Middle

Childhood Education Seminar 2

Middle Childhood Education Lesson Plan Template v. 2
Teacher Candidate Name: Kassidy Garrow
Lesson Title/#: The Making of the US Constitution Day 2 & 3
Grade Level: 8th
Essential Question: Is the best government the government that governs the least?
Lesson Foundations
Content Standards

(SS.8.7) Problems arising under the Articles of Confederation led to debate over the adoption of the U.S.
*Science and SS should also Constitution.
include common core for
reading/writing
(CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.6) Determine an author's point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author
acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
Learning Objective(s)

LO1. Students will be able to identify how the issues that arose from the Articles of Confederation led to the debate of
the Constitutional Convention. (understand)

Students will
LO2. Students will be able to identify the arguments of the federalists and anti-federalists by analyzing primary
sources. (analyze)
Prior Academic Knowledge
and Skills

1. Students understand how power was distributed between the state and central governments under the Articles of
Confederation.

What have you or your

mentor taught previously
that will inform what
students are learning today?

2. Students understand the how powers given to the states and Congress caused problems to arise under the Articles of
Confederation.
3. Students know how to analyze political cartoons.
4. Students know how to find the authors point of view.

Materials & Resources

5. Students know how to analyze primary sources.

1. PowerPoint (FederalistvAntiFederalistLP2.pptx)
2. 24 copies of the DBQ packet including: political cartoon each covered with four post-it notes, the Federalist Papers
and Anti-Federalist Papers excerpts (adapted from the Gilder Lehman Institute), and corresponding questions
3. Historical journals (have students bring to class)

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

4. 24 name cards
5. 24 federalists v. anti-federalists comparison charts
6. 4 instruction packets for struggling and IEP students
7. 24 graphic organizers
8. 24 graphic organizers for drafting essays
Assessments
Describe the assessments that will be used in this lesson to monitor students mastery of the lesson objective(s). List assessments in order in which
they appear in the lesson.
Name and number of
Assessment
Think, Pair, Share
(A1)

Description of assessment
In this formative assessment, I
will be evaluating student
understanding about how the
problems that arose under the
Articles of Confederation led to
the Constitutional Convention
using the political cartoon,
Looking Glass for 1787.
Students will examine the
political cartoon to determine
what is going on. There will be
numbered post-it notes (one
through four) covering the
picture. Students will be directed
to pull them off in order, and
examine how the story changes
each time they pull off a post-it
note. After all of the post-it notes
are pulled off, students will
analyze what the political
cartoon represents and the
authors purpose in their
historical journals. Responses
will be used to guide further

Evaluation Criteria - What is the evidence (the answers) of student learning?

Specifically list evidence of learning and learning objectives.
(LO1)
Students will continually add to the story as they pull off the post-it notes.
(Specific answers will vary) As we learned from yesterdays lesson, the Articles of
Confederation led to problems for the newly freed country. There was chaos in the
states because there was no regulation of laws by the federal government. It is obvious
that things need to change. By looking at this political cartoon, I think that people have
different ideas about how the Articles of Confederation should be changed. People are
pulling the wagon, which represents Connecticut, in different directions. Even though
they are both pulling, it looks like no one has the advantage because the wagon appears
to be sinking. It seems that there is something in the wagon that is weighing it down. It
may be money because after the war the United States was in debt. One of the problems
of the Articles of Confederation was that it provided no way to collect taxes to help pay
off the war debt. The one side may want to create a stronger national government to pay
off the debt, but the other side is resisting.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

instruction.
World Caf (A2)

(Formative guided)
In this formative assessment, I
will be evaluating student
understanding about the
arguments of the federalists and
anti-federalists. Using primary
sources, students answer
questions about the Federalist
Papers and the Anti-Federalist
Papers. After walking through
the excerpt with the teacher,
students will have to talk with
their group members to answer
the question using evidence from
the documents. Each group will
be given a large post-it note
poster divided into two columns
where one side represents either
the federalists or the antifederalists. After students answer
the questions, they will write the
excerpt in the column that they
think the author represents. After
the time is up, one student will
stay seated while the other group
members go to a different table
(they must all go to a different
table from each other.) The
student who stayed at the table
will have to explain to the new
group-mates his or her reasoning
and compare it to what the other
group-mates came up with. The
teacher will bring back everyone
together to go over the correct

(LO2)
Excerpt 1 (Federalist Papers #1) Model for students:
1) Based on the document above, the author believes that Constitution should be
adopted because it will protect citizens liberty, dignity, and happiness.
2) This was written in support of the federalists. It is clearly stated that the author
believes that the Constitution should be ratified. The author says, clearly of opinion it
is your interest to adopt it. I am convinced that this is the safest course for your liberty,
your dignity, and your happiness. Because of this we know it was written in support of
the federalists because they approve of the ratification of the Constitution.
3) The anti-federalists could refute this argument by saying that it does not protect the
citizens liberty because it does not include a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights is
necessary to include according to the anti-federalists.
Excerpt 2 (Anti-Federalist Papers #46):
1) The author is worried about the clause, And to make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper, because they believe that giving them this power will give
Congress unlimited power. The author believes that there will be no restraint on the
federal government.
2) This was written in support of the anti-federalists. One of the arguments of the antifederalists was that the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government.
They are questioning the phrase, And to make all laws which shall be necessary and
proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by
this constitution in the government of the United States; or in any department or offices
thereof. They are worried that if they are given this power there will be no restraints on
Congress, diminishing the powers of the states.
Excerpt 3 (Federalist Papers #84):
1) The author does not believe that a Bill of Rights is necessary to include in the
proposed Constitution. In fact, the author thinks including one will be harmful to
citizens because it would restrain the rights to just those included in the document.
2) I believe that there should be a Bill of Rights included into the Constitution. I believe
this because even today some of our rights are questioned and we do have a Bill of
Rights. If there were no Bill of Rights included, we would risk having those rights taken

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

answer and lead students in a
discussion. This process will be
repeated for each excerpt.
Responses will be used to guide
further instruction. Students will
use this activity to help them
prepare for tomorrows debate.

away from us.

