Final Unit Plan

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
Creating New Government(s) and a New Constitution
How do our founding documents influence our

democracy?
Emmie Carr
Fall 2017
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Stage 1- Considering the Content and Learners 3
Stage 2- Identifying Desired Results 6
Stage 3- Determining Acceptable Evidence 8
Calendar/Catalog 22
Stage Iv
Hooking Lesson 24
Academic Vocabulary Lesson 31
Working with Texts Lesson 34
Discussion Lesson 42
Final Thoughts/Reflection 56
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UNIT PLAN STAGE 1: CONSIDERING CONTENT AND LEARNERS
Considering the Content
Education alone is powerful, but social studies education is enabling. As put by

Parker and Beck (2017), social studies education matters because:
Without historical understanding, there can be no wisdom; without geographical

understanding, no cultural or environmental intelligence. Without economic
understanding, there can be no sane use of resources and no rational approach to
decision making and, therefore, no future. And without civic understanding, there
can be no democratic citizens and, therefore, no democracy (p. 2)
Social studies education is especially crucial in the elementary school curriculum because
the younger students are when they learn the basics, the more time they will have to form
and develop their own factually correct beliefs and understandings. While learning social
studies, students are simultaneously gaining social understanding and civic competence.
These are two concepts every democratic citizen should have a grasp on; every students is a
current citizen and a future leader. Using carefully integrated and meaningful social studies
education in the elementary curriculum is a sure way to promote and advance a more
aware, insightful and educated society. During this unit plan, a classroom of 5th grade
students will learn the multi-faceted nature of the American Revolution and its consequences
on the U.S as a nation. Because of the American Revolution, many governmental practices
and institutions were created and many are still used today. In order to understand our
society and government as it is today, students will need to understand the.U.S as it was
yesterday. The key concepts and skills students will learn throughout this unit include but
are not limited to: distinguishing between different forms of government, the creation of
laws and amendments, analyzing our founding documents, and discussing/deliberating
current events. All of these concepts are crucial for 5th grade students, who our current
citizens and future leaders, to know because creating an understanding of the development
of our nation will guide young learners to the knowledge they need to have in order to
further develop the U.S as a democratic leader in the world. More specifically, these
concepts are crucial to know within the fifth-grade curriculum in which decision making,
deliberation and critical thinking skills are greatly stressed.
Considering the Learners
Elementary grade students tend to view historical events as a result of an individual

motivation, rather than as a result of many influences (Barton, 1997). To combat false
preconceived notions and misinformation, an educator should teach this unit with cognitive
research on learning in mind. In the chapter title “Learning: From Speculation to Science”,
authors Bransford, Brown and Cocking (2000) provide many examples on how educators
should teach students social studies based on their research on how students think. They
explain three core learning principles:
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1. Students come to the classroom with preconceptions about how the world
works. If their initial understanding is not engaged, they may fail to grasp the
new concepts that are being taught.
2. To develop competence in an area of inquiry, students must: (a) have a deep
foundation of factual knowledge, (b) understand facts and idea in the context
of a conceptual framework, (c) organize knowledge in ways that facilitate
retrieval and application.
3. A metacognitive approach to instruction can help students learn to take
control of their own learning by defining learning goals and monitoring their
progress in achieving them.
These three learning principles provide obvious implications for educators. As highlighted
by Bransford and colleagues (2000), in order for educators to properly instruct on a topic
they must work with students preexisting understandings rather than bury them, provide
firm foundations of factual knowledge by teaching some subject matter in depth and
providing many examples, and integrate metacognitive skills across the curriculum in a
variety of subject areas. To build upon students funds of knowledge, an educator must
assess what conceptions students are bringing into a unit before delving into the content. In
grade four, students should have already learned about the basic values and principles of
the American Democracy, as well as the roles of the citizen in the American Democracy.
Under that implication, I would expect students to come into this unit with a basic
understanding of popular sovereignty, rule of law, individual rights, separation of powers,
etc. However, I believe that the American Revolution is a topic that many carry
preconceived notions about such as: the role of taxation, the role of non-whites, and the
implications this war had on the nations involved. Because students tend to focus on
individuals rather than the whole picture, I expect there to be a struggle in grasping that the
war was not between the King/Queen of England and our Founding Fathers. Using the
suggestion of Barton in “Bossed Around by the Queen,” I intend to dismantle these
individual based misconceptions by bringing in resources that provide many different
viewpoints of the Revolution. This unit may seem quite hefty for fifth graders- these
documents are no joke! However, by creating student friendly versions of these documents,
providing additional text sources, facilitating numerous discussions and relating it to current
examples, this unit became much more suitable for fifth graders. This unit will paint a much
bigger picture of the American Revolution, serving as an in-depth exploration of the
Revolution that helped form our country. The knowledge and insight gained by this unit plan
will aid in setting students up for success in both school and life.
Why This Unit?
My philosophy of teaching social studies revolves around making students the most
well rounded, capable and knowledgeable citizens they can be. In todays social and
political climate, it is more important than ever to know our nations founding documents; the
blueprints of the worlds greatest democracy. I feel fully confident that after this lesson, my
students will be knowledgeable of their constitutional rights, and some of the
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burdens/issues that may arise because of these rights. It is important to realize how
fortunate we are to have such a long-standing frame of reference for our government, one
that protects our individual freedoms. But, I want to stress that this is not the be all end all.
There are still issues in our society that need to be better addressed by our democratic
government- the one that is backed by our Constitution. The first step to acknowledging and
addressing these issues is to look into the core of them; to examine the documents in hopes
of finding a solution. Of course I recognize that this is a “personal philosophy” for a reason,
so I must examine the unbiased importance of this unit. All of the lessons, activities and
discussions within this unit is extremely relevant to the 5th grade curriculum standards. On a
national level, this unit will be satisfying many of the 5th grade C3 content expectations such
as: examining historical sources and evidence, investigating civil and political institutions,
applying civic virtues and principles, as well as understanding processes, rules and laws.
On a state level, this unit plan satisfies content expectations both from Michigan GLCE’s and
CCSS. Examples of this alignment include teaching: the American Revolution and its
Consequences, Creating new government(s) and a new Constitution, as well as hitting on
many grade 5 standards about reading informational texts. Overall, this unit is extremely
valuable and relevant to both the 5th grade curriculum, as well as to the lives of the students
themselves. The knowledge gained throughout this unit will prove to be crucial throughout
the students lives as American citizens.
References
Barton, K.C (1997). Bossed around by the queen. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 290-
313.
Bransford, J.D ,Brown, A.L & Cocking, R.R (2000). Learning: From speculation to science. In
How people learn (pp. 3-25) Washington D.C: National Academy Press.
Parker, W.C. & Beck, T.A. (2017). Social studies in elementary education (15th ed.).
Columbus, OH: Pearson
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UNIT PLANNING STAGE II: IDENTIFYING DESIRED RESULTS
Enduring Understanding: The new nation was built upon and influenced by diverse groups of
people who worked through the controversy of creating a new system of government and
collaborated to create the founding documents, which continue to shape our modern American
democracy.
Compelling Question: Supporting Questions:

How do our founding documents ❖ What is a democracy? What does ours look like?
influence democracy? ❖ Why was the constitution written? Who does it give
power to?
❖ How has our democracy changed since the Revolution?
In what ways has it remained the same?
❖ In what ways is our constitution used today? What have
you heard of it in recent current events?
❖ What are our constitutional rights? How do we use
these?
❖ In your opinion, are our constitutional rights being
abused?
❖ How does democracy influence government?
Behavioral Objectives:
At the end of this unit, students will be able to say I can:
From GLCE’s:
• Describe the powers of the national government and the state government under the
Articles of Confederation (5-U3.3.1)
• Give examples of problems the country faces under the Articles of Confederation (5-U3.3.2)
• Explain why the Constitutional Convention was convened and why the Constitution was
written (5-U3.3.3)
• Describe the issues over representation and slavery the Framers faces at the Constitutional
Convention and how they were addressed in the Constitution (5-U3.3.4)
• Give reasons why the Framers wanted to limit the power of government (5-U3.3.5)
• Describe the principle of federalism an how it is expressed through the sharing and
distribution of power as stated in the Constitution (5-U3.3.6)
• Describe the concern that some people had about individual rights and why the inclusion of
a Bill of Rights was needed for ratification (5-U3.3.7)
• Describe the rights found in the First, Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments to the United
States Constitution.
From C3:
• Examine the origins and purposes of rules, laws, and key U.S constitutional provisions
(D2.civ.3.3-5.)
• Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped significant historical
changes and continuities (D2.His.3.3-5)
From Common Core State Standards:
• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text (RL.5.1)
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• Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through
investigation of different aspects of a topic (W.5.7)
Key Concepts: Important Knowledge: Important Skills:

