Page 55 - Paths to Change

writers of the constitution were concerned that the government would impede the freedoms they fled England to protect. This is great irony, considering a group so preoccupied with their own freedoms found it acceptable to enslave others. 4. The First Amendment was added after the Constitution was signed, indicating it was of high importance. Why is it important to protect the freedoms outlined in the First Amendment? Each of these freedoms allows room for constructive criticism of existing conditions and creates an environment to challenge and change our country based on the will and the voice of the people. Without this Amendment, the citizens’ power to effect change is lost. 5. How might this document be used to show that protesting transforms society? This text points to the power of protests as a tool to enact change. If protests were not an effective means of change, it likely would not have warranted inclusion in an amendment to the original Constitution. The authors of the Constitution felt it meaningful enough, and a great enough error in not including it, that an entirely new document was created to protect their right to protest for change without interference or punishment; thus, proving protests are an effective strategy to shift society. Suggestions to Increase Accessibility Shallow scaffold: o Allow multiple reads, annotating using close reading strategies Medium scaffold: o Front-loadcontent-specificvocabulary Deep scaffold: o Provide a list of mediums and scenarios and ask students whether the first amendment applies to each (students should point to specific words in the amendment to support their response) o Pre-annotate the text The Black Inquiry Project 54