“The U.S. Constitution & the Japanese Constitution: Similarities & Differences”
Teacher: Matt Logan
Course: Honors American Government, LaFayette High School, GA, 9th grade
Time allotted: One class block (97 minutes) and a homework assignment
SSCG 3c: “Explain the fundamental principles upon which the U.S. Constitution
is based. Include rule of law, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.”
Review of SSCG 19: The Student will compare and contrast governments that are unitary, confederal, and federal; autocratic, oligarchic, and democratic; and presidential and parliamentary.
Objective: To teach students about the principles of the U.S. Constitution by comparing and contrasting it with the Japanese Constitution and to review types of government through investigating Japanese an U.S. constitutions.
Lesson Narrative
-Students enter the room, are seated, and get completed homework out (5 minutes)
-They are to have completed a reading of either the U.S. Constitution or the Japanese Constitution (based on preference) the night before as homework. Students were asked to read their document and summarize each section (Article I-VII for the U.S. Constitution and Chapter I-XI for the Japanese Constitution) with brief annotated notes summarizing each section in their own language.
-Students are given the other document (American or Japanese) that they have yet to read and asked to read it quietly to themselves, noting on the document or in their notebooks differences and similarities between the two documents as they read. During this time, the teacher will move around the room checking for understanding, providing any needed historical context, and answering any questions the students may have (20-25 minutes). After students begin to make discoveries the teacher will provide a brief contextual lecture emphasizing that Japan’s current Constitution wasn’t it’s first. The first constitution from 1897 created a parliamentary/unitary/democratic system using the the UK as a model.
-After completing the readings and noting differences and similarities between the two Constitutions , students move into their pre-assigned mixed-ability groups and are asked to discuss their findings and create a visual diagram, chart, or piece of art that compares and contrasts the two Constitutions visually, using foundational American principles including rule of law, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism as possible points of comparison (30 minutes).
-Students are then asked to present their creations to the class, focusing on what they perceive as the biggest similarities and the biggest differences between the documents and emphasizing what they feel are the more creative or unique aspects of their work (30 minutes (5 minutes per group, 6 groups total)).
-For homework, students are given a short reading entitled “Japan’s Constitution is still one of the world’s most advanced” by Junji Tachino that contextualizes both documents and provides a rationale for the similarities and differences in them (http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201205030054).
Evaluation
-Students will be evaluated based on the products they created that compare and contrast the Japanese and U.S. Constitutions. The grade will be an informal assessment designed not as a final judgment of academic knowledge, but as a guidepost to show either progression toward full standard knowledge or a lack of understanding of key standards knowledge. The grade will not count towards a student’s final class average, and will take the form of a 1, 2, 3, or 4. With 1 indicating no understanding and 4 indicating full understanding.
Resources
Japanese Constitution printout www.japan.kantei.go.jp/constitution_and_government_of_japan/constitution_e.html
U.S. Constitution printout
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
“Japan’s Constitution still one of the world’s most advanced” article printout
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/behind_news/social_affairs/AJ201205030054