From and throughout this • Distinguishing narratives
• Types of Government, unit, students will gain as a part of a whole
specifically knowledge in the areas of • Deliberation/discussion
Monarchy: has a royal the American Democracy: • Knowledge of current
family member as head. how it came to be by the events
Democracy: Leader voted hand of our Founding • Separating opinions from
in by the people. Fathers, our Constitution: facts
• Legislation: the creation of The individual liberties it • Analyzing various texts
laws protects by the sources
• The change and continuity amendments it boasts. • Working with a team to
of the “American Moreover, students will create an outcome/meet
Culture”: How have we gain critical insight on the and end goal
changed the Constitution? chronology of the • Reading crucial
How has it changed us? establishment of our documents
• the Constitution and its Nation and it’s Democracy, • Writing and discussing in
rights: the rights ensured and compare it to recent order to create solutions
by the Constitutional current events. to social issues
amendments
• Flow of power: The
succession of who is in
charge in our democracy
• Representation:
speaking/acting on behalf
of others.
• Current events in relation
to the Constitution:
Contemporary social
issues and how they are
affected by our
Constitution.
• The Articles of
Confederation: Our first
Constitution, why it failed.
• The Bill of Rights- The first
ten amendments, why we
needed it
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UNIT PLAN STAGE III: DETERMINING ACCEPTABLE EVIDENCE
Description of Informal Assessments: Paper and Pencil Quiz/Test:
1) Warm up: have students write 3 Overview:

insightful questions about what The attached quiz will serve as a
was learned the day prior (or if at formative assessment, monitoring the
the beginning of unit, have them level of comprehension the students
write down 3 questions they want have reached thus far. There will be 12
answered throughout the unit) total questions in the format of: 5
2) Exit ticket: have students skim a multiple choice, 5 true or false with
text or document that corrections, and 2 short answer
corresponds with the lesson that questions. This quiz contains questions
day, then have them report what regarding the founding documents of
they just learned/read from our nation; what they contain and the
skimming to a partner. purpose they serve(d), as well as
3) Different perspectives work questions regarding the end of the
sheet: print out a picture of three American Revolution.
different “characters” in the
American Revolution, have Rationale:
students draw thought or speech This assessment will allow the
bubbles and write that characters instructor to see what level of learning
perspective on what was learned each student is at, at the point in the
in class that day. unit. The multiple-choice questions will
prompt students to select the best
answer out of 4, asking them to weigh
and consider the best and most logical
answer. The true or false questions will
ask students to either correct a false
statement, or justify/ elaborate on its
truth which will engage students in
higher level thinking as well as show
the instructor how well the students
know the content. Lastly, the short
answer questions will elicit critical
thinking within the students, asking
them to explain and elaborate on core
concepts/events taught in the unit.
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Performance Assessment:
Overview:
The performance assessment for this unit is 2 class debates, and one class
discussion that will be set up like a panel. Students will have the opportunity to
choose a debate/discussion and the side they wish to represent. This is designed
for a classroom of 30 students, but can be easily altered for a different size class.
The choices are:
1) Debate: Representatives of a Democracy vs. a Monarchy (5 v. 5) [good way
to pull in Current Events]
2) Debate: Patriots vs loyalists (5 v. 5)
3) Panel Discussion: Students will write a speech in which they make a
minority voice heard. Each student will write the speech in the role of a
slave, African Americans or women and explain how the Revolutionary War
effects them, and take a stance on it. Students will present their speech to
the panel. (5 students)
4) Panel Discussion: Students will write a speech in which they represent a
Founding Father and explain why they thought the Constitution needed to
be written, what it was meant to do, and who/how it was supposed to help.
(5 students)
Every student will have time to research for their debate or discussion before it
takes places. Students will be asked to utilize classroom resources and texts,
and are required to use at least 3 solid points and/or quotes from these
resources. When students are not participating in their debate/discussion, they
will be watching the others and taking notes of the arguments made and any
questions they would like to ask about the topic, at the end of each
debate/discussion, the floor (class) will be given the opportunity use their
notes to speak on the topic.
Rationale:
This assessment will provide students with the opportunity to: conduct research,
determine/find important evidence for their cause, write persuasively, represent
an argument and publicly speak for it, and work as a team. Students are also given
the opportunity to choose what/who they represent, which will increase
engagement. Even though a student will only participate in ¼ of the activates, they
will also need to maintain a level of engagement throughout all activities in order
to address the assembly of students at the end of their debate/discussion.
Objectives:
5-U3.3.1 RL.5.1
5-U3.3.2 W.5.7
5-U3.3.3 D2.His.3.3-5
5-U3.3.4
5-U3.3.5
5-U3.3.6
5-U3.3.7
5-U3.3.8
D2.civ.3.3-5
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Name: _________________________________
Date: ___________________________________
QUIZ
SECTION 1: MULTIPLE CHOICE
DIRECTIONS: PLEASE READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY AND CIRCLE TH E ANSWER
YOU THINK IS CORRECT.
1) How many amendments are included in the Bill of Rights?
A) Just the 1st Amendment
B) All 27 Amendments are included in the Bill of Rights
C) The first 10 Amendments
D) the first 5 Amendments
2) Under the Articles of Confederation, the only institution of national authority was
the....
A) Supreme Court
B) Congress
C) The President of the United States
D) Senate
3) If postwar Americans agreed on nothing else, they agreed that...
A) There should be no property qualifications to vote
B) States should have democratic governments
C) The Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced by a constitution
D) New governments should be republican.
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4) An amendment can become a part of the Constitution after being ratified….
A) By a majority of the Senate
B) By a three-fourths majority of Congress
C) By conventions in three-fourths of the States
D) By the House of Representatives
5) What was our countries first Constitution called?

A) The Articles of Confederation
B) The Declaration of Independence
C) The Federalist paper
D) The Bill of Rights
PART 2: TRUE OR FALS E

DIRECTIONS: READ THE STATEMENT, AND ON THE BLANK LINE WRITE T FOR TRUE OR
F FOR FALSE. ON THE ELABORATION LINE BELOW THE STATEMENT JUSTIFY THE
STATEMENT IF IT IS T RUE, OR REWRITE THE STATEMENT TO MAKE IT TRUE IF IT IS
FALSE.
6) _______ The ninth amendment states that 100% of the rights of the citizens are called out in the
Constitution. That they have no rights beyond what the Constitution says.
Elaboration:
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
7) ______The Articles of Confederation were weak because of the fear of a strong central
government
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
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8)_______ When the first Continental Congress met, the members wanted to declare war
against England.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
9) ______ The official purpose of the Constitutional Convention was to write a new Constitution.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
10)______ our Constitution guarantees us the right to peacefully protest.
Elaboration:
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
PART 3: SHORT ANSWER

DIRECTIONS: ANSWER BOTH QUESTIONS WITH AT LEAST 4 SENTENCES. BE MINDFUL
OF SPELLING AND GRAMMAR!
11) Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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12) What do you think is the most important amendment to our current democracy? Why?
Make sure to provide examples and reasonings.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
QUIZ KEY
1) C
2) B
3) D
4) C
5) A
6) F: The ninth amendment states that the Constitution cannot possibly cover all human
rights, that there are more that are not stated in the Constitution.
7) T: The Articles of Confederation ultimately failed because they did not give Congress and
the national government enough power. The new United States just fought a war to end what they
considered tyrannical rule of a strong government that overpowered local government and the
leaders of the U.S. feared a powerful central government.
8) F: advocated for colonial resistance, not a war
9) F: The original purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation
10) T: 1st amendment
11) Ex: The first ten amendments protect basic freedoms; especially of the minority groups.
It was added to the Constitution to protect the people from the national government from
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having too much power. Adding the Bill of Rights helped change many people's minds to
ratify the Constitution.
12) Opinionated answer- grade based on completeness, examples used, spelling and
grammar.
Questions adapted from:
https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_bill_of_rights_questions.php
http://glencoe.mheducation.com
http://www.breedshill.org/BHIQuizA.htm
https://www.constitutionfacts.com/
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PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT- TEACHER DIRECTIONS
CLASS DEBATES AND DISCUSSION
Each student is required to join a side of a debate, or represent a "character" during

a panel discussion. There will be two sides to the debates, with 5 students on each side.
There will be 5 students for each of the discussions. Students will be given time to research
and choose certain quotes, pictures, documents, etc from class resources. As stated in the
student directions, there are certain points that need to be touched upon in every
debate/discussion, these will be outlined below. Students are asked to take notes during the
debates/discussions they are not participating in so they can address the assembly after
each debate/discussion has concluded. A note sheet will be attached to the student
directions for this assessment.
Democracy vs. Monarchy debate must include:
• What a Democracy is: pros and cons

• What a Monarchy is: pros and cons
• Why we wanted a democracy
• Why England wanted to continue to extend their Monarchy
• Why the Framers wanted to limit the power of the Government
• Description of the powers of the national and state government- before and after the
articles of confederation
• Sharing and distribution of power- differences in
Patriots vs. Loyalist debate:
• Key values/concerns of loyalists