This was written in support of the federalists. One of the arguments of the federalists
for ratifying the Constitution was that it does not need a Bill of Rights. In this excerpt it
says that the proposed Constitution does not need a Bill of Rights because it already
guarantees and protects individual rights.

(Formative guided)

Excerpt 4 (Anti-Federalist Papers #1):

1) According to the passage, power should be given mostly to the states or small
republics. The author believes that the United States is too large to be controlled by one
central government.
2) The author believes that the federal government should have the power to unite the
states by being involved with foreign affairs and other general concerns.
3) This was written in support of the anti-federalists. One of the arguments of the antifederalists was that one government would not be able to control a country as large as
the United States. They are arguing that smaller state governments should hold the
ultimate power, but allow the states to be united in international affairs and general
concerns.
Excerpt 5 (Anti-Federalist Papers #84):
1) One reason the author believes that there should be a Bill of Rights included is
because the Constitution is to protect future generations to come, so rights need to be
clearly defined. Another reason the author believes that there should be a Bill of Rights
included is because he believes that no man should be able to infringe upon the rights of
others.
2) A Bill of Rights protects citizens because it clearly defines what rights people have
that no man or government can take away. The author believes that there needs to be a
social compact between the people and their government. Therefore, citizens need to
have their rights clearly defined. Since they are writing the Constitution for future
generations to come, they need to clearly define the rights so that the same government
may rule them.
This was written in support of the anti-federalists. One of the arguments of the antifederalists was that the proposed Constitution needed to include a Bill of Rights to
protect the citizens liberties. In this excerpt the author is talking about how they need to
preserve not only their own rights, but also the rights for future generations to come. In
order to do so, they are arguing for a Bill of Rights to be included.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Essay Response (A3)

Students will write about why

the Articles of Confederation led
to the Constitutional Convention
and how they would change the
Articles of Confederation by
explaining what side of the
debate, federalist or antifederalist, they would support if
they were participating in the
Constitutional Convention.
Students will have to give
reasoning and evidence of why
they made their decision.
Students will start this
assessment in class and take it
home to finish. This assessment
will be used to guide instruction
for future lessons and help
students prepare to take on one
of these roles for the debate.
(Formative Guided)

(LO1/LO2)
(Specific answers may vary depending on the side that the student chose to represent.)
There were many problems that arose under the Articles of Confederation. The states
held the power, and, therefore, there was no way to regulate any laws. The United States
was in debt because of the Revolutionary War, but could not pay it off because there
was no power to collect taxes. The states acted more like separate countries than one
united country. The Articles of Confederation led to the Constitutional Convention
because the distribution of power between the state and federal government led to a new
weak nation. Most people agreed that the Articles of Confederation needed to be
changed; however, the delegates could not agree on how it should be changed. This led
to the debate between the federalists and the anti-federalists.
The federalist thought that the proposed Constitution should be ratified because it
would help unite the states under a stronger, central government. The anti-federalist;
however, did not want the proposed Constitution to be ratified because they thought that
the federal government would become too powerful and not give enough power to the
states. Since they just gained independence from a country that had, in their opinion, too
strong of a central government, they did not want the same thing to happen in the United
States.
If I were a delegate participating in the Constitutional Convention, I would support
the federalists side of the debate. I would support the federalist because with the
ratification of the Constitution, the United States would be able to emerge as a strong
nation. However, there are checks and balances in place ensuring that the federal
government would not become too powerful. There is still some power reserved to the
states, too. Even though there are few people representing a large country, the citizens
get to help elect who is representing them. I also would support the federalists because
with this plan there is regulation of laws to help get rid of the chaos that exists
throughout the states. This would help to pay off the debt from the Revolutionary War.
A final reason why I would support the federalists is because I do not think that there
needs to be a Bill of Rights included in order to protect the citizens rights. The antifederalists are arguing for the states to have ultimate sovereignty, yet the states
constitutions do not include a Bill of Rights. It is the governments job to protect the
rights of its citizens, so adding a Bill of Rights is not necessary under the proposed
Constitution.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Instructional Procedures/Steps
Each portion of this section should be aligned with learning objectives. Note when you are addressing a learning objective and when enacting an
assessment.
Day 2 Instructions
Teacher will
Student will
Include instructional practices, questions you will ask,
What will students be doing?
checks for understanding, differentiation, evidence of
What evidence of learning will students demonstrate?
culturally responsive teaching practices.
Student-centered learning/opportunities for practice and
application.
Opening
1. Set Up/Entrance: Teacher will set up the classroom
1. Students will bring their historical notebooks with them to
7 Minutes
before students enter the room. The desks will be
class. As students enter the classroom, they will look for the
arranged into six groups of four. Students will be
desk with their name card and take a seat there. Students will
assigned to a seat before they walk in. The teacher will
read the instructions off the board. They will have the option of
- Hook?
lay out name cards to each table and put a seating chart discussing the opening questions with their peers, writing their
- Activate prior
on the front table to help students find their seat. Teacher thoughts down, or brainstorming individually. One student near
knowledge?
will give each desk a copy of the DBQ packet (political
the front of the room will tell the other students entering the
- Communicate
cartoon, Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Paper
room about what they should be doing. Students will be
LOs?
excerpt sheet, corresponding questions, and essay
prepared to discuss their answers with the whole class. Students
prompt), graphic organizer, and comparison chart. Each will remain seated during this assignment.
table group will be given one post-it note poster and four
markers. Teacher will also hang a post-it note poster up
on the front board to model A2 to the students. Teacher
will set up FederalistvAntiFederalistLP2.pptx before
class starts. Have slide with opening questions displayed
as students walk in.
Welcome! Did you remember to bring your historical
notebook to class? Find your name and take a seat. Begin
thinking about the following questions: In what ways
were the Articles of Confederation problematic?
(understand) What do you think should be done in order
to fix this problem(s)? (analyze) What concerns would
there be under your new plan? (evaluate) Be prepared to
share!
As students enter the room, the teacher will greet them
and remind students of what they should be doing.
Periodically the teacher will read the instructions and
questions off the board. Teacher will assign one student

