UMF Unit-Wide Lesson Plan

Name: Bradley Howes Program: Secondary Course: EDU 460 Student

Education Teaching Field Experience
Lesson Topic / Title: Articles of Confederation & Shay’s Rebellion

Lesson Date: 3/4/20 & Lesson Length: Wednesday: 40 Grade/Age: 12

3/5/20 minutes. Thursday: 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) Instructional Decisions /
• Learning Goal 1: ​Students will explore how different Reasoning
governments affect the freedoms, welfare, and daily life of its • On Wednesday, the students are
citizens. tasked with analyzing specific
• Learning Goal 2: ​Students will analyze and compare the phrases within the Articles of
purposes of the Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation. This will allow
Confederation, and the Constitution. students to identify the inherent
• Learning Goal 3:​ Students will understand the politics, issues, weakness within the Articles.
and compromises that influenced the development of the United • By analyzing the Articles of
States Confederation, students are able
to explore the political
compromises granted to the
National government and the
issue with the States holding the
majority of the power
• On Thursday, the effects of the
Articles of Confederation on
American citizens is examined.
Students understand the crippling
debt of the United States, the
unreliable currency, and the
eventual spark towards Shays’
Rebellion.

 
 Content Standard(s) Instructional Decisions /
Civics & Government 2: Students understand the constitutional Reasoning
and legal rights, the civic duties and responsibilities, and roles of
• When examining the Articles of
citizens in a constitutional democracy and the role of citizens Confederation, students will
living under other forms of government in the world by: understand the role of the citizen
● (D2) Analyzing the constitutional principles and the roles under the Confederacy, wherein
of the citizen and the government in major laws or cases. people identified with their State
rather than as a United States
● (F2) Evaluating the relationship between the government citizen.
and the individual as evident in the United States • The rights, duties, and
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and landmark court cases. responsibilities held between the
National Government and the
● (F3) Evaluating how people influence government and individual States will highlight
work for the common good, including voting, writing to the highly decentralized nature of
legislators, performing community service, and engaging the founding Confederacy.
in civil disobedience. • Examining Shays’ Rebellion
● demonstrates how the people can
Civics & Government 1: Students understand the ideals, purposes, influence the decision-making
principles, structures, and processes of constitutional government and procedures of their
in the United States and in the American political system, as well government.
as examples of other forms of government and political systems in • Analyzing the Articles of
the world by: Confederation allows students to
● (F1) Explaining that the study of government includes the understand the structure,
structures, functions, institutions, and forms of principles, and processes of the
government. United States’ first government.
Students will understand how the
● (F3) Describing the purpose, structures, and processes of distrust of a centralized
the American political system. government fueled the Articles of
Confederation to be as
Civics & Government 3: Students understand political and civic de-centralized as possible.
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.

 
 Assessment Instructional Decisions /
Thursday: Chalkboard Exercise: In order to ensure students Reasoning
understood the importance of each passage, all students will write • By having students summarize
their interpretations on the chalkboard under the specified column. their answers on the chalkboard,
This allows me to identify any misunderstandings anyone may students can work collaboratively
have. by seeing what other students
answered and compare that with
Frequent informal checking for understanding: Throughout my their own. Answering on the
lessons, I frequently gauged student understanding through a chalkboard is also fairly
combination of thumbs up/down, hand signals, etc. anonymous.
• I used frequent informal checking
for understanding in order to
determine whether I could move
forward. If the students indicated
any evidence of misunderstanding
I would provide a summary of
what I had said.
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 Instructional Decisions /
Articles of Confederation​ passages Reasoning
Chalk • The passages have been reduced
to only the major parts in order
for students to analyze and
interpret each passage in their
own words.
• From observations made during
prior lessons, my students prefer
paper forms over online forms, so
the passages were only formatted
in a physical form. If a student
did indicate a preference for an
online form, I would make it
available to them.
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 Instructional Decisions /
Wednesday Reasoning
40 minutes​: • Upon reviewing the Articles of
5-minute​ intro: The Articles of Confederation were written in Confederation, I opted to only
include the most consequential
1777, but not ratified by all the States until 1781. The Declaration
articles and passages. The
of Independence laid out Independence from Britain. Around the purpose of this exercise is to
same time, each State was drafting their own State Constitutions, examine what exactly made the
setting up the individual State Governments separate from Britain. Articles of Confederation weak.
The Articles of Confederation laid out the structure, rules, and • The worksheet is structured to
regulations of the United States. The Articles gave the US include a directly quoted passage
legitimacy on the world stage after the Revolutionary War. The followed by an instruction to
identify the “problem” of this
War ends in 1783 and the US has the job of building a nation. passage.
• I provided the option for students
30- minutes​: ​Analyzing specific articles of the Articles of to work individually or
Confederation collaboratively because I believe
The Framers of the United States always imagined the it is important to provide student
United States as not the United States, but a Confederation of autonomy in regard to
accomplishing tasks.
United States joined together in a firm league of friendship. The
• I opted to have students write
States will work together in regards to defense and trade. their answers for specific
Everything else is up to the States. The most State’s right-center passages on the board in order for
government the United States has ever been. That’s why the students to see how other students
constitution and first Supreme Court were very Pro-Federal interpreted the passage and
Government. compare it to their interpretation.
• The Thursday lesson relied
(15 minutes): For today, students will work individually, in
heavily on my ability to tell a
pairs, or in a small group to analyze and interpret the various story. I wanted to tell this topic
passages relevant to the Articles of Confederation. Students will like a story. Explore what caused
list out the problems associated with the Articles. I will be circling these farmers and veterans of the
around the room providing assistance. Revolution to revolt, why was the
(5 minutes): Students will take the problems identified and National Government unable to
write them on the chalkboard and papers posted around the room. stop this fairly small uprising, and
what ended up happening because
(10 minutes): discussing the points and problems raised by of this rebellion. I have students
the students. exploring what it was like to live
5-minutes​: Closing during this time period, as well as
my personal desire to blend
Thursday political history and social history
50-minutes​: perspectives.
10 minute wrap of analysis of the Articles of Confederation​:
Students will take the problems identified from the previous day
and list them out in each column.