• Key values/concerns of patriots
• Individual rights
Discussion: Voices of minorities during the Revolution
• How characters work was affected

• How characters daily life was affected: did the Revolution help or hinder
• If Character participated in Revolution how and why or why not
• How was the character viewed during this time
Discussion: Founding Fathers
• Characters view on the Revolution

• Why was the constitutional convention convened, and why was the character a part of
it
• Give examples of the problems the U.S faced before the Constitution was written and
how the Constitution helped
• Why the bill of rights was an important ratification
• Why the constitutional provisions were so important
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CLASS DEBATE DIRECTIONS
DEMOCRACY V. MONARCHY
You have chosen to either be a representative of a Democracy, or of a Monarchy. You

are now a character living in the era of the American Revolution and your job is to convince
the panel that your system of government is better than the other. Each team member must
speak at least 3 times, but remember you are working together! You and your team now
have 20 minutes to find quotes, pictures and/or documents that will help explain your
argument. I have listed the most important points to bring up- your team will get three points
every time these points are argued and backed up with the research your team has done.
Your team will get two points anytime another valid point is made with research to back it
up, and one point every time a valid point is made with no research. However, your team
will be deducted a point anytime a member interrupts or yells at/over another debater.
Important points to discuss are as follows:
Democracy Monarchy
What a democracy is: pros and cons What a monarchy is: pros and cons
Why did America want a democracy? Why did England want to continue to
Why did the framers want to limit the expand their monarchy?
power of government?
What powers does a democratic What powers does a monarchy hold
government hold over its people? How over its people? How is power shared
is power shared and distributed? and distributed?
Who are the leaders in a democracy? Who are the leaders in a monarchy?
How are they chosen? How are they chosen?
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CLASS DEBATE DIRECTIONS
PATRIOTS VS. LOYALISTS
You have chosen to either represent the loyalist party, or the patriots. You are
now a soldier in the American Revolution and your job is to convince the panel why
you are on the right side of the war. Each team member must speak at least 3 times,
but remember you are working together! You and your team now have 20 minutes to
find quotes, pictures and/or documents that will help explain your argument. I have
listed the most important points to bring up- your team will get three points every
time these points are argued and backed up with the research your team has done.
Your team will get two points anytime another valid point is made with research to
back it up, and one point every time a valid point is made with no research.
However, your team will be deducted a point anytime a member interrupts or yells
at/over another debater. Important points to discuss are as follows:
Patriots Loyalists
Key values/ Concerns of the Patriots Key values/concerns of the Loyalists
Taxes- why they are bad Taxes- why the patriots (and everyone)
should pay
Law- why they don’t want to follow Why patriots should follow British law
British law
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PANEL DISCUSSION DIRECTIONS
VOICES OF MINORITIES DURING THE WAR
You have decided to give a modern voice to a minority during the American
Revolution. Please write a speech in the character of either a woman, African
American, Native American, slave, or servant during this period in time. Please take
time to pull quotes and points from our in-class resources. Make a notecard with all
the points you want to make during your speech, you can choose to read off of your
card, but you get extra points for being charismatic and engaging with the panel.
Your speech should be between 5-7 minutes long, and must contain, but is not
limited to, the following points:
• How your characters work was affected by the war.

• How your characters daily life was affected: did the Revolution help or hinder it?
• If Character participated in Revolution: how and why or why not?
• How was the character viewed during this time? Were they respected? Why or why
not?
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PANEL DISCUSSION DIRECTIONS
FOUNDING FATHERS
You have chosen to become a Founding Father of the United States. You must
write a speech to a panel of American Citizens during the Revolutionary War about
why you helped create our constitution, and your views on it and the American
Revolution. You may choose to be a specific founding father, but please confer with
the other students to make sure there is no repetition of characters. Please take time
to pull quotes and points from our in-class resources. Make a notecard with all the
points you want to make during your speech, you can choose to read off of your card,
but you get extra points for being charismatic and engaging with the panel. Your
speech should be between 5-7 minutes long, and must contain, but is not limited to,
the following points:
• Characters view on the Revolution

• Why was the constitutional convention convened, and why was the character a part of
it
• Give examples of the problems the U.S faced before the Constitution was written and
how the Constitution helped
• Why the bill of rights was an important ratification
• Why the constitutional provisions were so important
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CLASSROOM RESOURCES
Books:
• A more perfect union : the story of our Constitution / by Betsy and Giulio
Maestro
• John, Paul, George & Ben / Lane Smith.
• In defense of liberty : the story of America's Bill of Rights / Russell Freedman.
• Those rebels, John and Tom / by Barbara Kerley ; illustrated by Edwin
Fotheringham
• How to build your own country / written by Valerie Wyatt ; illustrated by Fred
Rix.
• D is for democracy : a citizen's alphabet / written by Elissa Grodin and
illustrated by Victor Juhasz.
• USKids history. Book of the American Revolution / Howard Egger-Bovet and
Marlene Smith-Baranzini, writers ; Bill Sanchez, illustrator.
• Give me liberty! : the story of the Declaration of Independence / Russell
Freedman.
• George vs. George : the American Revolution as seen from both sides / by
Rosalyn Schanzer.
• King George : what was his problem? : everything your schoolbooks didn't
tell you about the American Revolution / by Steve Sheinkin ; illustrated by Tim
Robinson.
• Chains/ Laurie Halse Anderson
Websites:
• BrainPop:
https://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/ushistory/americanrevolution/
• Library of Congress: http://www.loc.gov
• Americas Story from Americas Library: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/
• National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/
• The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History:
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/
• Zinn Education Project: https://zinnedproject.org/
• The Idea of America: http://theideaofamerica.org/
• Reporting the Revolutionary War: http://beforehistory.com/
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UNIT PLAN CALANDAR AND CATALOG
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Hooking Lesson Plan: Types of government Introductory lesson plan:
Introduce “democracy” lesson: Why a The Articles of
and compelling question democracy? Confederation
Comparing/contrasting The Constitution
democracy to monarchy The Bill of Rights
Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

The Articles of Academic Vocabulary Working with Texts
Confederation lesson: Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan:
Why did it fail? Creating a Constitutional Creative Constitution
Word Wall
Day 7 Day 8 Day 9

Discussion Lesson Plan:
Introduction and Current Events and the Performance Assessment
Workshop for Constitution Due
performance assessment
Paper and Pencil Quiz
DAILY LESSONS CATALOG

Day 1: Hooking Lesson
As noted in the objective sections of this lesson on page 22, the learning goals for this activity are to:
brainstorm what a democracy should look like, compare and contrast a democracy to any other
system of government through discussion, and to create a “new” democracy for the student council.
Activities will include discussing and creating a blueprint for this new democracy. Assessment for this
lesson plan will be informal.
Day 2: Types of Government Lesson

This lesson plan will briefly explore some of the different types of government through examination of
different texts sources. Teacher will lead discussion about the differences between a monarchy and
democracy. Class will brainstorm the question: “Why a democracy?” Assessment for this lesson will
be informal, more of a comprehension check, and will take place during class discussion.
Day 3: Introductory lesson plan: The Articles of Confederation, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights
After this lesson students should be able to understand the general principles of these documents,
distinguish between the three, and understand that these documents are a part of, and grow from one
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another (rather than 3 separate, random documents). Special emphasis will be placed on the Bill of
Rights: what it is, and why it is so important to our constitution. There will be a brief activity on the Bill
of Rights, in which the students will watch the Youtube video: “A 3-minute guide to the Bill of Rights,”
and then perform a quick write activity in which they answer the question: “Why is the Bill of Rights
important to our democracy?” The quick write will be the assessment for the lesson, and will be
graded for completeness.
Day 4: The Articles of Confederation Lesson Plan
After this lesson students should be able to explain why the Articles of Confederation ultimately
failed, and how this document created the foundation for the Constitution. Students will analyze a
student friendly version of the Articles of Confederation to answer the question of “Whats missing?”
Assessment for this lesson will be informal and take place after students analyze this document, and
during the class discussion answering the above question. Teacher will lead discussion on the major
weaknesses of this document.
Day 5: Academic Vocabulary Lesson Plan- creating a Constitutional Word Wall
As noted in the objectives section of this lesson on page 31, students will leave this lesson knowing
how to use context clues to find the meaning of unknown words, and how to eventually group these
words together by context and meaning. Activities including reading a chapter in “A History of Us,”
and creating an individual semantic map and a class word wall. Assessment for this lesson is informal.
Day 6: Working with Texts Lesson Plan-Creative Constitution
As noted in the objectives section of this lesson on page 34, the learning goals for this activity are to:
explain the origins/purposes of laws, use multiple perspectives to analyze issues, and to identify
contemporary public issues related to the Constitution. Activities include analyzing the Constitution to
relate it to current events, and a class discussion on these relations. Assessment for this lesson is
informal.
Day 7: Introduction and workshopping time for the performance assessment
This day is dedicated solely to introducing and preparing for the performance assessment, which is
due on day 9. The teacher will hand out the papers explaining the performance assessment, and
allow time for students to choose the way in which they wish to participate. Assessment will be
informal and will take place during workshop time; a check-in to make sure students are on track.
Day 8: Discussion Lesson Plan
As noted in the objectives section of this lesson on page 40, the learning goals for this activity are to:
related the Constitutional amendments to current events/ contemporary public issues,
examine and discuss various points of view that underlie beliefs about civic issues, and
explain how rules/law change people and vice versa. Activities include
analyzing/discussing the Constitution in relation to current events, and a class discussion on
these relations. Assessment for this lesson will be informal and take place during group
discussion(s).
The paper and pencil quiz will also be taken on this day, after the discussion lesson plan.
This quiz is a summative, formal assessment.
23
Day 9: Performance Assessment due
Students will partake in one of the three “performances” this day. When not performing,
students will be viewing and offering constructive feedback to those who are. The teacher
will be assessing student performance based off of expectations sheet. Assessment will be
formal.
HOOKING LESSON PLAN

