UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan
Name: Bradley Howes Program: Secondary
Education
Lesson Topic / Title: The 13 colonies under British Occupation
Lesson Date: 2/24 & 2/25 Lesson Length: 50 minutes
Learning Objectives & Content Standard Alignment ​- Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and
performance tasks that support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals based on content standards.
Learning Objective(s)
Learning Goal 1: ​Students will explore how different
governments affect the freedoms, welfare, and daily life of its
citizens.
Learning Goal 3:​ Students will understand the politics, issues,
and compromises that influenced the development of the United
States
Content Standard(s)
Civics & Government 2: Students understand the constitutional
and legal rights, the civic duties and responsibilities, and roles of
citizens in a constitutional democracy and the role of citizens
living under other forms of government in the world by:
● (F3) Evaluating how people influence government and
work for the common good, including voting, writing to
legislators, performing community service, and engaging
in civil disobedience.
Course: EDU 460 Student Teaching Field
Experience
Grade/Age: 12th grade
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• This time period represents the first form of
government in the eventual United States.
The 13 colonies were part of an
Imperialistic, Unitary, Constitutional
Monarchy. The colonies had very little say
in the growing hegemony of the British
Empire, apart from fueling Great Britain’s
economy.
• The rights of the colonist while under
British occupation varied greatly between
the start of the French and Indian War to the
outbreak of the Revolutionary War. As
Great Britain imposed greater control on the
colonies, the rights of the people were
continually intruded upon.
• A combination of specific issues and
politics eventually culminated in the
Revolutionary War. By understanding each
step in this progression, students will know
that war with Great Britain was not an
inevitable outcome, but a series of events
culminating in the War.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• This lesson analyzes the time period of the
13 colonies prior to the Revolutionary War.
More specifically, this lesson analyzes the
structure of the British Parliament and the
role of the King in a Constitutional
Monarchy.

Civics & Government 3: Students understand political and civic
aspects of cultural diversity by:
● (D2) Analyzing the political structures, political power,
and political perspectives of the diverse historic and
current cultures of the United States and the world.
Assessment -​ Uses assessment flexibly to expand and deepen understanding of learner performance and
determines best supports for continued learner growth.
Monday: Plicker Pre-assessment: I will be conducting a
-Pre-assessment of all important concepts surrounding the 13
colonies, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution.
Tuesday: Checking for Understanding
-Thumbs up, sideways, and down when moving from information
station to information station.
Instructional Materials and Resources ​- Stays current in content knowledge and expands expertise in reviewing
instructional materials from the perspectives of both the discipline and individual learner needs.
Materials, Resources, and/or Technology
Monday
For Students
Diary in the Young United States Summative Assessment
Description & Rubric
Syllabus Questions
For Teacher
Colonial Reaction Articles
Plicker Pre-Test Questions (Attached with Lesson Plan)
Tuesday
Students
• Examining the structure of the British
government also provides a point of
reference for what the United States
government will eventually become.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• The goal of the Plicker pre-assessment is to
assess my student’s current understanding
without it feeling like an assessment. None
of my students had seen a Plicker survey
before and were very engaged. With each
square being anonymous and the only task
required of the students is to rotate a card,
students were engaged in answering.
• The data collected through the app allows
me to identify specific students struggling
with content as well as gauge, classwide
understanding of the subject.
• Thumbs up, sideways, and down is a rapid
response check I can take in order to
determine my students' understanding. If
students hesitate, look around, or
demonstrate insecure answering, I can
provide a general summary of the station.
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• Given that this lesson marked the start of
the second unit, I wanted to provide both
online and physical copies of the weekly
assignments and final summative
assessment. My students have a preference
for physical copies, which further prompted
me to provide a physical copy. This
preference for physical copies carries over
into my usage of informational packets and
artifacts
 Station Packet • By providing multiple stations with artifacts
around the room, I could discuss in-depth
Teacher about specific events and include artifacts
Station Packet and articles to read.
Map of British Territory ​By the 1760s,
Map of the Continental US
The Stamp Act​ and what was taxed
fallout​ of the Stamp Act
Painting of King George the 3rd

Instructional Methods: ​ Selects, creates, and sequences learning experiences and performance tasks by using a
variety of instructional approaches, strategies, and technologies that make learning accessible to all learners and
support learners in reaching rigorous curriculum goals.