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

to help tell others what to do as they walk in. Opening is
used to activate and connect background knowledge to
todays lesson and hook students into this unit on the
debate between the federalists and anti-federalists.

Instruction
33 Minutes

2. Review as a class (activate prior knowledge), ask:

How was power distributed between the state and federal
government under the Articles of
Confederation? (understand) How did this distribution of
power cause problems to arise under the Articles of
Confederation? (understand) What do you think should
be done in order to fix this problem(s)? (analyze) What
concerns would there be under your new plan? (evaluate)

2. Most of the power was given to the states under the Articles
of Confederation. Even the powers that were given to Congress
had to be approved by the states first.
Problems arose because it created a weak national government.
Each state was more like its own country. Since the federal
government has essentially no power, it left the country fragile
as a whole. There is chaos in many states because of no
regulation of laws.
In order to fix this problem, I think more power should be given
to the federal government.
There might be concerns of giving the federal government too
much power, especially since they just broke free from a
country with a strong national government.

3. Review agenda/LOs on PowerPoint Last class we

learned about how problems arose under the Articles of
Confederation because of the distribution of power
between the state and federal government. Since the
states held sovereignty, it led to a weak national
government. Today we will be focusing on how
delegates met at the Constitutional Convention to try to
fix these problems, but how there were two opposing
sides of how the United States government should be set
up. These two sides are known as the federalists and antifederalists. To start us off, will someone share with us
what they think the conflict between the two sides of the
debate might be about? (apply)

3. Students will listen as teacher explains the LOs.

1. Think, Pair, Share (A1). LO1

-Teacher will flip to slide containing the political cartoon
instructions. Teacher will pass out the covered political

Answer will vary from student to student.

Ex: The Articles of Confederation was created so that America
would not have a strong, powerful government like Britain.
However, it is obvious that it is not working. So maybe the
conflict is that people are worried about changing it because it
might lead to another strong, central government.
1. Students will follow along with teachers instruction.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Procedures and steps
to the lesson.
- Strategies?
- Assessments?
- Q & A?
- Evidence of
learning?
- CRP?
- Planned supports?
Transitions: Identify
when you are
transitioning and how
you will make that a
smooth transition?

cartoon to each student.

On your table there should be a political cartoon for
each of you. As you can see there are numbered post-it
notes covering it up. Please do not remove the post-it
notes until you are instructed to do so. Notice that each of
the post-it notes are numbered. They are numbered for a
reason. When instructed you will pull off number one
first and so on. Please write in your historical notebooks
what you notice about the political cartoon. Examine
how the story changes each time you pull off a post-it
note. After all of the post-it notes are removed, you will
analyze what the political cartoon represents and what
the authors purpose was in making it. There are guided
questions attached to the political cartoon that will help
you to analyze the picture. Please respond to these
questions in the DBQ packet. We will be discussing this
activity as a class, so be prepared to share out. Take a
minute to analyze each section individually, and then
turn to your elbow partner to discuss what you thought. I
will be telling you when to pull off each post-it note, so
please do not move ahead. Go ahead and pull off post-it
note numbered one.
-Teacher will walk around the classroom to help students
that are struggling. Teacher will ask students to share
what they are noticing about the political cartoon and
how it is changing each time they pull of a note card.
Teacher will ask students additional questions to help
guide their learning such as, Why do you think there
are two sides that are pulling the wagon in different
directions? How does relate to the simulation that we
did during yesterdays class? What problems do you
think are occurring in this picture? Teacher will tell
students when to pull off post-it notes numbered two,
three, and four. Teacher will give students about two
minutes after pulling off a post-it note to examine how
the story changes. After all of the post-it notes are pulled
off, teacher will remind students to analyze what the

Students will pull of the appropriate post-it note when directed.