EMMIE CARR
Length of lesson: ~60 minutes
Title: How do
Overview: Recently, our school has undergone a revolution. The 5th graders are just not
happy with the way student council is running the show anymore! It is our civic duty to make
the necessary changes to our democracy for the council to follow. What will this new
democracy look like? What rules do we need to set in place to make the changes we are
looking for?
Objectives:
During and after this unit, students will be able to…
• Identify the role the government plays in this situation

• Brainstorm what a democracy should look like
• Compare and contrast a democracy to any other system of government through
discussion
• Create a “new” democracy for their school
Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding: My compelling

question is quite broad and can be interpreted and discussed in multiple different ways.
Even though I intended it to be as such, I think this may cause confusion in some students.
Students this age tend to view things concretely without examining the multiple directions
this question could take them, but that’s exactly what I want to do! Before this unit begins, I
expect students to know that the US has a government, and is a democratic nation. I also
assume that most students will already know a couple components of a democracy (voting,
presidents, etc.) However, I do not expect the students to know much about what a
democracy is. I believe this lesson is a good way to introduce that.
24
Materials/Evidence/Sources:
• "What is a Democracy?" Lecture notes

• 5th grade revolution handout
• Note sheet for brainstorming (not provided, in student notebook)
• New democracy handout
• Big poster board (or sheet) for whole class
Assessment:
During instruction: I (the teacher) will walk around during student brainstorming time. I will
be available to answer questions and aid with the brainstorming process.
After instruction: I will give students time to work on their new democracy handout, when
they are completed I will look over them and reward a grade based on effort and creativity.
Instructional Sequence:
1. Teacher says: When you think of the United States government what word(s) come to
mind? (5 minutes)
• Write down all words on board, more than likely someone will say the word
"democracy," if not, probe class for answer.
2. Teacher hands out "What is a Democracy?" Sheet to all students (15 minutes)
• Teacher says: The word "democracy" is one we will see at every point throughout
this unit, this sheet is meant to be a reference point for you. Please take care of it!
3. Teacher goes over sheet with class, answering any questions that may come up.
4. Teacher hands out 5th grade revolution sheet (1 minute)
• Teacher says: now that we all know what a democracy is, we have the proper
knowledge to overthrow ours! The sheet I am now handing out explains our (fake)
student council and all its wrong doings, as citizens of the United States it is our duty
to fix our broken democracy.
5. Give time for students to read over handout (3 minutes)
6. Teacher says: Class! What are we going to do about this? Please take out a sheet of
paper and brainstorm ways we can make our 5th grade council more just. A possible
way to think about this is by asking yourself: “What changes do I want to make to the
way student council is being ran?” and/or “What rules/expectations should we
implement to help solve this issue?” Please keep the "What is a Democracy?"
Handout in mind when you are thinking of possible solutions. (10 minutes)
• During this step, teacher should be walking around room offering assistance to
students
7. Teacher says: Now, I am handing out a worksheet on which you will provide some
type of blue print for your new democracy. You can display your blue print in a
variety of ways including a picture, bullet points, a paragraph etc. (15 minutes)
• During this step, teacher should be walking around room offering assistance to
students.
8. Teacher says: Great job on creating your blueprints! Now, I want us to think long and
hard…..did this activity remind you of anything you may have learned about in social
studies before?
25
• Take hands, answer should be about the Revolutionary War, or one of the
founding documents. Segue students into thinking about founding documents.
9. Teacher says: Today we each created a blueprint for the type of democracy we want
to see the student council. We gave examples of what we wanted it to look like, and
what rules we feel we should follow. This is very similar to what our Founding Fathers
had to do after the Revolutionary War. Believe it or not, creating a new nation
required a lot of hard work!
To introduce the compelling question….

Teacher says: Of course there was a lot of things that went into creating a new nation,
but our nation was created on, and is still held up by one thing: The Constitution. The
Constitution was, and still is the foundation of our democracy. But just like all good
pieces of writing, the Constitution had to undergo a lot of revisions- that’s where the
Articles of Confederation and Bill of Rights come into play. And many say that it is
still being edited, well over 200 years later! Over the next 2 weeks, we will be
investigating our nations founding documents to answer the question: How do our
founding documents influence our democracy?
26
What is a democracy?
A democracy is a government run by the people. Each citizen has a say (or vote) in how
the government is run. This is different from a monarchy or dictatorship where one
person (the king or dictator) has all the power.
Types of Democracy
There are two main types of democracies: direct and representative.
Direct - A direct democracy is one in which every

citizen votes on all important decisions. One of the
first direct democracies was in Athens, Greece. All
of the citizens would gather to vote in the main
square on major issues. A direct democracy
becomes difficult when the population grows.
Imagine the 300 million people of the United States
trying to get together in one place to decide an
issue. It would be impossible.
Representative - The other type of democracy is a representative democracy. This is

where the people elect representatives to run the government. Another name for this
type of democracy is a democratic republic. The United States is a representative
democracy. The citizens elect representatives such as the president, members of
congress, and senators to run the government.
What characteristics make up a democracy?
Most democratic governments today have certain characteristics in common. We list a