 
 Teaching and Learning Sequence
Monday
50 minutes
5-minute intro
10-minute ​Diary in the Young United States Summative
Assessment​:​ I will be discussing the summative assessment
replacing an end of unit test. This assessment will be completed in
parts with their traditionally assigned ​syllabus work​, which they
expect from this class.
15-minute Plicker Pre-Test​: Using Plicker cards, I will conduct a
multiple-choice pre-test on basic information about the unit’s
content. The app has been downloaded to my phone and I have
collaborated with a colleague for use of their Apple TV for that
day.
15-minute Review Asiatic Map:​ All social studies teachers at
Mountain Valley High School are required to administer a
pre-scheduled map quiz on a specific area of the world. The week
after February break will have all social studies teachers
administering the same map quiz on Eastern Asia. Instruction on
the map quiz is to be kept to a minimum as the school encourages
students to study on their own time. I plan to allow students to
answer the quiz to the best of their ability for 5 minutes.
Afterward, I will go through each country in numerical order.
5-minute closing
Tuesday
50 minutes
5-minutes intro: During the intro, I will be discussing the format
of the day’s class. I will have multiple stations set-up around the
room. As a class, we will be moving around the room from one
station to another discussing the chronological progression of the
British Occupation of the colonies and the factors leading to the
Revolutionary War. Students will have a ​packet​ with relevant
information for each section along with questions to fill out.
10-minutes​ British Style of Government: The origins of the British
government started with an Absolute Monarchy in the medieval
age. With documents like the Magna Carta, frequent warfare, and
numerous incompetent Kings & Queens, by the time of the
American colonial period, Britain had transferred to a
Constitutional Monarchy. British Parliament legislated and
Instructional Decisions / Reasoning
• The unit summative assessment allows
students to choose the way in which they
wish to complete the assignment. The first
option takes a social history approach by
allowing students to write a believable diary
story about an individual living between the
Revolution and the establishment of the
Constitution. The second option allows
students to pick a relevant historical figure
and chronicle their beliefs/thoughts on
specific issues through an informal diary.
Both options have a set of weekly
vocabulary that can structure their writing
and demonstrate their understanding of the
objectives.
• I opted to do my Plicker survey in the
middle of the lesson because I knew it
would be interesting and engaging for
students.
• My classroom does not have a projector, so
I collaborate with my neighboring teacher to
borrow their Apple TV for the purpose of
conducting my Plicker pre-assessment.
• By utilizing stations, I can incorporate
student movement within the lesson.
• Each station also allows me to focus on a
specific topic in-depth and provide a clear
sequence for the events we will discuss.
 enforced the laws, policies, and wars of the Early Empire. In the
British unitary system, the colonial governors and legislatures
were supposed to have very little actual power.

By the 1760s,​ Britain had colonies in modern-day Canada, the 13

colonies, the Caribbean, the African West Coast, and some
Southeast Asian islands. Due to Great Britain’s distance from its
colonies, however, each colony develop a loose sense of
autonomy by circumstance. From the 13 colonies to Britain it took
around 2 months for messages and goods to travel, one way.
Direct British intervention was extremely limited and sometimes
even ignored. Example: The Sugar Act was passed before the
revolutionary period but was very loosely enforced. During the
revolutionary period, Parliament was more forceful in its
enforcement, which made the 13 colonies resentful.

5-minutes ​French & Indian War (Seven Years War, which lasted 9
years in the US): Some Historians describe the Seven Years War
as a World War because of the geographic scope of the conflict.
The French & Indian War was the part of the Seven Years War
restricted to the North American Continent. The conflict itself
involved the British and Native American allies vs the French and
Native allies. Lasting 9 years, the conclusion saw Britain
victorious, gaining Canada, all territory east of the Mississippi,
and Florida. The victory over the French, however, strained the
British Empire. British territory in North America had tripled in
size, the government debt had doubled, American colonists
eagerly looking to expand westward into the Native American
territory, rule over the colonies had been incredibly loose, and tax
collection in the colonies compared to the homeland were night
and day different, with the main island being taxed the heaviest
out of all.

10-minutes​ British Policy: The Proclamation of 1763 is considered

the opening shot of restrictions, taxation, and direct control over
the conduct of the colonies. The Policy of Great Britain was to tax
the American colonies to make up for the economic problems and
as a sort of compensation for protection. These acts further over
the next 10 years included the Sugar Act, Currency Act,
Quartering Act, Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Vice-Admiralty
Court Act, Townsend Acts, Tea Act, and the coercive acts.