Students will discuss with their groups and write in their
journals about what they notice each time they pull off a post-it
note. Students will continually add to the story as they pull
off the post-it notes.
After all of the post-it notes are pulled off, students will analyze
the political cartoon as a whole.
(Specific answers will vary) As we learned from yesterdays
lesson, the Articles of Confederation led to problems for the
newly freed country. There was chaos in the states because
there was no regulation of laws by the federal government. It is
obvious that things need to change. By looking at this political
cartoon, I think that people have different ideas about how the
Articles of Confederation should be changed. People are pulling
the wagon, which represents Connecticut in different directions.
Even though they are both pulling, it looks like no one has the
advantage because the wagon appears to be sinking. It seems
that there is something in the wagon that is weighing it down. It
may be money because after the war the United States was in
debt. One of the problems of the Articles of Confederation was
that it provided no way to collect taxes to help pay off the war.
The one side may want to create a stronger national government
to pay off debts, but the other side is resisting.
Students will respond to the teachers questions.
1. (Specific answers will vary depending on how the student
analyzed the political cartoon) At first I thought the picture was

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

political cartoon represents by discussing with their
group and writing in their notebooks. Teacher will give
students about four minutes to analyze the overall
picture. Teacher will give students a two-minute and a
one-minute warning to wrap up their thoughts. Teacher
will pull students back together as a class to discuss what
they noticed.
Teacher will ask the following questions:
1. How did the story change as you pulled off the post-it
notes? (understand)
2. What surprised you about the political cartoon? Why?
(analyze)
3. How does this political cartoon connect to yesterdays
lesson about the Articles of Confederation? (analyze)
4. What do you think this political cartoon is
representing? (evaluate)
5. What was the authors purpose in making this political
cartoon? (evaluate)
-Teacher chose to do A1 because it allows students the
opportunity to analyze a primary source. It also allows
students to be active in their learning and use a piece of
evidence to make conclusions of why the Articles of
Confederation led to the Constitutional Convention. This
activity allows students to practice critical thinking.
Having students discuss with their group members allows
students to practice collaboration and listening skills. By
having students write down their ideas in their journals
they get the opportunity to practice writing. Discussion
afterwards allows student the opportunity to explain
verbally as well and allows teacher to check for
understanding immediately. Assessment will also help
guide further instruction.
(10 minutes)

going to be about people working along the coast since all I

could see was ships along the coast and what looked like one
farmer with a rake. But then as I pulled off more post-it notes, I
could tell there was much more going on. People were standing
on opposing sides from each other. There was a much deeper
meaning than I initially thought.
2. Specific answers will vary depending on what surprised the
student, but should be specific and explain their reasoning.
3. (Specific answers will vary depending on how the student
analyzed the political cartoon) This political cartoon connects
to our lesson yesterday because it shows the wagon sinking in
debt. Because of the weakness of the Articles of Confederation,
the United States was not able to pay off its war debt since it
had no power to collect taxes.
4. I think this political cartoon is representing how people had
different opinions of how to change the Articles of
Confederation leading to the debate of the Constitutional
Convention.
5. I think the authors purpose in creating this political cartoon
was to show how chaotic the United States was under the
Articles of Confederation, but how people were split on how to
fix it.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

2. Explanation of Federalists and Anti-Federalists
(Transition)
-Teacher will flip PowerPoint to slide that contains
definitions of federalists and anti-federalists. Teacher
will pass out chart to every student that gives an
overview of the differences in beliefs between the
federalists and anti-federalists. Teacher will go over the
chart with students and expand on how these differing
beliefs led to the debate in the Constitutional Convention.
As we learned from analyzing the political cartoon,
people had different beliefs of how the Articles of
Confederation should be changed. The federalists were in
support of ratifying the Constitution, which set up a
stronger federal, or central, government. The antifederalists, on the other hand, were not in favor of the
new Constitution because they believed it created too
strong of a federal government and that it took too much
power away from the states. Remember, the Americans
just got done fighting a war against a country that had, in
their opinion, too strong of a central government. The
anti-federalists do not want the same thing to happen
again. You may use this chart to help you with the next
activity.
(2 minutes)

2. Students will listen and follow along with teachers

explanation. Students will ask any remaining questions they
have about the differences between the federalists and the antifederalists.

3. World Caf (A2). LO2

-Teacher will flip PowerPoint to slide that contains the
instructions for the World Caf.
We are going to be doing a World Caf where you will
be analyzing primary sources from 1787 to 1788 and
answering questions about them. On your desks, you
should have a packet of paper that contains the excerpts
that we are going to analyze together and the
corresponding questions. I will also be showing them on
the board. There is also a graphic organizer on your

3. Students will listen to teachers instruction.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

desks that you can fill out as we do this activity to help
you prepare for tomorrows debate as well. Since these
excerpts that we are analyzing were written a long time
ago, the language is a little bit challenging. Because of
this, we will be reading through them together to make
sure we all understand what they are trying to say. After
we read them through together, you will discuss with
your group the following questions. After you answer the
questions, you will then decide who wrote the excerpt
and write on the poster in the column of the
corresponding side. Make sure to include a short
description why you believe that it was written from that
perspective. For example, if you think excerpt one was
written by the anti-federalists you will write in the antifederalist side of the poster, Excerpt #1 was written by
the anti-federalist because and state your evidence.
We will do the first one together. This one is going to be
a little easier than the rest to make sure we are all on the
right page before diving into some harder ones.
-Teacher will read excerpt from Federalist Papers, Essay
1 aloud to students: Yes, my countrymen, I own to you
that, after having given it an attentive consideration, I am
clearly of opinion it is your interest to adopt it. I am
convinced that this is the safest course for your liberty,
your dignity, and your happiness. Teacher will stop
periodically to explain and reread sections to make it
what the author is trying to say clear.
The first question asks, Based on the passage above,
why should the proposed Constitution be ratified?
(understand).
-Teacher will give students a moment to think about the
question. Teacher will call on a student to share out. The
teacher will redirect students if there seems to be a
misconception. Teacher will ask additional questions if
needed such as, In your own words, what is the excerpt
trying to say? Teacher will direct students to write the
answer down on their DBQ Packet.

Students will follow along with the teachers example. Students

will answer the teachers questions and listen to their peers
share.

