Nate Scholten EDU 344 Professor Isham Lesson Plan 5 Title: The Constitutional Convention Subject: Social Studies

Grade Level: 8th Time Allotted: 60 min

Materials Required: Textbook, PowerPoint, Case study Sheet, Case Study documents Michigan Curriculum Framework: GLCE, 8 U5.1.6 Describe how major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention such as disagreements over the distribution of political power, rights of individuals (liberty and property), rights of states, election of the executive, and slavery help explain the Civil War. (National Geography Standard 13, p. 169) Objective(s): The student will be able to: -Describe the major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention -Conclude how these issues explain the coming of the Civil War -Argue which issues were the most influential towards the problems surrounding the United States in the middle of the nineteenth Century 1. Anticipatory Set (7 min): To begin class, I will show a clip by Charlie Brown about the basic facts of the Constitutional Convention. After the video has taken place, I will start a little mini discussion on what the students' prior knowledge of the Constitutional Convention consists of. A 3-5 minute discussion will ensue. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BgnTdR4n_k Questions like this will be asked: When did this event take place? Why did our founding fathers feel the need to write a constitution? What were some of the main ideas discussed at this event?
Now that we have a basic understanding of the Constitutional Convention, lets take a look at the objectives for today...

2. State Purpose and Objective of Lesson (2 min): While this lesson mainly focuses on the Constitutional Convention which took place much earlier in our nation's history, students will explore the connection between this event and the problems surrounding the United States before the Civil War actually takes place. 3. Plan for Instruction and Assessment (40-45 min):

Lets get started with the group activity for the day.Each row will be its own group. After I say the word Go, can you arrange yourselves in a group like fashion. Once this is completed I will give more instructions...Go! You should be in groups of around 7 individuals. Each person will have their own document. For the next 10 to 15 minutes, read that document and come up with the answers to the questions on the worksheet. After the video has been shown, and a short discussion as a class takes place, I will instruct the students to break up in to 4 groups, which ideally will contain around 6-7 students. In these groups, students will complete a case study examining the Constitutional Conventions and its implications on tensions in the United States before the Civil War. I will first read the introductory paragraph to all of the students. Next, each student will be given a Case Study Worksheet, and one document to analyze. This group activity will be a Jig Saw activity. Every student will spend around 10-15 minutes reading their own document, and answering the questions on the sheet. After this takes place, a sharing period will ensue. Each student will go through the main points in their document, giving the information to the other students in their group. While this takes place, the listening students will fill out that particular section of the sheet. Simply looking at another student's worksheet and copying down the information is prohibited. I will be monitoring this part of the assignment by walking around and listening in on the conversations of the students. This period will take around 20-25 min. Every student must present, and the completed worksheet will be turned in at the end of class. Once the top section of the worksheet is finished, students will focus on the bottom of the worksheet which contains the critical thinking questions which relates the Constitutional Convention with the issues surrounding the U.S. before the Civil War. http://web.wm.edu/hsi/cases/constitution/constitution_student.html There is basically one assessment in this lesson, which is the completion of the Case Study worksheet. Obviously, after the worksheet has been completed, I will take some time go over the critical thinking questions with the class. This will allow me to gain a general observation and understanding of how closely the students were able to match my objectives for this lesson. The completed worksheet will be their ticket out the door. 4. Differentiation Consideration (accommodations): -Video clip for anticipatory set instead of having students read an article or document -I will read the instructions to the Case Study assignment -I will partner students with learning disabilities up with other students during the case study in groups where there are more than seven students 5. Closure (10 min): After the necessary amount of time has been given to my students to complete the Case Study worksheet, I will turn off the lights, and reconvene the class. Students will be instructed to return to their seats.

Now that all of you have had the chance to read and hear about the different case studies for this lesson, I want to focus on the bottom of the worksheet. These questions are a little vaguer, and will cause you to relate the Constitutional Convention with the tensions surrounding the United States just before the Civil War. I will then go over the critical thinking questions with the class. A 2 minute discussion will take place. Next, students will be given the last 7 minutes of class to complete the reflection question. How do the major issues discussed at the Constitutional Convention relate to the issues which caused a great amount of tension in the United States before the actual Civil War occurs? I will let my students gather up their belongings, but tell them to remain in their seats until the light has been turned off. As they leave the classroom, they are expected to hand me their worksheet. Once I turn the lights off, you are free to exit the class. Just make sure you hand me your completed worksheet.