Westward Expansion: Discovering Our Place

Dear Parents,

     Next week we will begin a new social studies unit about Westward Expansion. Below are the standards that relate to the topics we will cover.

     In other news I am please to report that Campus School had the highest reading gains for Reading Plus usage in the entire district. Thank you for your continued support.

SPI’s:

4.5.spi.9 determine the influence Lewis and Clark’s expedition had on westward expansion

4.5.spi.13 analyze how the Louisiana Purchase influenced the growth of the United States

4.6.spi.1 recognize how groups work cooperatively to accomplish goals and encourage change

4.5.spi.10 recognize how the accomplishments of John Sevier contributed to Tennessee History

4.1.spi.5 identify various racial and ethnic groups in Tennessee at the founding of statehood

4.5.spi.2 identify major Tennessee political leaders

4.5.spi.3 interpret pre-Civil War timelines

4.5.spi.12 read and interpret a passage about the Trail of Tears

Celebrate the US Constitution

The students will spend this week focusing on Law and Order. Discuss the information below with your child to ensure the school-home connection. We are looking forward to a great week together!

The United States Constitution has 27 Amendments. The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was ratified, or approved, in 1791. It outlines the basic rights and freedoms of American citizens. 

Amendment 1

The First Amendment protects the rights of every American. It defines the freedoms of religion, speech, and press. Most Americans believe that the First Amendment guarantees their most important rights. 

Amendment 2

The Second Amendment guarantees Americans the right to bear arms, or own guns. 

Amendment 3

The Third Amendment prevents the government from forcing citizens to shelter soldiers in their homes. 

Amendment 4

The Fourth Amendment protects the privacy of American citizens. It prohibits, or prevents, unnecessary or unreasonable searches of a person's property. 

Amendment 5

In the Fifth Amendment, all Americans are guaranteed the right to a fair and legal trial. It also protects someone from testifying against him- or herself under oath. 

Amendment 6

A right to a speedy trial is guaranteed in the Sixth Amendment. 

Amendment 7

The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a trial by jury in civil, or private, legal cases where damages are more than $20. Civil cases solve disputes between citizens. 

Amendment 8

Unreasonable bail or fines and cruel and unusual punishment are prohibited in the Eighth Amendment. 

Amendment 9

The Ninth Amendment recognizes that Americans have rights that are not listed in the Constitution. 

Amendment 10

The Tenth Amendment says that the powers not given to the United States government by the Constitution belong to the states or to the people. 

Other Amendments were added to the Constitution over the years, and more may be added later. The Constitution currently contains 27 amendments. Below are some of the highlights of the 17 Amendments added after the Bill of Rights was ratified. 

The Thirteenth Amendment became law in 1865. It makes slavery, and other forms of forced labor, illegal. 

Ratified in 1870, the Fifteenth Amendment stated that no citizen should be denied the right to vote on the basis of race or color. 

In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote.