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History, Civics & Social Studies · Grade 12

Constitutional Principles and Institutions

Learners study the principles built into the US Constitution (popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, rule of law and judicial review) through the text of Articles I–III, V and VI, Federalist No. 51 and Marbury v. Madison. They calculate the supermajorities the Constitution requires and evaluate how its institutions divide and limit power.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 135 minutes
  • Constitutional principles check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, highlight a text, match pairs, type a number and put in order
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What learners will discover

  • Explain the Constitution's core principles and the reasoning behind them, using Federalist No. 51.
  • Analyze the powers of Congress, the President and the courts under Articles I–III.
  • Explain checks and balances, including judicial review as established in Marbury v. Madison.
  • Explain federalism, the Supremacy Clause and the Article V amendment process, including the supermajorities required.

Lessons

  1. Principles of the Constitution 5 steps3 practiceabout 33 min
  2. Three branches 5 steps3 practiceabout 33 min
  3. Checks, balances and judicial review 6 steps4 practiceabout 34 min
  4. Federalism and amendment 5 steps4 practiceabout 35 min
  5. Constitutional principles check 9 questions at the end

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