Excerpt 1 (Federalist Papers #1) Model for students:

1) Based on the document above, the author believes that
Constitution should be adopted because it will protect citizens
liberty, dignity, and happiness.

2) This was written in support of the federalists. It is clearly

stated that the author believes that the Constitution should be

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

-The teacher will read the next question for students:
What perspective is the author writing from? (analyze)
- Teacher will give students a moment to think about the
question. Teacher will call on a student to share out. The
teacher will redirect students if there seems to be a
misconception. Teacher will ask additional questions if
needed such as, What are the main beliefs of the
federalists? What are the main beliefs of the antifederalists? Teacher will direct students to write the
answer down on their DBQ Packet.
-The teacher will read the next question for students:
How might the opposing side refute this argument?
(evaluate)
- Teacher will give students a moment to think about the
question. Teacher will call on a student to share out. The
teacher will redirect students if there seems to be a
misconception. Teacher will ask additional questions if
needed such as, What do the anti-federalist believe
about this issue? Do why do the anti-federalists not want
the proposed constitution to be ratified? Teacher will
direct students to write the answer down on their DBQ
Packet.
We have already determined that the author is writing
from the perspective of the federalists by answering the
second question. So on my poster I am going to write on
the federalist side, Excerpt #1:This was written in
support of the federalists. It is clearly stated that the
author believes that the Constitution should be ratified.
The author says, clearly of opinion it is your interest to
adopt it. I am convinced that this is the safest course for
your liberty, your dignity, and your happiness. Because
of this we know it was written in support of the
federalists because they approve of the ratification of the
Constitution. This is an example of what you should be
writing on your own poster. See how I included key
quotes and explanations that allowed me to see it was
from the federalist perspective? I expect you all to do the

ratified. The author says, clearly of opinion it is your interest

to adopt it. I am convinced that this is the safest course for your
liberty, your dignity, and your happiness. Because of this we
know it was written in support of the federalists because they
approve of the ratification of the Constitution.

3) The anti-federalists could refute this argument by saying that

it does not protect the citizens liberty because it does not
include a Bill of Rights. A Bill of Rights is necessary to include
according to the anti-federalists.

Students will ask any remaining questions they have about the

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

same. Are there any questions before we start?
-Teacher will answer any questions that the students
have about what they should be doing.
Now lets see if you guys can do it on your own. I will
read the next excerpt.
-Teacher will read excerpt #2 and explain any unfamiliar
language. Teacher will then direct students to answer the
questions and decide which perspective it was written
from. Teacher will give students about five minutes to
answer the questions: 1) Why is the author concerned
about the clause, And to make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper? (understand) 2) Who do you
think wrote this excerpt? Why? (analyze) Teacher will
walk around the room to help any struggling groups or to
answer any questions. Teacher will ask additional
guiding questions if needed such as, What does
necessary and proper mean? Does giving Congress
this power create a small or big government? What
side of the Constitutional debate is in favor of a big
government? Teacher will give students a two-minute
and one-minute warning to wrap up their answers.
Now that your group has come up with your answer, we
are going to change tables to compare our answers with
different groups. One person from your group must stay
at your table, but the rest of you must find another table
to join. None of your current group-mates can go to the
same table. You have thirty seconds to find a new table.
-Teacher will give a 10 second warning and countdown
to make sure that all students have found a table.
Teacher will direct students to a table if they cannot find
one.
I want the person who stayed at the table to explain to
your new group what your original group came up with
for your questions. If any of the group members disagree,
have a discussion about why you had something else. See
if you can decide what is actually the correct answer. If
you all came up with the same answers, compare your

activity.
Students will follow along with the teachers reading of the
excerpt. Students will discuss the questions with their group
members and determine what side they think wrote the excerpt.
Students will write their answer down on the poster and on their
individual graphic organizers and DBQ packets.
Excerpt 2 (Anti-Federalist Papers #46):
1) The author is worried about the clause, And to make all
laws which shall be necessary and proper, because they believe
that giving them this power will give Congress unlimited
power. The author believes that there will be no restraint on the
federal government.
2) This was written in support of the anti-federalists. One of the
arguments of the anti-federalists was that the Constitution gave
too much power to the federal government. They are
questioning the phrase, And to make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing
powers, and all other powers vested by this constitution in the
government of the United States; or in any department or
offices thereof. They are worried that if they are given this
power there will be no restraints on Congress, diminishing the
powers of the states.

One student from each group will stay at the table. The other
students will find a new table to go to (all group-mates will go
to a different table).

The student that stayed will discuss what their group wrote
down on the paper. If students agree, they will all explain how
they got that answer. Any student that came up with a different
answer will explain their reasoning.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

reasoning for choosing so. You have about two minutes
to discuss with your group and then I will pull you back
to a whole group discussion to go over the correct
answer.
-Teacher will walk around the room to help groups that
have a disagreement and to assess student
understanding. Teacher will direct students and provide
additional information related to the federalists and the
anti-federalists to help assists students. Teacher will ask
additional questions to help scaffold learning such as,
What is the main argument of the federalists? What
is the main argument of the anti-federalists? What is
this excerpt telling us? Does this belief align more
closely with the belief that the best government is the one
that governs the least or the most?
-Teacher will go over the correct answer if students do
not get it right and explain why.
-Teacher will repeat this process over for each of the
remaining excerpts.
Excerpt 3:
1) Does the author think that a Bill of Rights is necessary
to include in the proposed Constitution? Why or why
not? (understand)
2) Do you think a Bill of Rights is necessary to include
into a Constitution? Why or why not? (evaluate)
Excerpt 4:
1) According to the passage, how should the power of the
government be divided? (understand)
2) What powers does the author think should be given to
the federal government? (understand)
3) Who do you think wrote this passage? Why? (analyze)
Excerpt 5:
1) List two reasons why the author believes that the
proposed Constitution should include a Bill of Rights.
(understand)
2) According to the author, how does including a Bill of
Rights protect citizens? (understand)

Students will participate in the whole class discussion. Students

that choose not to discuss will listen and follow along with their
peers.