 
 5 minute intro:​ Taking a deep look on Shays’ Rebellion and just
how weak the US government was. Shays Rebellion itself is a
very minor uprising in US History, however Shays Rebellion
exposed that the National Government was incredibly weak, the
States had the most power, and this Rebellion could have toppled
the early United States, similar to France & Russia. The rebellion
itself lasted only from 1786-1787.
30 minute Direct Instruction:​ We’ll be taking a look at both
perspectives, the perspectives from the rebels and the National
Government.

10 minute Rebellion perspective​ : The major problem, debt.

During the War, the continental congress printed paper money for
the young united states. As they printed more and more money,
the actual worth of it decreases, called deflation. This caused a lot
of problems, especially for veterans who weren’t getting paid.
With most people being farmers relying on crops, they didn’t have
a lot of money. Crops are harvested only once a year, which is
when farmers make all their money. So if it’s like March and you
don’t have any money saved up, you’re gonna go broke. Most
farmers used their reputations, also known as credit, to buy things
and eventually pay them back. With a bad economy, people were
less likely to give credit because they probably can’t pay it back.
Lots of people go broke and get thrown in jail because they can’t
pay their debts. This kicks of the rebellion in Western Mass. The
rebels shut down courthouses so no one else can get thrown in jail.
Were the revolters justified?

20 minute National perspective

The National Congress here’s about the revolt in Massachusetts.
To put down the revolt, the Government wants to send the army.
But there was not enough funds to recruit and outfit soldiers.

The Governor of Massachusetts had to HIRE a PRIVATE army to

put down the rebellion. Let’s break that down. The Governor
knows that the National Government won’t lift a finger to send an
army of any sort to put down the rebellion. The other option, the
militia, is either defecting to the rebels or just not answering the
call. Could you imagine a State essentially having to buy

 
 mercenaries to put down a pretty minor rebellion. That’s how
weak the government was.

5 minute Wrap-up​:

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

modifications, accommodations) Reasoning
During an informal discussion with my ELL students, they stated • This student appears to want to
that they prefer their paperwork in English because it was easier to bolster their current
process rather than reading in Portuguese and writing in English. understanding of English. To
To further assist the student, I frequently checked in on the student accommodate their needs, I
and provided one-on-one support for the more difficult passages. frequently checked in with the
student to ensure they could
understand the material, as it was
written in an older English style.

Field Course Only – Post lesson

Reflection
Wednesday
I am satisfied with how this lesson progressed. A major factor for this lesson was the unexpected
constraints on time. Wednesdays are a late arrival day, which shortens all class periods to forty minutes.
The week of March 2nd to March 6th is also Mountain Valley’s spirit week, which carries its own minor
disruptions. Today, a surprise 5-minute homeroom was held in order to count students for the day’s theme.
This ended up lasting 10 minutes long, cutting my class period to 30 minutes. In order to compensate for
the lost time, I pushed the part where students identify the problems on the board until the next day and
focused primarily on students analyzing and interpreting specific passages to the Articles of
Confederation. Students once again struggled in interpreting the highlighted passaged, but with some
assistance, most students were able to interpret the majority of passages. If I were to do this lesson again, I
would randomly assign students into small groups so they can work together to interpret the difficult
passages.
Thursday
This lesson I wanted to experiment with a different approach by teaching this lesson more as a story rather
than a formal lesson. Shays’ rebellion served as the first rebellion of the United States. Following my
learning objectives, I wanted students to understand the political issue, structure, freedom, and what daily
life was life at the time that eventually led to the rebellion. I did this by telling two stories. One from a
rebels perspective leading up the rebellion and another from a federal perspective on dealing with the
issue. I believe the lesson went well. Students appeared invested, with some taking notes on what I would
say. I frequently asked questions on what people thought would happen next. From qualitative data
obtained from their weekly summative assignments, most students incorporated events or details discussed
in that lesson to demonstrate understanding. I would use this strategy again selectively as it benefits only
 
