Classroom Bill of Rights

What every democratic classroom needs! The classroom Bill of Rights is a fun way to establish students' rights and responsibilities so they not only follow them but also have a sense of ownership in the classroom.

Step 1: Step 1: Students Brainstorm Ideas for Homework

-Have students create about 5 rights and responsibilities they think students should have in the classroom.

-Rights and responsibilities could include:

• Every student has the responsibility to ask questions.
• Every student has the right to have their questions answered.
• Every student has the right to voice their opinion and be heard.

Step 2: Step 2: Brainstorm Ideas As a Class From the Homework Assignment

-Students will volunteer their ideas they came up with for the previous night's homework assignment.

-The goal is to narrow down the list to 10 rights and responsibilities that students feel are essential to their classroom.

Step 3: Step 3: Make the Final Product

-Students will write the agreed-upon 10 rights/responsibilities on a large sheet of paper.

-To make this more real/authentic, teachers may want to consider using parchment paper and burning the edges so it looks similar to the real Constitution.

Step 4: Step 4: Signatures

- Every student will sign the classroom's Bill of Rights as a way to acknowledge everyone agrees to these rights and responsibilities and should follow them.

-The Bill of Rights should be hung up so it is easily seen and can be referenced daily.