Students will repeat process for the remaining excerpts.

Expected answer for the following excerpts:
Excerpt 3 (Federalist Papers #84):
1) The author does not believe that a Bill of Rights is necessary
to include in the proposed Constitution. In fact, the author
thinks including one will be harmful to citizens because it
would restrain the rights to just those included in the document.
2) I believe that there should be a Bill of Rights included into
the Constitution. I believe this because even today some of our
rights are questioned and we do have a Bill of Rights. If there
were no Bill of Rights included, we would risk having those
rights taken away from us.
This was written in support of the federalists. One of the
arguments of the federalists for ratifying the Constitution was
that it does not need a Bill of Rights. In this excerpt it says that
the proposed Constitution does not need a Bill of Rights
because it already guarantees and protects individual rights.

Excerpt 4 (Anti-Federalist Papers #1):

1) According to the passage, power should be given mostly to

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

-After students complete all of the excerpts, the teacher
will direct students to have a discussion about the
activity.
-Teacher chose A2 because it allows students the
opportunity to read a harder text and analyze it. It also
exposes students to primary texts. Students take control
of their learning by critically thinking to come up with an
answer using evidence. Working in groups allows
students to work on collaboration skills. Moving to a new
group allows students to see how other groups came up
with their answers. The teacher also picked this activity
because it gives students the opportunity to get up and
move. This helps to break the lesson into smaller more
manageable parts. This activity was also chosen by the
teacher to help them prepare for tomorrows debate.
(16 minutes)

the states or small republics. The author believes that the United
States is too large to be controlled by one central government.
2) The author believes that the federal government should have
the power to unite the states by being involved with foreign
affairs and other general concerns.
3) This was written in support of the anti-federalists. One of the
arguments of the anti-federalists was that one government
would not be able to control a country as large as the United
States. They are arguing that smaller state governments should
hold the ultimate power, but allow the states to be united in
international affairs and general concerns.
Excerpt 5 (Anti-Federalist Papers #84):
1) One reason the author believes that there should be a Bill of
Rights included is because the Constitution is to protect future
generations to come, so rights need to be clearly defined.
Another reason the author believes that there should be a Bill of
Rights included is because he believes that no man should be
able to infringe upon the rights of others.
2) A Bill of Rights protects citizens because it clearly defines
what rights people have that no man or government can take
away. The author believes that there needs to be a social
compact between the people and their government. Therefore,
citizens need to have their rights clearly defined. Since they are
writing the Constitution for future generations to come, they
need to clearly define the rights so that the same government
may rule them.
This was written in support of the anti-federalists. One of the
arguments of the anti-federalists was that the proposed
Constitution needed to include a Bill of Rights to protect the
citizens liberties. In this excerpt the author is talking about how
they need to preserve not only their own rights, but also the
rights for future generations to come. In order to do so, they are
arguing for a Bill of Rights to be included.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Closure
5 Minutes
-

Assess?
Wrap up?
Set-up?

4. Whole Class Discussion/Debrief

This activity allowed us to analyze excerpts to
determine if they were written by the federalists or antifederalists. What were your general thoughts about the
World Caf? (understand) Did any of the excerpts
surprise you? (understand) What challenges did you face
when determining who wrote the excerpts? (analyze)
-Teacher will call on students to share out about their
experiences with the activity. Teacher will use this
discussion to address any misconceptions that the
students have about the beliefs of the federalists and the
anti-federalists.
-After all of the excerpts are analyzed and discussed,
teacher will direct students back to their original seats to
complete the days wrap up. Teacher will tell students to
hold on to the DBQ packets, graphic organizer, and
federalists and anti-federalists chart to use for
tomorrows lesson (Part II).
(5 minutes)
1. Review LOs/Debrief:
-Teacher will flip PowerPoint to slide containing
Todays Wrap Up information.
Teacher will explain that todays lesson allowed students
to see how the issues that arose from the Articles of
Confederation led to the debate of the Constitutional
Convention and the arguments of the federalist and antifederalist by analyzing primary sources. Teacher will
discuss that todays lesson on the federalists and antifederalists will be used to prepare them for tomorrows
lesson on writing essays about what side they would
rather support. Teacher debriefs to ensure students (1)
understand the main takeaways of the lesson, and (2)
consider how this information will be applied for
tomorrows lesson.

4. Students will listen to and answer the teachers questions.

Students will listen to their peers as they respond. Students will
take down any additional notes on their graphic organizers or
DBQ packets.

1. Students will listen to debrief.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Day 3 Instructions
Opening
7 Minutes
-

Hook?
Activate prior
knowledge?
Communicate
LOs?

1. Set Up/Entrance: Teacher will set up the classroom

before students enter the room. The desks will be
arranged into rows facing the front of the room. Students
will seat in their assigned seats. Teacher will lay out the
graphic organizers on the front desk for students to pick
up. Teacher will set up
FederalistvAntiFederalistLP2.pptx before class starts.
Have slide with opening questions displayed as students
walk in.
Welcome Learners! Please pick up a graphic organizer
and sit in your assigned seat. Get out your historical
notebook and DBQ packet that we worked on yesterday.
Begin thinking about the following question: What side
of the Constitutional debate would you support and why?
(evaluate)
-As students enter the room, the teacher will greet them
and remind students of what they should be doing.
Periodically the teacher will read the instructions and
questions off the board. Opening is used to activate and
connect background knowledge to todays lesson and
hook students into this unit on the debate between the
federalists and anti-federalists.