few of the major ones below:
Citizens rule - We've already discussed this in the definition of democracy. The power of
the government must rest in the hands of the citizens either directly or through elected
representatives.
Free elections - Democracies conduct free and fair elections where all citizens are
allowed to vote how they want.
Majority rule with Individual rights - In a democracy, the majority of the people will rule,
but the rights of the individual are protected. While the majority may make the
decisions, each individual has certain rights such as free speech, freedom of religion,
and protection under the law.
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Limitations on Lawmakers - In a democracy there are limits placed on the elected
officials such as the president and the congress. They only have certain powers and also
have term limits where they are only in office for so long.
Citizen participation - The citizens of a democracy must participate for it to work. They
must understand the issues and vote. Also, in most democracies today, all citizens are
allowed to vote. There are no restrictions on race, gender, or wealth as there was in the
past.
Is the United States a Democracy?
The United States is an indirect democracy or a republic. While each citizen only has a
small say, they do have some say in how the government is run and who runs the
government.
Interesting Facts about Democracy
The word "democracy" comes from the Greek word "demos" which means "people." The
word "democracy" is not used anywhere in the U.S. Constitution. The government is
defined as a "republic." The top 25 richest countries in the world are democracies. The
United States is the oldest recognized democracy in the modern wo
Taken from https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_government/democracy.php
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YOU SAY YOU WANT A REVOLUTION?
The 5th grade student council is getting out of hand! I am proposing a revolution. I want to
see the system represent our 5th graders more fairly. I have made a list of all of the unjust
things that I have seen the student council do:
1. It seems that the only people who win president are those who give students gifts like
pencils or stickers.
2. They never tell us what they want to see changed in the school, it seems like it is
more of a popularity contest.
3. Only 2 people are chosen to run for president out of the many that apply
4. Decision making takes way too long, I wanted longer recess like, yesterday!
5. We have had the same president for 2 years in a row, what's up with that?
Come on 5th graders, lets stand up and make a change! How should we change this
democracy?
29
MY NEW DEMOCRACY WILL LOOK LIKE......
Use this sheet as a blueprint/outline for your new democracy. You may format it however
you like. If you want to draw a picture, please do it on the back.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________________________________
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ACADEMIC VOCABULARY/CONCEPTS LESSON PLAN
Length of lesson: 30-35 minutes
Title of Lesson: Constitutional Word Wall
Overview:
In this lesson, students will be reflecting on a chapter in the class read together in Hakim's
"A History of Us." The lesson will play out as follows:
• The teacher decides on a topic for instruction, in this case it will be chapter 29 in
Hakim, "The States Write Constitutions," and the key tier 2 words that are important
to review. The topic of this chapter, writing the constitution, is briefly introduced and
the key tier 2 words are written on the whiteboard:
1) derived (to come from)
2) tolerance (open-minded, accepting of others)
3) deliberating (to engage in long consideration)
4) unique (one of a kind, unlike anything else)
5) representative (an example of a class or group)
• Students are asked to think of other words or concepts/examples from Hakim's book
that come to mind when they read the key words. Students may also refer back to the
chapter if necessary. It is also appropriate for the students to write down a list of
these words to be shared with the class.
• The students share their recorded words. Teacher should discuss word relations with
students, are they accurate? Why or why not?
• After the list of words is completed, the words are grouped by category. The teacher
will provide students with possible category headings, an example of a made
semantic map is included with this lesson plan. Students discuss why certain words
go together. Categories for these words can include: characteristics, action(s)
(words) that were used to make the constitution, etc.
• A class map of the words is created by putting the information on a large sheet of
paper. The map is discussed. At this time, students are encouraged to add items to
the categories or even to suggest new categories.
• As other new words that relate to the topic are discovered through the reading of the
text, additions are made to the map.
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Objectives:
Throughout this lesson students will…
• use structural, syntactic, and semantic cues including letter-sound, rimes, base
words, affixes, and syllabication to automatically read frequently encountered words,
decode unknown words, and decide meanings including multiple meaning words
(R.WS.05.02)
• acquire and apply strategies to identify unknown words or word parts, and construct
meaning by analyzing derivatives, defining meanings of affixes, and applying
knowledge of word origins. (R.WS.05.05)
• in context, determine the meaning of words and phrases including symbols, idioms,
recently coined words, content vocabulary, and literary terms using strategies and
resources including analogies, content glossaries, and electronic resources.
(R.WS.05.07)
Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding:
Studying the American Revolution can be difficult because there are a ton of key players that
were involved. I expect students to have difficulty remembering and identifying names. I
also expect there to be an issue similar to the one portrayed in “Bossed Around by the
Queen,” in which students tended to think of events being attributed to one specific person,
rather than recognizing the complexity and the different layers of these events. I also
recognize that the chosen tier 2 words may prove to be difficult or unrecognizable to some
5th grade students. However, that is the key point of this vocabulary lesson. I chose words
that I knew most students would not already know, that way we can work to gain
comprehension together.
• White board
• Writing utensils- pencils, markers, etc.
• Sheets of paper/notebooks for student note taking
• Poster paper
• Hakim book
• Overhead projector
Assessment:
Assessment for this activity will be informal, and will take place during instruction while
students are sharing their related words. The teacher will assess student word decoding
skills, categorization skill, etc. This will allow the teacher to make immediate corrective
feedback, and will provide a low-risk learning experience for students.
32
1. Teacher says: Hello Class! Today we are going to review a very important chapter in
our book, "A History of Us." It is chapter 29, which we read earlier today. There a few
words that I think are very important for us to know, so I want to discuss them with
you.
• Teacher write 5 key tier 2 words on white board.
2. Teacher says: For the first few minutes this is going to be an individual activity.
Please take out a sheet of paper and write down any word that you feel might be
related, or associated, with any of these key words on the board. It is ok if you do not
know these words on the board, that is exactly why we are doing this activity! Just
write down whatever comes to mind when reading these word- try to think of what
we have already read in our book! If you are really struggling, you may pull out and
use your Hakim book for reference. (3 minutes)
3. Teacher says: Lets discuss what we wrote! I will go first. When I read the word
derived, I think of getting something from someone else. For example, our family
traditions may derive from our older family members. In our chapter, Hakim writes
that "government power was derived from the people." Does it sound like my word
association is correct? (5 minutes)
• Take a few hands and let class talk this out, the general consensus should be that my
answer was correct.
1. Teacher says: Can I have a few people share what word associations they made? (10
minutes)
• Give each student you call on time to explain why they made the word
association/relation, if the students answer is incorrect, show the sentence in the
chapter on the overhead projector in which the word is in and use context clues to
show why the student may be off base.
2. Teacher says: Great job with that class! Now, that we have a general understanding of
these key words, I would like to group them and their word relations into categories.
I have named a few categories that I think these words could fall under:
descriptions/characteristics, actions, and a "how" category that describes the steps
of how our new nation was formed. we will be referring back to them, and adding
more words into the categories. Let's start with the first word on our list, derived, can
anyone tell me what category do you think this word should go under based on our
definitions? (this entire categorization step should take about 10 minutes)
• Teacher is in charge of using the poster paper to create class categorization chart,
and is using markers to write down what class decides on.
• Students' answers will vary based on classroom, there are no correct answers in
mind, as this is a student tool so students should be the ones creating and maintaining
the categories. However, it is important to note that they will want this to make the
most sense to them, so they should think ahead when creating these categories.
3. Teacher says: Great job creating our word chart! The fancy word for this is called a
semantic map, which basically means language map. You may refer to this as either
our class word chart, or our semantic map. Either way, it will be hanging up right on
the wall for us to look back to whenever we need it. There are markers sitting right
next to it, so whenever you come across a new word during reading, and if you
believe it goes into one of our categories, you may go and write it on our chart. (2
minutes)
• Teacher hangs up semantic map.
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WORKING WITH TEXTS LESSON PLAN
Title of lesson: Creative Constitution
Overview:
How does the Constitution reflect the American Democracy?
In this lesson, students will get the opportunity to work with the Constitution to
discuss the meaning of each of the Amendments. As a class, we will attempt to relate the
Amendments to our modern democracy and current events. Then, we will vote on what we
believe to be the 5 most important and relevant articles today, and how they apply to
current events. Assuming this is a class of 30 students, the students will then be divided into
5 groups of 6. In their groups, students will discuss the meaning of their assigned Article and
each create a comic strip or picture depicting the Amendment. The group will then choose
the best representation, and re-create it on poster paper. Then, each group will report out to
the class about their Amendment and their drawing interpreting it. The teacher will then
hang each picture/comic around the room for students to refer to throughout the Unit.
34
Objectives:
Throughout this lesson, students will…
From C3:
• Explain how groups of people make rules to create responsibilities and protect
freedoms. (D2.Civ.4.3-5.)
• Apply civic virtues and democratic principles in school settings. (D2.Civ.7.3-5.)
• Use deliberative processes when making decisions or reaching judgments as a
group. (D2.Civ.9.3-5.)
• Explain how rules and laws change society and how people change rules and laws.
(D2.Civ.12.3-5.)
From GLCE's:
• Use resources in multiple forms and from multiple perspectives to analyze issues (5-
P2.4).
• Give examples of how conflicts over core democratic values lead people to differ on
contemporary constitutional issues in the United States (5 – P3.1.3 ).
• Identify contemporary public issues related to the United States Constitution and
their related factual, definitional, and ethical questions (5 – P3.1.1).
From Common Core State Standards:
• Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events,

ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific
information in the text (RI.5.3)
• Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and
formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally (SL.5.2)
I know that students will most likely still have issues reading an analyzing the student
version of the Articles of Confederation, which is why the class discussion is extremely
important to this lesson plan. I believe that relating this document to current events and to
self-experiences will help solidify the meaning of each of the Articles. Students may also
have difficulties choosing what they believe the 5 most important principles, and coming to
a decision on the best drawing. This is where voting comes into play. The teacher should
stress the important of the voting process during this, relating it back to the formation of the
American democracy. Voting is meant to be as classified as the voter wishes it to be, so the
class can choose to either do a heads down-hands up voting process, or ballot. This will
make the decision easier, as well as demonstrate the process and value of voting.
35
• Original Constitution
• Student version of the Constitution
• "A History of Us" book
• Poster paper
• Drawing utensils
• Political Cartoons
Assessment:
During instruction: The teacher will work with each group to assess that they all have a firm
grasp on their assigned Amendment.
After instruction: The teacher will assess groups as they share out about their drawing and
how it represents their assigned Amendment.
1. Teacher says: “Good morning class! Does anyone know which of the founding documents
this may be?” (1 minute)
• Teacher holds up Original version of the Constitution. You may want to put it under
the doc cam, or hold it with magnets on the board.
• Teacher takes hands of what students think it may be.
• If the correct answer is never stated, the teacher will introduce it as the Constitution
2. Teacher says: “Yes, this is the American Constitution. You may think this document
looks really old and boring, but when the Constitution was written it was revolutionary- it
was a brand-new concept for its time, and it is still used to guide our government today.
Joy Hakim, the author of our book "A History of Us," backs me up on this point. Let's see
what she says about these really old founding documents." (3 minutes)
• Assuming each student has a copy of the book, instruct them to take a few minutes to
read page 189 in "A History of Us."
3. Teacher says: "So, based off that page, what do you think Hakim believes about these
founding documents, the constitution in particular? (1 minute)
• Take hands, the general consensus is that the constitution is portrayed as extremely
important to our democratic government.
4. Teacher says: "To make the rest of this activity easier, I have printed out a more
modern version of the Constitution for us to read and examine. Let's take a few minutes
to read over this. While you are reading, try to make text-to-self and text-to-world
connections, just like we talked about last week. If any of these relations pop into your
head while reading, write them down write next to the amendment so we can discuss
them later." (5 minutes)
36
• Teacher hands out student friendly version
• Explain that each statement in the Constitution is called an amendment
• Everyone will read the student friendly version of the constitution individually. The
teacher will instruct them to highlight, star, and/or take notes while reading the
document. The expectation is that students will relate these amendments back to
recent current events, stories, etc.
5. Teacher says: "Now I would like to talk about the notes we made, I will share first. Next
to the First amendment, discussing freedom of religion, I wrote that it reminded me of
the anti-Muslim groups- does it sound like those groups are honoring the first
amendment? (10 minutes)
• Class discussion on the connections students may have made to the amendments.
Examples of possible relations could be gun control and the second amendment,
freedom of the press and "Fake News," etc.
6. I am sure you can all probably tell by now, but there are a ton of amendments in the
Constitution, 27 to be exact! Out of these 27 amendments, what do you guys believe to
be the most important amendments in our current American democracy?" (5 minutes)
• Class discussion; teacher may choose to keep track of amendments brought into
question on the white board.
7. Teacher says: "Now, I want us each to choose what we believe to be the 5 most
important amendments for our modern American democracy. On a scrap sheet of paper,
write down or circle your personal top 5. Then, we are going to take a class vote to
determine the 5 we are going to work with for the rest of this activity." (5 minutes)
• Instruct students to do "heads down, hands up" voting procedure

