U.S. History Lesson Plan: Mock Constitutional Convention/ Debates
Voncia Barno #3442510, AMH 5905: American Revolution, Professor Howard Rock
1. Title: 11th grade U.S. History or 12th grade Government: Mock Constitutional Convention
2. Overview - Big Ideas: Enduring Understandings – Students will be able to:
· Identify the major debates and arguments over the framing of the new government presented at the Constitutional Convention
· Evaluate the purpose and importance of the individual liberties presented in the Bill of Rights
· Describe the characteristics of varying state Constitutions
· Recreate a Constitution with all the necessary components required of defining a government’s powers
Essential Questions – What were the major points of contention in framing the new government at the Constitutional Convention? How did the various characteristics in the State Constitutions influence the making of the U.S. Constitution? What were the arguments behind including each of the liberties in the Bill of Rights?
3. Lesson Objectives: Standards -
SS.8.A.1.5 Identify with both primary and secondary sources, the author, audience, format and purpose of significant historical documents.
SS.8.A.1.6 Compare interpretations of key events and issues throughout American History
4. Key Vocabulary: Delegates, Constitutional Convention, Federalists, Anti-Federalists, Great Compromise, Three-Fifths Compromise, Electoral College, Republican Government, factions, Bill of Rights, ratification
5. Evidence of Student Understanding (Assessment) in this Lesson:
Each student will be assigned a major delegate from the Constitutional Convention and research Constitutional databases to obtain the biography of their assigned Framer, the major issues the individual and the state in which they represented were concerned with, and the position of their delegate on the controversial issues that were presented at the Constitutional Convention. Then, students will recreate a mock Constitutional Convention in which they represent their assigned delegate and have debates on all of the major issues that had to be decided in creating the Constitution (including representation, the legislative branch, separation of powers, methods of selecting the President). Reenacting the debates that the Framers had will enable students to understand the major issues that each delegate and state was concerned with. Next, in small groups of 3, students will be assigned a specific state Constitution from after the Revolution to research on the computer and to present to the class the specifics of the branches of government, powers, and rights of the people. After having examples of various Constitutions, the class will collectively create a new, modern Constitution for a new lawless country, “Barnation,” having similar debates as the Constitutional Convention but making it relevant to modern day considerations. The teacher will then lead a lesson on the rights included in the Bill of Rights, with a brief history behind each amendment and the reason for its inclusion. Students will then be presented with a scenario to have to choose ONE civil liberty they can keep in their new “Barnation” from the Bill of Rights. They will have a class discussion to determine which right is the most important in the Bill of Rights, debating the importance of each right.
6. Materials Needed: Computer for research, name plates, copy of the Bill of Rights and Constitution, biography of delegates at the Constitutional Convention
7. Steps to Deliver the Lesson (4-5 class periods):
a. Computer Research: After each student is assigned a major delegate from the Constitutional Convention, they will research the biography, position on major issues, primary concerns of their delegate and their constituents of the Framer to which they are assigned.
b. Mock Constitutional Convention: Representing a delegate, students will reenact the Constitutional Convention by debating the major issues that caused contention (representation, separation of powers, selection of the President, slavery)
c. Group Research and Presentation: In groups of 3, students will research a post-Revolutionary State Constitution assigned by the teacher, and then present the powers of the government, the rights of the people, and how the government is structured to the class. The class will compare and contrast the different state constitutions to evaluate which one had the most effective Constitution.
d. New Constitution Creation: Using examples from the presentations and the real constitution, as a class, the students will create a new Constitution for a new, lawless nation, “Barnation” by creating all the characteristics that a Constitution requires (powers of the government, rights, etc.)
e. Mini-Lecture on Bill of Rights: Teacher will give a power point lesson on the amendments included in the Bill of Rights, including the history and reasoning behind each amendment.
f. Class Evaluation of Liberties: The class will be presented with the challenge to decide the single most important liberty that they are allowed to keep in the new nation they created, by debating the importance and necessity of each amendment. Students will have to convince one another (like a jury) of the most vital right of all those in the Bill of Rights.
8. Specific Activities: (From Guided to Independent)
a. Independent Research of delegate’s biography and position on issues
b. Mock Constitutional Convention (Class discussion/ debate)
c. Group Computer Research on assigned State Constitution and present to class
d. Class creation of a new Constitution for a lawless country
e. Class evaluation of the most important liberty in the Bill of Rights with a class summary explaining why
9. Differentiated Instruction Strategies:
a. Use of multiple learning modalities: hands on activity with research and creating a new Constitution (kinesthetic/tactile learners), class discussion with the mock Constitutional convention and lecture (auditory learners), power point presentation (visual learners)
b. Working in multiple settings from class discussion, to small heterogeneous groups, to individual work
10. Technology Integration: Computer research of Constitutional Convention delegates, computer use of LCD projector for teacher’s power point presentation
11. Lesson Closure: Write an evaluative paper on the benefits and shortcomings of 3 components of the U.S. Constitution that have occurred throughout history and even modern day.