1. Students will bring their historical notebooks and materials

from yesterdays class with them. As students enter the
classroom, they will sit in their assigned seat. Students will read
the instructions off the board. They will have the option of
discussing the opening questions with their peers, writing their
thoughts down, or brainstorming individually. Students will be
prepared to discuss their answers with the whole class. Students
will remain seated during this assignment.

2. Review as a class (activate prior knowledge), ask:

What were some of the main beliefs of the federalists?
(remember) What were some of the main beliefs of the
anti-federalists? (remember)

2. Some of the main beliefs of the federalists were they wanted

the proposed constitution to be ratified, they believed it was not
necessary to include a Bill of Rights, and they believed the
setup of the proposed Constitution prevented the federal
government from becoming too powerful.
Some of the main beliefs of the anti-federalists were they did
not want the proposed constitution to be ratified, they believed
the proposed constitution gave too much power to the federal
government, and they believed a Bill of Rights was necessary to
include into the new constitution.
Answers will vary from student to student depending on the
side that they would support, but students should be able to
backup their answers with evidence.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Instruction
30 Minutes
Procedures and steps
to the lesson.
- Strategies?
- Assessments?
- Q & A?
- Evidence of
learning?
- CRP?
- Planned supports?
Transitions: Identify
when you are
transitioning and how
you will make that a
smooth transition?

3. Review agenda/LOs on PowerPoint Last class we

answered document-based questions about the federalists
and the anti-federalists. We also determined the
perspectives in which the excerpts were written from.
Today we will be using our answers from the DBQ
packet to write essays. You will be responding to the
following prompt: Describe the two sides of the
Constitutional debate. Then determine how you would
change the Articles of Confederation by explaining what
side of the debate you would support if you were a
delegate participating in the Constitutional Convention.
To start us off, will someone share what side of the
Constitutional debate they would support and why?
(evaluate)

3. Students will listen as teacher explains the LOs.

2. Essay (A3). LO1/LO2:

-Teacher will flip the PowerPoint to the slide with the
essay directions.
Please get out your historical notebooks to write your
essays. We will be spending the entire class period
working on these essays. You may use the graphic
organizer you picked up at the beginning of class to help
you draft your essays. Keep in mind our expectations for
essay writing: organize your essays into structured
paragraphs, write in complete sentences, and answer the
prompt completely. Again you will be responding to the
essay prompt on the last page of your DBQ packets:
Describe the two differing sides of the Constitutional
debate. If you were a delegate participating in the
Constitutional Convention, which side of the debate
would you support? Explain why. Please support your
answer with at least three reasons. Go ahead and start
drafting. I will be around to answer and questions that
you may have.

2. Students will start brainstorming and begin writing their

essays. Students will write in complete sentences and organize
their ideas into coherent paragraphs. Students will completely
answer the essay prompt using the excerpts and their answers
from the DBQ packet.

Answers will vary from student to student depending on the

side that they would support, but students should be able to
backup their answers with evidence.

(Specific answers may vary depending on the side that the

student chose to represent.)
There were many problems that arose under the Articles of
Confederation. The states held the power, and, therefore, there
was no way to regulate any laws. The United States was in debt
because of the Revolutionary War, but could not pay it off
because there was no power to collect taxes. The states acted
more like separate countries than one united country. The
Articles of Confederation led to the Constitutional Convention
because the distribution of power between the state and federal
government led to a new weak nation. Most people agreed that
the Articles of Confederation needed to be changed; however,
the delegates could not agree on how it should be changed. This

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

-Teacher will walk around the room to help students that
are struggling. Teacher will ask the students additional
questions if needed such as, Do you think that the
proposed Constitution needs a Bill of Rights? Do you
think that the proposed Constitution gives enough power
to the states? Do you think that the Articles of
Confederation should be completely abolished? What
are some things that you agree with the federalists
about? What are some things that you agree with the
anti-federalists about? What issues are important to
you as a citizen of the United States? What is one
thing that you would like to tell the delegates at the
Convention? Teacher will periodically tell students how
much time they have left. Teacher will give individual
students a chance to take a short break if needed,
especially students with IEPs.
-After time is up, the teacher will tell students to hand in
their essays. If students are still working on their essays,
they may take them home to finish them as homework
-Teacher chose A3 to get students thinking about the
essential question. It also helps students prepare for the
debate since they are required to pick a side and defend
it. Teacher also chose to do this assessment because it
allows teachers to assess all students understanding of
both learning objectives. Giving the students a whole
class period to work on their essays is necessary because
it allows students the opportunity to draft their ideas,
answer the prompt completely, and edit their essays for
errors. Teacher can use this essay response to see if
there are any misconceptions before starting the debate
in LP3.
(30 minutes)

led to the debate between the federalists and the anti-federalists.

