Constitution Activity
The objective of this workshop is to give new meaning and relevancy to the Constitution of the United States as an inspiring inroad for young people. It helps to bring the Constitution into the context and currency of the 21st century. It makes it accessible to children in a way that adds value, respect and understanding… and is fun!

The Workshop Part 1 - Getting Acquainted
CATCHING THE SONG
Listen to the song. Soak in it. Follow along with lyrics provided. Begin to sing along with it. It’s an easy song to catch. This step is important for when you do the workshop. Enjoy!
CALL & RESPONSE
“We the People” is a call and response song. A small group of students can sing the line “We the People” and the rest of the class can respond in turn. Try various groupings to see what really comes alive.
PREAMBLE
The song revolves around the phrase “We the People” from the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States. The core inspiration for the song is to update, redefine and fill out what we mean when we say “We the People”. Before we workshop the meaning of the words “We the People” simply recite the Preamble with your class. Try it at various speeds.

Listen to the song

THE LYRICS –the verses
We the People
Every Color, Every Voice, Every Gender,
Every Country, Every Age, Every Body
We the People
No Slavery, No Hunger, No Poverty,
No Tyranny, No Pollution, No Cruelty
We the People
Free To Speak, Free To Learn, Free To Vote,
Free To Think, Free To Choose, Free To Believe

THE LYRICS -the chorus & Preamble
We the People are One Humanity
We the people of the United States,
in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense,
promote the general welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution
for the United States of America.
(Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America)
Part 2 – The Process
Take some time to open up these questions with your students. It is meant to be a dynamic, free-flowing brainstorm-style process. Let the process catch on! Here are some starter questions:
HISTORY
What did the founding fathers mean by “We the People”? Why? This will give historical context to the process. It will also show why the process of updating the phrase “We the People” is so important.
WHO ARE “WE THE PEOPLE”?
Ask the students “What do we mean by We the People”? Put all the examples on the board. Don’t edit yet. Let the process catch on! All the examples of who “We the People” are can now be brought into the song. This is where a little editing or trimming may help, because you’re trying to find ways to fit their examples into the meter of the song. It really is a poetic process. After you have several examples – try to sing them without using the recording. (You may end up with 20 lines!)
WHAT DO WE SAY NO TO?
The second verse in the song is to do with what “We the People”, now with new meaning and relevancy, say ‘no’ to, what we stand in defiance to. Ask the students, “What do ‘We the People’ say no to?” “What do ‘We the People’ stand against?” “What does the Constitution stand against?” For example, slavery, oppression, cruelty, discrimination… Repeat the process, as with the first verse, of writing up examples on the board and then fitting the words into the meter of the song. Again practice singing this by itself, without the recording. You may be surprised by the result!
OUR RIGHTS – OUR FREEDOMS
Now ask the students, “What are our basic freedoms in this country?” “What are our rights?” Examples are our right to public education or our right to vote. Go through the same process again, writing examples on the board and choosing some of them to sing.
