAGE ACTIVITIES MEET MANY STATE AND NATIONAL EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS. THIS WEEK'S STANDARDS: STUDENTS UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT. (SOCIAL STUDIES: POWER, AUTHORITY AND GOVERNANCE) STUDENTS

MiniPage activities meet many state and national educational standards. This week's standards: Students understand the purpose of government. (Social Studies: Power, Authority and Governance) Students identify key ideals of the United States' democratic republican form of government. (Social Studies: Civic Ideals and Practice)
Activities:
1. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. Pretend you are living in 1919. Make a poster telling people that women should be allowed to vote.
2. Interview several adult family members or friends. Ask them to suggest ideas for the 28th Amendment to the Constitution. What changes would they like to see in the country? Ask them to explain why they would want those changes. What do you think of the changes?
3. Find stories in the newspaper that show people using rights from any of the Amendments 11 to 27. Circle the story and put the amendment number on the story. How many different amendments did you find? What amendments were hard to find?
4. Which amendments (a) made changes in the ways citizens vote, (b) tried to change people's social behavior, (c) directly affect the presidency, and (d) expanded rights for specific groups of people?
5. Each of the amendments to the Constitution was made for an important political, social or historical purpose. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about one of these amendments: 15, 18, 19, 23 or 26. Use these questions to guide your study: What was happening in the country at the time the amendment was proposed? What were the arguments for and against the amendment? How long did it take to pass the amendment, from the time it was proposed to the time it was ratified? How is our country different because of the amendment?