GREAT FALLS — A Sacajawea Elementary School class spent this week exploring something much bigger: the foundation of American democracy.
Constitution Day, which commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, is on September 17. This was an ideal opportunity for educator Kristin McDermott to make history relatable to her young students.
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McDermott clarified, "I try to put it into kid-friendly terms." "When we talk about those big words, then we can always use a different one."
By introducing terms like "union," "justice," and "welfare" through classroom examples, children learned that the Constitution functions similarly to their own set of rules, upholding law and order, encouraging equity, and guaranteeing that everyone is treated with kindness.
One student remarked, "It would be crazy, and we would just get hurt a lot if we didn't have rules."
Olivia and Derek, first graders, demonstrated their grasp of justice and liberty by citing the classroom norms of sharing, kindness, and fairness.
To symbolically relate their daily lives to the country's founding ideals, McDermott's kids also created bald eagle crafts, studied the Preamble, and even wrote their own classroom constitution.
The children gained an initial grasp of democracy, liberties, and their responsibilities as future citizens through these courses.
