The Bill of Rights is a foundational document of American democracy, much like the Nuremberg Laws were a foundational document of the Reichstag of Nazi Germany. But that's where their similarities end. Engage high schoolers in a discussion about the documents, including the rights both allotted and denied to various citizens, and encourage them to view the primary sources through different historical perspectives.

Concepts

the nuremberg trials, nazism, the holocaust, the bill of rights, informational texts, controversial topics, american democracy, totalitarianism, primary source analysis, primary sources

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Incorporate into a lesson on totalitarianism or when working toward a World War II unit
• Have members of a campus tolerance group review the activity during a meeting
• Prompt learners to choose a class discussion question to base an argument essay

Classroom Considerations

• Inform parents before you plan to implement the lesson in class; make the objectives, procedures, and connections to your unit as clear as possible
• Consider eliminating the role-play part of the lesson if you deem it too controversial for class members to pretend to be Nazi sympathizers
• Does not include a rubric
• Based on a visit to the Museum of Tolerance, but applicable to a classroom with an appropriate amount of background information

Pros

• Thought-provoking twist to a typical lesson on the Bill of Rights
• Provides multiple options for formative and summative assessment

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.11-12.1 RI.11-12.2 SL.11-12.1.a RH.11-12.1 RH.11-12.2