8. Teacher says: "Great! Each of us will be in a group discussing one of these five
amendments. I'm going to give each group a big piece of poster paper, all of you should
work together to create some type of picture or comic strip depicting your amendment.
In this way, you are working as a team to create a finished document, just like the
framers of the Constitution did! You may choose to draw a modern example of each
amendment, or maybe even what it may have looked like when the Constitution was first
written. (15 minutes with assessment)
• Have students count off by 5's to determine grouping

• Once in groups, teacher should pass out poster paper.
• After a few minutes of work time, the teacher should make rounds to assess students
understanding and progress.
9. Each group will report out about their amendment and poster example, teacher will
relate amendments to current examples when possible. (10 minutes)
• Teacher will then hang poster on wall for students to refer back to.
37
10. Teacher says: "Like we have already discussed, the U.S Government still abides by
the constitution, but from our discussion we know that there have been a lot of current
events that sometimes go against the constitution. So, a lot of people are up in arms
about what exactly our constitutional rights are. Can anyone tell me what they think I
mean by constitutional rights?" (1 minute)
• Teacher takes hands
11. Teacher says: "Now that we know what I mean when I say "Constitutional rights," and we
have discussed current events in relation to the Constitution, I want us to examine a few
political cartoons that are related to both of these things." (5 minutes)
• Teacher hands out political cartoons

• Give the students a few moments to examine them
• Briefly discuss them in order to segue into next day's lesson
10. Teacher says: "Ok class, I want you to keep these cartoons in mind for tomorrow,
because we will be discussing current events in relation to the constitution much
more in depth then!"
38
The Amendments of the Constitution
The First Amendment - states that Congress shall make no law preventing the
establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. Also protected are freedom of
speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the
Government for a redress of grievances.
The Second Amendment - protects citizen's right to bear arms.
The Third Amendment - prevents the government from placing troops in private homes.
This was a real problem during the American Revolutionary War.
The Fourth Amendment - this amendment prevents the government from unreasonable
search and seizure of the property of US citizens. It requires the government to have a
warrant that was issued by a judge and based on probable cause.
The Fifth Amendment - The Fifth Amendment is famous for people saying "I'll take the
Fifth". This gives people the right to choose not to testify in court if they feel their own
testimony will incriminate themselves. In addition this amendment protects citizens from
being subject to criminal prosecution and punishment without due process. It also prevents
people from being tried for the same crime twice. The amendment also establishes the
power of eminent domain, which means that private property can not be seized for public
use without just compensation.
The Sixth Amendment - guarantees a speedy trial by a jury of one's peers. Also, people
accused are to be informed of the crimes with which they are charged and have the right to
confront the witnesses brought by the government. The amendment also provides the
accused the right to compel testimony from witnesses, and to legal representation (meaning
the government has to provide a lawyer).
The Seventh Amendment - provides that civil cases also be tried by jury.
The Eighth Amendment - prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual
punishments.
39
The Ninth Amendment - states that the list of rights described in the Constitution is not
exhaustive, and that the people still have all the rights that are not listed. T
The Tenth Amendment - gives all powers not specifically given to the United States
government in the Constitution, to either the states or to the people.
11th - This amendment set limits on when a state can be sued. In particular it gave immunity
to states from law suits from out-of-state citizens and foreigners not living within the state
borders.
12th- Revised the presidential election procedures.
13th - This amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude.
14th- Defined what it means to be a US citizen. It prohibits states from reducing the
privileges of citizens and ensures each citizen the 'right to due process and the equal
protection of the law'.
15th - Gave all men the right to vote regardless of race or color or whether they had been
slaves.
16th- Gave the federal government the power to collect income tax.
17th - Established that senators would be directly elected.
18th-Prohibition of alcohol making alcoholic drinks illegal. (It would later be repealed by the
Twenty-first Amendment)
19th- gave women the right to vote. It's also called women's suffrage.
20th- Gave details on the terms of office for Congress and the President.
21st- This amendment repealed the Eighteenth Amendment.
22nd- Limited the president to a maximum of two terms or 10 years.
23rd- Provided that Washington, DC be allowed representatives in the Electoral College.

This way the citizens of Washington DC would have a vote for the president even though
they are not officially part of a state.
24th- Said that people don't have to pay a tax, called a poll tax, in order to vote.
25th- This amendment defined the presidential succession if something should happen to
the president. The first in line is the Vice-President.
26th - Set the national voting age at 18. 27th (May 5 or 7, 1992) - States that Congressional
salary changes cannot take effect until the beginning of the next session of Congress.
27th - States that Congressional salary changes cannot take effect until the beginning of the
40
next session of Congress.
Adapted from Ducksters.com
41
DISCUSSION LESSON PLAN
Title of Lesson: Current events and the Constitution
Overview: In this lesson, students will examine and relate three current event topics to the
amendments in the constitution. The students will have the opportunity to choose which
current event they want to work with, and both discuss with their group and the whole class
about the connections they made between the amendments and the current events articles.
Objectives:
From GLCEs:
• Identify contemporary public issues related to the United States Constitution and
their related factual, definitional, and ethical questions (5 – P3.1.1)
• Give examples of how conflicts over core democratic values lead people to differ on
contemporary constitutional issues in the United States (5 – P3.1.3)
From C3:
• Identify the beliefs, experiences, perspectives, and values that underlie their own
and others’ points of view about civic issues (D2.Civ.10.3-5)
• Explain how rules and laws change society and how people change rules and laws
(D2.Civ.12.3-5)
From Common Core:
• Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events,

ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific
information in the text (RI.5.3)
• Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when
drawing inferences from the text (RI.5.1)
I anticipate that students may not know of the current events issues discussed in this lesson,
but with the articles and teacher explanation students should be able to get a general grasp
of the events being discussed. Some students may also have issues viewing these events in
correlation with the constitution, but working with a larger group and teacher feedback will
aid with this possible challenge.
42
• The 3 different articles

1. https://newsela.com/read/trump-muslim-tweets/id/38307
2. https://newsela.com/read/net-neutrality-reversal/id/38096
3. https://newsela.com/read/nfl-protests-trump/id/35649
• Student friendly version of constitution (given to students in a prior lesson)
• Political cartoons (given to students in a prior lesson)
• Writing utensils
Assessment:
Both assessments for this lesson will be informal and occur during the group discussions, in
which the teacher will walk around and help aid each groups discussion and to address any
possible confusions with the articles, and during the group share out, in which the teacher
will assess the connections each group made between the amendments and the current
events issues.
1. Teacher says: "Hello class! As I mentioned yesterday, today we will be discussing

