Madison, Montpelier and the Constitution: A Field Trip Experience for Students. Middle School Program.

The key to a successful field trip is planning. This publication, designed to provide guidelines for the middle school teacher, outlines the step-by-step experience of a visit to Montpelier, the home of James Madison. A prefatory article by constitutional authority A. E. Dick Howard, called "James Madison and the Constitution," provides background information for the teacher. The first step in preparing students for the experience is the showing of an introductory videotape about Madison and his role as chief architect of the U.S. constitution. Scripts for the participatory house tour of Montpelier, called "I Was There!" allow students to meet eight historical figures influential in that time, and to role play one of them during the tour. The second part of the field trip experience concerns rights and responsibilities and focuses on constitutional issues today. Students continue to role play as a Montpelier docent leads a discussion of issues. The entire program is designed to be interactive. An 11-item bibliography is included as are all activity materials (maps, timelines, 10 activity sheets, vocabulary lists, and constitutional highlights). (NL)