The federalist thought that the proposed Constitution should
be ratified because it would help unite the states under a
stronger, central government. The anti-federalist; however, did
not want the proposed Constitution to be ratified because they
thought that the federal government would become too
powerful and not give enough power to the states. Since they
just gained independence from a country that had, in their
opinion, too strong of a central government, they did not want
the same thing to happen in the United States.
If I were a delegate participating in the Constitutional
Convention, I would support the federalists side of the debate.
I would support the federalist because with the ratification of
the Constitution, the United States would be able to emerge as a
strong nation. However, there are checks and balances in place
ensuring that the federal government would not become too
powerful. There is still some power reserved to the states, too.
Even though there are few people representing a large country,
the citizens get to help elect who is representing them. I also
would support the federalists because with this plan there is
regulation of laws to help get rid of the chaos that exists
throughout the states. This would help to pay off the debt from
the Revolutionary War. A final reason why I would support the
federalists is because I do not think that there needs to be a Bill
of Rights included in order to protect the citizens rights. The
anti-federalists are arguing for the states to have ultimate
sovereignty, yet the states constitutions do not include a Bill of
Rights. It is the governments job to protect the rights of its
citizens, so adding a Bill of Rights is not necessary under the
proposed Constitution.
Students that finish early will be instructed to trade with a peer
to edit and fix errors. When class is over students may turn in
their essays. Students that did not complete their essays will
have the opportunity to take it home to finish as homework.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Closure
7 Minutes
-

Assess?
Wrap up?
Set-up?

Modifications/Accom
modations/Enrichment
Differentiation: How
will you provide
students with specific
learning needs
instructional support?
How will you provide
students access to
learning?

1. Review LOs/Debrief:
-Teacher will flip PowerPoint to slide containing
Todays Wrap Up information.
Teacher will explain that todays lesson allows students
to write an essay using the excerpts and answers from the
DBQ packet. Teacher will discuss that todays lesson on
the federalists and anti-federalists will be used to prepare
them for tomorrows lesson on the debate over the US
Constitution (LP3). Teacher debriefs to ensure students
(1) understand the main takeaways of the lesson, and (2)
consider how this information will be applied for LP3.

1. Students will listen to the teachers debrief.

IEP Students: There are two students that have IEPs in this class. To accommodate the students needs, they will be given a
packet of instructions broken down for all of the activities. Included in this packet will be sentence frames that will support
them in the writing portions of the lesson, including the essay portion. Along with this, the instructions will be written on
the PowerPoint and will be verbally read to the students. During the lesson, the teacher will walk around room to clarify
instruction in case the students need it repeated or redirect them to stay on task. Having students work in small groups helps
to meet the needs of these students. The World Caf allows students to get up and walk around, which is appropriate since it
helps to break up the activity into smaller, more manageable parts. Teacher will give students designated break times as
well. During closure time, both of these students will be given time to organize their school materials. While these students
have different IEPs, the accommodations described will benefit both students accordingly to their IEPs.
504 Plans: There are no students in this class that have 504 Plans. Accommodations and modifications would be made
based on individual needs for specific 504 Plans.
ELL Students: There are no ELL students in this class. Accommodations and modifications would be made based on
individual needs, such as an additional vocabulary sheet.
Gifted/Talented: Twenty-two of the twenty-four students have been identified as gifted and talented so accommodations
have been made for the other two students.
Struggling Students: To help accommodate struggling students, the teacher will have questions and instructions written on
the PowerPoint and read aloud verbally. Students will be given a packet of all of the instructions for every activity. Included
in this packet will be sentence frames that will help to assist these students with the writing portions of the lesson, including

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Academic Language
What language
function do you want
students to develop in
this lesson?
What vocabulary do
students need to
support learning of the
learning objective for
this lesson?
What supports do you
have in place to assist
students with AL?

the essay portion. Students are given many opportunities throughout this lesson to work with their peers. This allows
students to learn from their peers and model their work. While students are working, teacher will walk around to help any
student that seems to be struggling by answering questions, clarifying instructions, or providing any other assistance
students need. To accommodate these students needs, key vocabulary words will be highlighted on the federalists versus
anti-federalists chart. This will help students to make connections when analyzing the excerpts. The teacher made plans to
model A2 for students by showing students how to do the first excerpt. The poster the teacher modeled with will be hanging
on the front of the room in case students need to go back and reference it. To differentiate instructions for the essay portion,
students will be given the opportunity to do a verbal teaching moment to help supplement their written work. For this
teaching moment, students will be allowed to talk over their essays one-on-one with the teacher to explain verbally what
they wrote. For some students it is easier to verbally express their ideas than to write them down. While writing is
important, this assessment was created to evaluate student understanding of the learning objectives. Having students
verbally explain their ideas if needed will help to do this. They can also use the sentence frames provided in the packet to
help them organize their ideas and give them expectations of what the teacher is looking for. The lesson is scaffolded from
teacher-led instruction to student-centered activities and assessments. There is a balance of whole class instruction, working
in pairs, and individual work to help reach the needs of all students.
Identify
Planned Supports
Language Function: Analyze
Language Function: Prompting students to analyze the political
cartoon to find meaning, breaking the political cartoon down
into four parts to focus their analysis, giving students the
opportunity to analyze in groups for the political cartoon and
the excerpts, having students write down their personal analysis
in their journals, see how different groups analyzed the
excerpts, going over together as a class how they analyzed the
excerpts, modeling for students how to analyze a primary
source, asking struggling students more guiding questions,
providing struggling students and students with IEPs sentence
frames.

Vocabulary: Federalists, anti-federalists, Constitutional

Convention, debate, central government, Bill of Rights,
sovereignty

Vocabulary: Prompting students to use the vocabulary in their

analysis and group discussions, finding and highlighting
vocabulary words in the excerpts, using the vocabulary words
in context sentences.

Middle Childhood Education Seminar 2

Syntax or Discourse? Discourse
Syntax or Discourse? Analyzing political cartoon and primary
source excerpts from the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist
Papers for underlying meaning and authors point of view.