current events in relation to the constitution. Please read the signs on the wall, as each of you
will be split off into one of the three groups. (2 minutes)
• As students walk into the classroom, they will find 3 separate group areas. Taped on
the wall next to each group seating area are the three current events: net neutrality,
kneeling during the anthem, and gun control. The teacher should either pre-assign
the groups or have the class count of by three’s, that way there is roughly the same
number of students in each group. Doing this, rather than allowing the students to
choose their group, will guarantee that each current event gets discussed, and it
stretches students thinking about things they may not already know about.
2. Teacher says: “Before we get started with our group work, I want to discuss the political
cartoons I handed out yesterday. Based off those, does it seem like everyone is happy with
the way the constitution is being used today? (10 minutes)
• Teacher leads discussion on our constitutional rights, and how there are some
debates of what rights our constitution actually gives us. (i.e. freedom of speech does
not mean hate speech is ok)
• After discussion, teacher hands out articles to each corresponding group.
3. Teacher says: "Now with that in mind, let's take a few minutes to read over our
articles. You may choose to read these individually, or as a group. When you are
reading your article, I want you to make those text-to-text connections I keep talking
about. When reading, pretend that you are one of the framers of the constitution- do
you see anything that supports or goes against what we have read of the constitution?
Write down, star, or highlight anything you think does. We will be discussing these
later. (7 minutes)
• Teacher emphasizes that the class will be relating these issues to the
constitutional amendments.
43
• Teacher may ask for students to have their copy of the constitution out while reading
to make connections.
4. Teacher says: "Now with your groups, share any relation to the constitution you came
up with while reading the article. What would the framers of our constitution say
about these current event issues? What would their stance be, and what is your
personal stance?" (15 minutes)
• During this time, the teacher should walk around and confer with each group
and aid with any problems that may arise. This serves as one of the
assessments.
• With the two articles relating to Trump, the teacher may discuss his individual
bias and news source bias with the groups (bias is always involved with
current events).
5. After groups have adequate time to discuss, they should explain their current events
issue, and share out their relations to the whole class. (15 minutes)
• Ultimately, the students should answer the questions of: "What would the framers
think of these current events?" And "do these events support or go against our
constitutional rights?"
• Teacher may assess groups and individuals on the connections they made.
• During this time, the teacher should also bring into discussion the students take on
the current events.
6. Teacher says: “Great work class! I want to stress one last time the importance of the
constitution- it is the basis of our democracy, and it paved the way for many other
modern democracies. I want you all to form your own opinions on these current event
issues, but never forget the democratic principles our nation was built upon.” (1
minute)
44
CURRENT EVENTS GRAPHIC ORGANIZER
Use this as a guide for your group’s current event discussion
Who is this article about?
Who does this article affect? How/why?
How does the event in the article impact the world?
How does the event in the article impact our nation?
45
How does the event in the article support or go against our constitution?
Are our constitutional rights being affected or altered by the event in this article? How?
How does the event in the article affect you personally?
What do you think the framers of the constitution would have to say about the event that
occurred in the article?
46
Trump's retweets spark controversy
around the world
By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff
Grade Level 5
12/04/2017
Word Count 638
Protesters hold a banner reading 'No To Islamophobia - Don't Scapegoat Migrants - Stand Up To Trump - Stamp
Out Antisemitism - Refugees Welcome' at a vigil for Resham Khan and Janeel Muhktar who were attacked with
sulphuric acid in London, United Kingdom, in July, 2017. Photo by: Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images
WASHINGTON — On November 29, President Donald Trump retweeted three videos on the social
media site Twitter. They claimed to show violence committed by Muslims.
Muslims are people who practice the religion of Islam. As one of the world's main religions, Islam is
popular all around the world.
Trump's tweets were quickly criticized by many political leaders and civil rights groups.
British Hate Group Against Islam
47
The tweets were originally posted by Jayda Fransen of Britain First. Trump retweeted, or reposted,
them. Britain First is a political group in Britain that is against people from different races and
cultures living together. They are also strongly against Islam.
Trump's tweets gave the group more attention.
James Slack works for British Prime Minister Theresa May, the country's leader. He said Britain
First seeks to divide communities with hateful stories. He said, "it is wrong for the president to have
done this."
The group's tweets read: "VIDEO: Islamist mob pushes teenage boy off roof and beats him to death!"
and "VIDEO: Muslim destroys a statue of the Virgin Mary!" and "VIDEO: Muslim migrant beats up
Dutch boy on crutches!"
Trump did not explain why he retweeted the videos.
White House Spokesperson Defends Posts
White House spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders later defended his posts. She said he wants to
"promote strong borders and strong national security."
Someone asked if the president should have made sure the videos were real and true. Sanders said,
"Whether it's a real video, the threat is real and that is what the president is talking about."
Britain First has spoken out against the construction of mosques, the places of worship for Muslims.
Trump Teases Senator Warren
Trump's tweets came two days after he teased Senator Elizabeth Warren. She is a senator in
Massachusetts. Trump called her "Pocahontas." It happened during an event honoring Native
American war heroes. The remark was racist because Trump was being disrespectful. He drew
criticism from both Native American war veterans and other lawmakers.
48
The Council on American-Islamic Relations responded to Trump's tweets. The group aims to make
peace between Americans and Muslims. Nihad Awad, the group's director, said that Trump is clearly
telling his followers "that they should hate Islam and Muslims."
Awad said the council has recorded 3,296 events of violent acts against Muslims this year. Yet "we
haven't heard a peep from Trump" about it.
White Supremacist Groups Support Trump
David Duke is the former leader of the Ku Klux Klan. They are a white supremacy group. White
supremacists have the wrong and hateful belief that white people are better than people of other
races. Duke welcomed the videos, tweeting: "Thank God for Trump! That's why we love him!"
It's not the first time Trump has retweeted posts that many people found offensive. He has shared
messages from people who appeared to have ties to white nationalist groups. White nationalists
believe that races should be separated.
"We Have To Stop Radical Islamic Terrorism,"

President Says
While running for president, Trump made many comments that upset Muslims. He said he would
"strongly consider" closing mosques and said that "Islam hates us." As president, he has sought to
ban travel from countries where many Muslims live. He said earlier this year that "we have to stop
radical Islamic terrorism."
After Trump retweeted the videos, Fransen quickly responded on Twitter praising him. She said,
"GOD BLESS YOU TRUMP! GOD BLESS AMERICA!"
Fransen has been charged with saying threatening, hateful words based on someone's religion. She
shouted hurtful words that threatened a Muslim woman last year. She had to pay a fine for this.
Trump's retweets were condemned by Brendan Cox. His wife, Jo, was a British lawmaker. She was
murdered last year by an attacker connected to white nationalist groups.
"Spreading hatred has consequences and the president should be ashamed of himself," Cox said.
49
FCC chairman announces plans to scrap
open Internet access rules
By Dominic Rushe, The Guardian, adapted by Newsela staff
Grade Level 5
11/27/2017
Word Count 692
In this Friday, Jan. 17, 2014, photo, a person displays Netflix on a tablet in North Andover, Mass. Photo by: Elise
Amendola/AP Photo.
The U.S. government has announced major new plans. It wants new rules that overturn Obama-era
rules designed to protect an open Internet.
People buy access to the Internet through Internet service providers. Examples of Internet service
providers include AT&T, Verizon and Comcast. These providers have been required by the
government to treat all websites equally. This is called net neutrality.
50
What Is Net Neutrality?
Net neutrality is the idea that all traffic on the Internet is treated equally. With these rules,
broadband companies can't set different speeds for different websites. They can't make some sites
faster and some slower.
The service providers say this is too much government regulation.
Ajit Pai is the head of the government's Federal Communications Commission, or FCC. The agency
helps regulate communications companies such as Internet, cable and phone companies. Pai plans to
undo net neutrality rules.
Some people say that we shouldn't remove the rules. Doing so will hand broadband companies
control of the Internet. It would allow them to pick winners and losers by slowing some services
while making other services faster.
Tech companies and groups that fight for tech users like the rules. But Internet service providers and
Pai don't.
FCC Chair States His Case To Dump Rules
Pai said that the FCC will no longer tell businesses what they should do. The current rules, he said,
stopped Internet service providers from coming up with new ideas. He added that the current rules
tried to pick winners and losers.
The government's rules should only be simple guidelines, he said. The people should decide with
their dollars who wins and loses.
Battle Brewing Over FCC Plans
The FCC will vote on the new rules on December 14. The vote is going to start a big debate. About 21
million comments were sent to the government as it discussed the proposals. Activists have called
lawmakers more than 250,000 times to say they are against Pai’s plans. The FCC’s plans will be
challenged in court.
51
Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said the FCC's plan is very bad. It would slow down the creativity
that made the Internet what it is today.
Internet Providers Would Benefit From Rule