In order to understand why the colonists were so enraged by the

Acts, we have to look at how parliament operated. In the British
Parliament, only the main island received representatives in
Parliament. Meanwhile, every one of Britain’s colonies had NO
 
 representation in parliament. Why? Part of it was philosophy at
the time, a colony only served to enrich the mother nation, not
make decisions. Part of it was if the colonist did have seats in
parliament, they could work against the interests of the mother
nation. The biggest, however, was the jarring divide, both
geographical and cultural, between Britain and its colonies.
Distance played a role, with messages taking months to reach
Britain. But most British politicians viewed the colonists as lazy
ungrateful hillbillies who needed to finally pull their own weight.

This leads us to the debate of “Actual Representation” vs “Virtual

Representation.” The American colonies argued that they needed
representatives in London to represent their interests. “No taxation
without representation” was the phrase colonists used. Parliament
responded that the members in Parliament represented the
interests of the entire empire (even though most had never been to
any of the colonies).

10-minutes ​The Stamp Act​ of 1765: Of all the taxes imposed on

the colonies, the stamp act drew universal outrage from the
colonies. Stamp taxes had been done in Britain with some success,
so parliament thought the same would be true. The ​fallout​ of the
Stamp Act, however, was far worse than expected. All over the
colonies riots broke out, distributors were attacked, effigies were
hanged, and legislatures met to file grievances, known as the
Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act is important because it is the
first significant violent colonial response. Parliament backed
down, repealing the law within a few months, but the damage was
done. Parliament passed a law soon after, called the Declaratory
Acts, basically saying Britain can tax whatever it feels like and the
colonies can’t do anything about it.

This is when I argue that the tone between Britain and the
American colonies changed to outwardly antagonistic. It showed
two things. 1, that the British Government would bend to protests
and riots. 2 Britain was going to keep trying to assert power over
the colonies.

5-minutes​ Boston Massacre 1770: Due to the unrest in the

colonies, more and more British troops were sent to pacify the
colonial issue. King George, though having little power, took a
special interest in seeing the colonies brutally pacified and heavily
taxed. The massacre itself involved a small squad of British
soldiers firing into a protesting crowd, killing five people. The
colonist used the incident for anti-British propaganda. This is
where I argue that the Revolutionary War was inevitable. With the
 
 King encouraging punitive military and financial measures and
violence being used on both sides, it was only a matter of time
before the War began.

5-minutes​ closing

Meeting students’ needs (differentiation, extensions, Instructional Decisions / Reasoning

modifications, accommodations)
Monday
-Pre-Test allowed me to gather baseline data on all of my
student’s current level of understanding of US History.
Tuesday
-All students were given a packet of information providing the
necessary historical background of the ten years before the
American Revolution. This allowed my ELL students and students
who had forgotten about American colonial history to understand
the historical context of the British government in the colonies.
My students have a spread of different
backgrounds and interest. From an exchange
student who has very little knowledge on
American History, a student with an intense
interest in social studies, and a large majority
of students who have not reviewed this time
period in two years. The pre-assessment
allows me to gather information on what I
need to re-teach or focus specifically on.
From the data collected, it became evident
that I had to do a brief lesson on American
colonial history from a government
perspective.

Field Course Only – Post lesson

Reflection
Monday: I am very satisfied with Monday’s lesson. The Plicker Pre-assessment was widely enjoyed by the
students because it was not a review style they had done before. From conversations I had with my
students, my students held mixed reviews over the usage of kahoot. I found the Plicker to be the best
method because it does not require the students to have a technological device. They only have to hold a
piece of paper in a certain direction. On my end, designing the questions is relatively simple and
downloading the application on my phone is free. In regards to the Diary project, students seemed
intrigued by the idea of writing their own story. In regards to the Map Quiz, students understand the
obligations required of the periodic map quizzes. When I ran through each country, I would include a brief
bit of information to help students remember. If I could eliminate the mandatory Map Quiz review section,
I would discuss more deeply about what the Diary is and include more pre-assessment questions.

