Sing the preamble along to a video of the "School House Rock" film on the preamble of the U.S. Constitution. Give a handout of the words to every student and start every school day by singing the song. You can even offer a small prize, such as a candy bar, for each student when they can sing the preamble for the first time without using the handout.
Explain why the preamble and Constitution is important and what it means to our country. Learning random phrases that have no meaning can be difficult and tedious, whereas learning a construction, such as the preamble, that has a special meaning can motivate and inspire your students to try harder. Explain that the Constitution is the basis of our government, and it outlines all of our rights as citizens, including the right to speech, right to bear arms and the right to freedom of religion.
Split the preamble into sections and explain what each section or phrase means, which will help the students understand the meaning of the words that were written when the English language was quite different from how it is today. For example, the phrase “in order to form a more perfect Union” may be confusing to your students, but explaining that this phrase means the Constitution helps the people of the United States form a better government helps the students make better sense of it.
Repeat the action verbs in the order that they appear in the preamble to help the students learn the sequence. The middle portion of the preamble contains phrases that start with verbs; “establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.” List these verbs in order: “establish, insure, provide, promote, secure,” and repeat them every day or write them on the board so that they are always visible.