 verbal/linguistic learners, but also serves to highlight the role of oral history. Depending on the class, I
would consider incorporating a formal worksheet or structured notes to assist students.
Teaching Standards and Rationale
Standard #2 Learning Differences​: The teacher uses understanding of individual differences and diverse
cultures and communities to ensure inclusive learning environments that allow each learner to reach
his/her full potential.
2(a)​ Designs, adapts, and delivers instruction to address each student’s diverse learning strengths and
needs and creates opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning in different ways.

The teacher understands the individual differences between students and designs, adapts, and delivers
instruction through multiple difference methods in order to create opportunities for students to demonstrate
their full potential.

This lesson includes the switching perspectives of political and social history, the usage of oral and written
history, and the freedom in how they can recall information for a later date. For this lesson, I wanted to
showcase the multiple mediums of teaching history. Most people believe that history only includes that
which has been written down and preserved. I countered that argument with the introduction of an oral
historical approach to Shays’ Rebellion. Most Native American, African, and prehistoric human tribes
relied on the stories being passed down from generation to generation. Telling a section of history like a
story makes the history sound more human. Talking about the crippling debt of the post-revolution, the
depreciation of currency, and the instability of the country is a far more human way of studying this
traditionally ignored event. Oscillating between social history and political history also allows students to
see some of the ways historians study history. In regards to recalling the information later, I wanted to
leave it up to the individual student’s self-determination. Some students prefer to take notes, others prefer
to actively listen, some want to record it for late. The way this lesson is created is for students to actively
decide how they will be able to remember this information for later.

Standard #5 Innovative Applications of Content​: The teacher understands how to connect concepts and
use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical/creative thinking and collaborative problem solving
related to authentic local and global issues.
5 (d) ​Engages learners in questioning and challenging assumptions and approaches in order to foster
innovation and problem-solving in local and global contexts

The educator understands how to use differing perspectives to engage learners in questioning and
challenging traditional assumptions in order to foster authentic problem-solving in a local and global
context.

The time period surrounding the United States during the Revolutionary and Critical Period is typically
taught through a political historical lense focusing primarily on historical figures and events. Figures such
as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton characterize this time
period. This lesson subverts this common practice by examining this time period from several different
perspectives. The first subversion is looking at the time period from the perspective of an ordinary person.
What life was like, what careers did people have, how were people recovering from the War, etc. Given
that this is a government class, it directly examines how ordinary people influence their government.

 
 Another different perspective used is including elements of oral history and written history. One days is
specifically dedicated to analyzing the components of the Articles of Confederation. The next day is
dedicated to analyzing how those decisions laid out in the Articles influenced the daily life of those living
at the time. I believe introducing multiple perspectives to a historical event enriches the collective
understanding of the event and the study of history as a whole.

Standard #10 Collaboration​: The teacher seeks appropriate leadership roles and opportunities to take
responsibility for student learning, to collaborate with learners, families, colleagues, other school
professionals, and community members to ensure learner growth, and to advance the profession.
10 (o)​ Knows how to contribute to a common culture that supports high expectations for student learning.

The teacher seeks opportunities and takes responsibility for student learning by establishing and
contributing to a positive classroom culture and supporting high expectations to ensure learner growth.

Analyzing and interpreting a historical document is challenging for any individual unfamiliar with the
task. The ability to pick apart a document and understand the underlying meaning is an essential skill that
must be continually practiced in order for a student to be prepared for their post-secondary aspirations. I
believe it is also important that everyone who graduates from an American school should have read and
possess an understanding of the purposes of the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of
Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Analyzing and interpreting these documents in a
way that makes sense to them represents what I believe to be a necessary difficulty. The classroom culture
I entered has established high expectations, such as weekly “syllabus” assignments, ongoing projects,
periodic papers on current events, and a final project. My contributions to this environment of high
expectations have been an addendum to their weekly homework assignments, analyzing important
historical documents, and offering another perspective to understanding history.