Tuesday: I am satisfied with Tuesday’s lesson. According to my pre-assessment data, the majority of my
students retained the basic principles of the American Revolution, but lacked understanding of the buildup
to the Revolution. The overriding purpose of this lesson was to meet students where they were and
re-teach the lead up to the American Revolution. This lesson was primarily taught via direct instruction
with students moving between stations. Each student had a sheet with the information written down and
questions to guide note-taking. One major change I would make would be increasing either the number of

 
 stations or including more engaging artifacts at each station. When I reached the last station, which just
had a picture of King George the 3rd, the students remained where they were. According to assessment
data collected on 3/3/20, the majority of students were able to correctly answer questions regarding the
French & Indian War, the Proclamation of 1763, the Stamp Act, Actual vs Virtual Representation, and the
King George, thus meaning that students met the objectives of the lesson.
Teaching Standards and Rationale
Standard #6 Assessment: ​The teacher understands and uses multiple methods of assessment to engage
learners in their own growth, to document learner progress, and to guide the teacher’s on-going planning
and instruction.
6 (a) ​Balances the use of formative and summative assessment as appropriate to support, verify, and
document learning.

The teacher properly understands and utilizes ​pre-assessment, formative assessment, and summative
assessments for guiding on-going planning and instruction. The teacher provides multiple methods of
assessment in order to support, verify and document individual learner growth.

The primary purpose of this lesson was to gauge, verify, and document what my students knew regarding
the United States under British occupation, the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation, and the
Constitution. My formative Plicker pre-assessment would allow me to gather data and plan for on-going
instruction. From the data collected, it became apparent that I had to teach a lesson on the lead up to the
American Revolution. This took the form of designing a station activity of all the major points we would
be discussing moving forward. As an educator, I have to meet the needs of my students, in this case
teaching a brief lesson on American History. In order to determine whether this lesson was effective, I
examined the summative assessment data retrieved from the weekly homework assignments surrounding
the topics discussed during the weeks. All students demonstrated sufficient understanding of the content
and could relate the historical background to its influences on government and politics.

Standard #7 Planning for Instruction:​ The teacher draws upon knowledge of content areas,
cross-disciplinary skills, learners, the community, and pedagogy to plan instruction that supports every
student in meeting rigorous learning goals.
7 (d)​ Plans for instruction based on formative and summative assessment data, prior learner knowledge,
and learner interest.

The educator uses data, prior knowledge, and learner interest to plan and support all students in achieving
learning objectives. The teacher plans instruction based on assessment data, content areas,
cross-disciplinary skills, pedagogy, the community and the needs of individual learners.

When laying out my plan for the section of the United States under British occupation, I was originally
going to focus specifically on Britain’s government and the early colonial governments prior to the First
Continental Congress. Upon conducting my Plicker pre-assessment, it became apparent that most students
had a limited understanding on the build-up to the American Revolution. Most students could not identify
who won the French & Indian War and which colonies comprised the original 13. With this information, I
adjusted my plan to accommodate a station-based lesson. This way I could still discuss the structure of the
British government while also highlighting the importance of the Proclamation of 1763, Stamp Act, and
the Boston Massacre. Though this is strictly speaking a government class, it is impossible to avoid the

 
 historical context of the era because it influences the daily lives, freedom, and politics of the people living
at the time. The summative assessment of a weekly diary utilizes skills traditionally learned in an English
class. I combined this with a survey I conducted at the beginning of the semester for me to learn more
about my students. That data illustrated that a majority of my students would prefer to write an essay or
story, which allowed me to develop my final summative assessment.

Standard #9 Reflection and Continuous Growth​: The teacher is a reflective practitioner who uses
evidence to continually evaluate his/her practice, particularly the effects of his/her choices and actions on
others (students, families, and other professionals in the learning community), and adapts practice to meet
the needs of each learner.
9 (l) ​Takes responsibility for student learning and uses ongoing analysis and reflection to improve
planning and practice.

The teacher takes responsibility for student learning and adapts their practice, presentation, and
pedagogical skills in order to meet the needs of each learner. The educator is a reflective practitioner who
evaluates their overall strengths, weaknesses, and general effectiveness in order to consistently improve
their planning and practice.

From the data collected, I knew that my student did not have the prerequisite understanding of the
Pre-American Revolution time period in order to properly understand the foundations of American
Government. In order to ensure that students would have the information they needed, I planned a lesson
specifically on the major parts of the build-up to the American Revolution that we would be revisiting
consistently. In order to accomplish this, I designed a timeline station activity that relied primarily on me
lecturing and students moving from one station to another. Though the class met the objective, I reflected
on the overall execution and engagement of the lesson. The lesson itself was very linear, with students
reading information and listening to me lecture. If I were to run a station activity like this again, I would
instead allow for more freedom in engaging with the content at each station. I would also include a greater
blend of articles, images, and objects for students to interact with. When I design these lessons I attempt to
find the most engaging ways of achieving the objectives for the day. The forms of this will constantly vary
because I consistently reflect on what went well and what will I change next time.