TWest Briar Middle School
Lesson Plan Template 2013-2014
Unit Title: / Lesson Title: / Dates: December 2-6
Bloom's Taxonomy / Remembering | Understanding | Applying | Analyzing | Evaluating | Creating
Monday, December 2nd / Key Questions / How does the United States constitution reflect the principles of limited government, checks and balances, and federalism? 8.15D
Materials _Resources / Pen, INB, textbook
Room Arrangement / Small groups
Key Vocabulary / Constitution, republicanism, amendment, preamble
Warm-up Activity / Why would a dictator/absolute ruler not wish to abide by a Bill of Rights in the governing of his or her country?
Opening / Discuss the importance of the Bill of Rights included in the American constitution. Lead students in a classroom discussion regarding basic freedoms in the United States that might be unavailable in a country such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, China, etc.
Activate Prior Knowledge / Have students discuss the attitudes of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. What compromises were necessary for the ratification of the constitution?
Instructional Activity / Determine the accuracy of student discussion. Make corrections when needed.
Check for Understanding / Ask students to explain what a constitution is. Follow up questions should include: “What is the danger of a constitution that bestows too much power on one person or political party?”
Guided Practice / Break students into small groups and have them read specific articles and sections (including the preamble) of the United States constitution. These materials will be provided and rotated from group to group as “floating” stations. Students can use the textbook (pgs. 233-43) as supplemental material.
Independent Practice / Students will use the provided materials/textbook to complete a questionnaire regarding the constitution. Once Students have completed all stations the constitutional questionnaire will be completed.
Formative Assessment
Extension
Description of Product /Task / Constitutional questionnaire will become a component of the student’s interactive notebook.
Rubrics/Grading Criteria / Constitutional questionnaire will become a component of the student’s interactive notebook (classwork grade).
Closure / Why did the founding fathers create a two house congress? (state representation/proportionate)
Assignments / Warm up, wrap-up will be in the student’s INB.
Reflection:
Tuesday, December 3rd / Key Questions / Analyze how limited government, republicanism, and popular sovereignty are important parts of the Constitution. 8.15D
Materials _Resources / INB, pen, textbook
Room Arrangement / Small groups
Key Vocabulary / Popular sovereignty, citizen, constituents
Warm-up Activity / Have the students read the Preamble to the Constitution. “What purpose of the Constitution is most important to you? Why?”
Opening / Discuss the warm-up question. Have students explain their answer and defend their choice against the possibility of a fellow classmate’s inquiry.
Activate Prior Knowledge / Ask students to explain the role/purpose of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government.
Instructional Activity / Judge responses for accuracy and make corrections when needed.
Check for Understanding / Ask students to explain who is at the head of the executive, legislative, judicial branch. What are the qualifications to these positions? How would power be checked by each separate branch?
Guided Practice / Break students into small groups and have them read specific articles and sections (including the preamble) of the United States constitution. These materials will be provided and rotated from group to group as “floating” stations. Students can use the textbook (pgs. 233-43) as supplemental material.
Independent Practice / Students will use the provided materials/textbook to complete a questionnaire regarding the constitution. Once Students have completed all stations the constitutional questionnaire will be completed.
Formative Assessment
Extension
Description of Product /Task / Constitutional questionnaire will become a component of the student’s interactive notebook.
Rubrics/Grading Criteria / Constitutional questionnaire will become a component of the student’s interactive notebook (classwork grade).
Closure / List the six goals of government listed in the Preamble.
Assignments / Warm up, wrap-up will be in the student’s INB.
Reflection:
Wednesday, December 4th / Key Questions / Identify colonial grievances listed in the D.C and how those grievances were addressed in the Bill of Rights and the United States Constitution. 8.15C
Materials _Resources / INB, textbook, pen
Room Arrangement / Small Groups
Key Vocabulary / Enumerated powers, reserved powers, concurrent powers
Warm-up Activity / List all the rights you can think of that are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights.
Opening / Discuss the American Bill of Rights. Contrast it to the English Bill of Rights. What right/freedom is most important to them?
Activate Prior Knowledge / Why would the Anti-Federalists demand that a Bill of Rights be included in the new Constitution?
Instructional Activity / Discuss the Bill of Rights. Have the students eliminate (by majority vote) one right that is guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Discuss why they would choose to eliminate that particular right. What new right or freedom would they wish to include? Why?
