It states it's preparation for a team activity where each student must present and make a case for his or her choices. The assignment begins:
"There has been a lot of controversy lately surrounding the War on Terror. Many Americans feel as though The Patriot Act is infringing upon our privacy and other civil liberties, while others feel protected by it."
It continues by setting up a fictional situation:
"The government of the United States is currently revisiting the The Bill of Rights. The have determined that it is outdated and may not remain in its current form any longer. Their aim is to ensure that our personal civil liberties and the pursuit of happiness remain guarded in the 21st century. . . . You have been selected to participate on the National Bill of Rights Tax Force."
It then sets up the assignment:
"You will be working in a small team with others who may or may not share your values or and opinions."
The group then discusses individual rights and civil liberties, proposes a revised Bill of Rights, and makes a presentation which they must support "valid arguments" for all changes made by the team to the Bill of Right.
First, I did this in high school in the early 1970s, long before Common Core. Second, I think it's valid to have sixth graders think about and discuss privacy and civil liberties, as long as the teacher does not require 'progressive' changes to the Bill of Rights to receive an appropriate grade. That's not going to happen in many cases.
That said, do you view the project in a different light if given by an appropriate teacher?
Kids can be exposed to the rock solid ideas of our founders... Ideas deeper than the superficial mutterings of some education major who ‘feels’ the current in-fashion ideas of someone like Nancy Pelosi...