Change
Undoing the current laws will be a major victory for broadband and cable companies. They fought
through the courts to stop net neutrality when the rules first began.
Pai used to be a lawyer for Verizon. As an Internet service provider, Verizon would benefit from Pai's
new rules. Pai and the service providers have argued the current rules are unnecessary. They claim
that the rules slow creativity and make it harder to make money.
The fight has divided the technology world. Companies like Amazon, Google and Wikipedia say net
neutrality is very important. It creates a fair playing field. Still, service providers don't agree.
AT&T's Takeover Of Time Warner Is Blocked
At the same time, cable providers are moving to take control of more and more online companies. On
Monday, the Justice Department sued to block AT&T’s takeover of Time Warner. The deal would
hand AT&T control of CNN, HBO, Warner Bros., and other businesses.
If the deal goes through, it will make AT&T "vertically integrated." This means that it owns the
Internet and TV service and also the TV shows and movies shown on the service. AT&T's own
DirecTV satellite business once said that vertical integration is bad. It lets service providers refuse to
share programming with other companies. For example, if AT&T takes control of CNN, it can decide
that no other TV company can show CNN. If a customer wants to watch CNN, they would have to pay
AT&T.
Groups Plan Protests At Verizon Stores
Free speech groups are worried, too. They say the FCC’s latest moves could lead to censorship online.
A series of protests are planned for December 7, the week before the FCC vote, at Verizon stores
nationwide.
52
Evan Greer is organizing the protest. "This is the free speech fight of our generation," she said.
"Ajit Pai may be owned by Verizon," she said, but he has to answer to lawmakers and the people.
"We’re taking our protest from the Internet to the streets."
_____________________________________________________________________
President Trump's remarks about NFL

players spark more protests
By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff
Grade Level 5
09/26/2017
Word Count 674
Several New England Patriots players kneel during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the
Houston Texans, September 24, 2017, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Photo by: AP Photo/Michael Dwyer
This weekend, President Donald Trump talked about football. Since last year, some football players
in the National Football League (NFL) have been protesting during the national anthem. People
usually stand when the song plays, but some players have been kneeling.
53
The players want to protest how people of color are treated. Trump believes they are wrong for
kneeling during the national anthem. Trump's statements caused more athletes to protest on
Sunday.
Players Take A Knee, Lock Arms
Last week, only four players knelt or sat. Two stood with their fists raised. In the nine early games on
Sunday, reporters counted 102 players kneeling or sitting. At least three raised their fists. The
Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in the locker room during "The Star-Spangled Banner."
Some players protested during a football game in London, England. The players had traveled
overseas to play. About 20 players from the Baltimore Ravens and Jacksonville Jaguars took a knee
during both the British and American national anthems.
Players on both teams and the Jaguars team owner Shad Khan locked arms.
Kneeling During Anthem Began With Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick used to be the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Kaepernick was the
first player to kneel during the national anthem last year. He was protesting how some police treat
African-Americans. This season, he is not on a team. Some people believe NFL team owners do not
want him to play on their teams because of the attention he got. Some people do not like the protests,
but some people support the protests.
Trump said NFL protesters should be fired. On Saturday, the president took back a White House
invitation for the NBA champion Golden State Warriors. The team was thinking about not going to
the White House. They dislike some of Trump's words and behavior.
Players on many teams that played on Sunday sat, knelt or locked arms during the anthem. The
players wanted to show support for each other.
Many NFL owners stood up for their players. The owners did not want Trump saying bad things
about the players.
Other Athletes Respond

54
Not every team was protesting Trump. The National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins did accept
a White House invitation from Trump. The Penguins won the championship last season.
The Penguins said they respect the office of the president and "the long tradition of championship
team visiting the White House."
Trump talked about the football players in a speech on Friday night and tweets on Saturday. Some of
the nation's top athletes responded. For example, basketball star LeBron James called the president
a "bum." Hours later, the first player in Major League Baseball took a knee during the national
anthem.
During his speech, Trump said he would want to see an NFL team owner fire a player for
disrespecting the flag.
Trump also tweeted, "If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag &
Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!"
Trump also made fun of the league's new safety rules. The NFL made new safety rules to try to
protect players' health and treat concussions and other head injuries. Head injuries can cause serious
and long-lasting harm.
"Lack Of Respect For The NFL"
The league and the players do not always agree, but they have been united in standing up for the
players. The head of the NFL is Roger Goodell. On Saturday, Goodell said that Trump's words show
"lack of respect for the NFL, our great game and all of our players." Goodell said that Trump does not
understand the good things that players do in their communities.
Steven Mnuchin works for the Trump government. He defended Trump on Sunday. Mnuchin said
that the president thinks "owners should have a rule that players should have to stand in respect for
the national anthem." Mnuchin added that the players "can do free speech on their own time."
New England Patriots team owner Robert Kraft has been a strong supporter of the president.
However, Kraft felt "deep disappointment" with Trump on Sunday.
55
FINAL THOUGHTS/REFLECTION
Going into this unit plan, I knew very little about the American Revolution, and I
probably knew even less about our founding documents. I knew that we wanted to separate
from England and that the Constitution was written as a guideline for our new nation; that
was about it. In order to plan this unit well, I knew that I needed to read over the Articles of
Confederation, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. So, I went out and bought a little
pocket size book that contains these documents. I used my book throughout the entire unit,
and that helped a lot with shaping my unit plan and its corresponding lessons. After reading
and re-reading these documents I can now say that I feel fully comfortable in teaching this
entire unit. Having an understanding of these documents is not only important for teaching
this unit, but is also crucial in being a well-informed citizen. I now understand the value of
knowing and understanding these documents; they are the back-bone of our nation.
Before entering into this class, I did not think too much of how I plan on teaching
social studies (being and English major and all). Now, I feel prepared and excited to teach
social studies to my future class(es), and planning this unit helped shape my vision of goals
for social studies education. A major component of my teaching philosophy is guiding my
students into being the most well-rounded and educated citizens they can be. I believe that
being able to discuss, deliberate and examine social, historical, personal (etc.) issues and
experiences is more important than being able to write a 5-paragraph essay on them. This
belief comes out in my unit plan and I expect it will continue to show it self throughout a lot
of my lesson designing. This unit especially reflects my teaching philosophy in that all of the
knowledge gained is crucial to know outside of school, as well as in school. I am extremely
proud of this unit for that reason. In today’s political and social climate, it is very important to
know that. In today’s political and social climate, it is very important to know and
comprehend what these founding documents are meant to do for the people, and that many
people are still fighting for their Constitutional rights. Understanding our founding
documents is the most foundational way to better our society and nation as a whole.
This is the first unit plan I have created during my time at GVSU. I plan on using the
outlines and guidance provided throughout the semester when creating any future lesson
plans. From this experience I learned how important It is to remain flexible in the creation of
any unit/lesson, these things are constantly changing! The biggest challenge I faced during
the creation of this unit plan is going back to revise individual components to make them
mesh into the overarching unit better. Peer feedback helped me a lot with this, though. I
made a lot of revisions based off my classmates input, and I truly appreciate the “outsiders”
point of view because I miss things sometimes.
Overall, this experience gave me hope. Recently, I have grown increasingly

frustrated with the way the education system is structured. Standards and tests structure
curriculums, and being smart is valued over being knowledgeable and insightful. To me,
this just furthers the opportunity and achievement gap. But, this unit plan proved that I can
still “abide” by state/national standards and requirements and still make units creative,
engaging and relevant to everyone.
56

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THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

Creating New Government(s) and a New Constitution

How do our founding documents influence our

Stage 2- Identifying Desired Results 6

Stage 3- Determining Acceptable Evidence 8

Academic Vocabulary Lesson 31

Working with Texts Lesson 34

Considering the Content

Education alone is powerful, but social studies education is enabling. As put by

Without historical understanding, there can be no wisdom; without geographical

Considering the Learners

Elementary grade students tend to view historical events as a result of an individual

Why This Unit?

Compelling Question: Supporting Questions:

Key Concepts: Important Knowledge: Important Skills:

1) Warm up: have students write 3 Overview:

1) How many amendments are included in the Bill of Rights?

A) Just the 1st Amendment

B) All 27 Amendments are included in the Bill of Rights

C) The first 10 Amendments

D) the first 5 Amendments

C) The President of the United States

3) If postwar Americans agreed on nothing else, they agreed that...

A) There should be no property qualifications to vote

B) States should have democratic governments

C) The Articles of Confederation needed to be replaced by a constitution

D) New governments should be republican.

5) What was our countries first Constitution called?

PART 2: TRUE OR FALS E

10)______ our Constitution guarantees us the right to peacefully protest.

PART 3: SHORT ANSWER

11) Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?

8) F: advocated for colonial resistance, not a war

9) F: The original purpose was to revise the Articles of Confederation

10) T: 1st amendment

Questions adapted from:

Each student is required to join a side of a debate, or represent a "character" during

Democracy vs. Monarchy debate must include:

• What a Democracy is: pros and cons

• Key values/concerns of loyalists

• How characters work was affected

• Characters view on the Revolution

You have chosen to either be a representative of a Democracy, or of a Monarchy. You

• How your characters work was affected by the war.

• Characters view on the Revolution

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

Day 4 Day 5 Day 6

Day 7 Day 8 Day 9

DAILY LESSONS CATALOG

Day 2: Types of Government Lesson

Day 4: The Articles of Confederation Lesson Plan

Day 5: Academic Vocabulary Lesson Plan- creating a Constitutional Word Wall

Day 6: Working with Texts Lesson Plan-Creative Constitution

Day 7: Introduction and workshopping time for the performance assessment

Day 8: Discussion Lesson Plan

HOOKING LESSON PLAN

Length of lesson: ~60 minutes

During and after this unit, students will be able to…

• Identify the role the government plays in this situation

Anticipated student conceptions or challenges to understanding: My compelling

• "What is a Democracy?" Lecture notes

To introduce the compelling question….

There are two main types of democracies: direct and representative.