Check for Understanding / Monitor discussion. Guide when needed. Ideally students will be torn as to which right should be eliminated. Explain to the students the importance of the Bill of Rights and how some rights/freedoms were a direct result of harsh treatment under British rule.
Guided Practice / Break the students into pairs and have them complete a packet on the United States Constitution. Students will begin by reading (“popcorn”) the first two pages of the handout aloud while underlining anything they might deem important. Following the reading, the students will share what they have underlined and why they believe it to be important.
Independent Practice / Students will use the reading and their classmate’s assessment of that reading to complete a questionnaire regarding the constitutional convention and the resulting document.
Formative Assessment
Extension
Description of Product /Task / Completed United States Constitution packet.
Rubrics/Grading Criteria / Packet is to become a component of the student’s INB. (classwork grade)
Closure / Why is James Madison often called the “Father of the Constitution?”
Assignments / Warm up, wrap-up will be in the student’s INB.
Reflection:
Course: U.S. History / Class Period(s): 2,3,4,5,6,8 / Teacher(s): Payne, Schiller, Blessinger
Thursday, December 5th / Key Questions / Summarize the purposes for and process of amending the United States Constitution. 8.16A
Materials _Resources / INB, textbook, pen
Room Arrangement / Small groups
Key Vocabulary / Due process of law
Warm-up Activity / What would become of the United States constitution if the government did not have to power to amend it?
Opening / Discuss the warm up. Ideally, students will understand that amendments serve to help the citizens and keep the constitution from becoming an inflexible, rigid, document with too much or too little power.
Activate Prior Knowledge / Ask students why the constitution included the creation of a two house legislature as opposed to a “one state=one vote” system under the Articles of Confederation.
Instructional Activity / Determine the accuracy of student answers. Make sure that students are aware of the differences between the upper house and lower house of congress.
Check for Understanding / Have students explain the reason for the difference in number of delegates in the House of Representatives in Texas as opposed to the number of delegates in Montana.
Guided Practice / Have the students create a Bill of Rights for the class room/West Briar. Explain to them that these proposed rights would apply to all students/teachers. Would their Bill of Rights be different if they were to create it solely for students?
Independent Practice / Students are to use their knowledge of the Bill of Rights, Articles, Amendments to write a letter to their state senator proposing a change/removal of one aspect of the constitution. The most articulately and persuasive letters will be sent to Austin.
Formative Assessment
Extension
Description of Product /Task / Persuasive letter.
Rubrics/Grading Criteria / Project Grade
Closure / What fraction of states must agree to ratify an amendment to the Constitution? (3/4)
Assignments / Warm up, wrap-up will be in the student’s INB.
Reflection:
Friday, December 6th / Key Questions / Summarize the purposes for and process of amending the United States Constitution. 8.16A
Materials _Resources / INB, pen, textbook
Room Arrangement / Small groups
Key Vocabulary / Implied powers, judicial review
Warm-up Activity / “Restricts quartering of troops in private homes” is a specific right guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. What British Trade law is this right directly contrasting?
Opening / Have the students correlate the Bill of Rights to certain British trade laws. Have students point out articles in the Constitution that were a result of harsh British rule.
Activate Prior Knowledge / Ask the students to identify certain members of the Constitutional Convention. Ask them if they think the members of the CC were representative of the American public.
Instructional Activity / Facilitate classroom discussion. Make note that no women, African Americans, or Native Americans were represented at the Constitutional Convention.
Check for Understanding / Ask the students why no minorities were included in the CC. Does the treatment of minorities in the new nation contradict Thomas Jefferson’s writings in the Declaration of Independence?
Guided Practice / Have the students pair up and alternate reading articles of the United States Constitution to each other (pages 233-43 in their textbook). After a determined time, students will share with the class any pertinent information they have gathered during their reading.
Independent Practice / Students are to use their knowledge of the Bill of Rights, Articles, Amendments to write a letter to their state senator proposing a change/removal of one aspect of the constitution. The most articulately and persuasive letters will be sent to Austin.
Formative Assessment
Extension
Description of Product /Task / Persuasive letter
Rubrics/Grading Criteria / Project grade
Closure / Why did the founding fathers include a system of checks and balances in the new constitution?
Assignments / Project
Reflection:
Special Considerations
Special / ESL / 504 / Gifted and Talented
All required accommodations will be given to students that qualify. / Visuals, repeated instructions, and partner study will be given to qualifying students. / All required accommodations will be given to students that qualify. / Students will extend learning though the use of writing, speech, and/or visual representation when appropriate.