• Context
• Lesson-Specific Standards
• Teaching the Lesson
• Assessment
• Lesson Materials
• Resources

This lesson addresses the national standards listed below.

From the Center for Civic Education's National Standards for Civics and Government (1994):

Students should

• Understand the meaning and uses of the term “constitution.”
• Be able to explain the various purposes served by constitutions.
• Be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on what conditions contribute to the establishment and maintenance of constitutional government.
• Be able to describe the major characteristics of systems of shared powers and of parliamentary systems.
• Be able to explain the advantages and disadvantages of federal, confederal, and unitary systems of government.
• Be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions on how well alternative forms of representation serve the purposes of constitutional government.

From the National Council for the Social Studies's Expectations of Excellence: Curriculum Standards for Social Studies (1994):

• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.
• Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of ideals, principles, and practices of citizenship in a democratic republic.