Inquiry Design Model Daily Briefing 2
Compelling Question / Did the Constitution establish a just government?
Standards and Practices / GOV.7AExplainthe importanceof a writtenconstitution.
GOV.7BEvaluatehowthe federalgovernmentservesthepurposessetforthinthe PreambletotheU.S.Constitution.
GOV.7EDescribetheconstitutionallyprescribedproceduresbywhichtheU.S. Constitutioncanbe changedandAnalyzetheroleoftheamendmentprocessina constitutionalgovernment.
GOV.8EExplainhowcertainprovisionsoftheU.S.Constitutionprovideforchecksand balancesamongthethreebranchesofgovernment.
GOV.21AAnalyzehistoricalandcontemporarypoliticalinformationbysequencing, categorizing,identifyingcause-and-effectrelationships,comparing,contrasting,findingthe mainidea,summarizing,makinggeneralizationsandpredictions,anddrawinginferences andconclusions.
GOV.22AUsesocialstudiesterminologycorrectly.
Daily Reflections / List the major ideas behind the development of the Constitution in your notes. After you have listed the ideas, think about the following question: Do these ideas create a just government? Place a (+) symbol next to the ideas you feel create a just government. Next, place a (-) symbol next to the ideas you feel do not create a just government.
Supporting Question (s)
How did the Founding Fathers develop a constitution to help our government establish order and plan for growth and change?
Formative Performance Task
Create a comic strip that explains how the founding fathers developed a constitution to help our government establish order and plan for growth and change.
Featured Sources
Readings:
  • Power Basics: The Constitutional Framework: The Structure of the Constitution
  • We the People: What is the Legislative Branch?
  • We the People: What is the Executive Branch?
  • We the People: What is the Judicial Branch?
  • We the People: How have the Amendment and Judicial Review Changed the Constitution?
Videos:
  • Equal and Civil Rights: The Battle over the Equal Rights Amendment
  • Framework for Democracy: Amending and Interpreting the Constitution
Other:
  • Interactive Constitution
  • NEWSELA – news articles
  • All About the US Constitution, Graphic Organizer

HISD Secondary Social Studies 2017 Adapted from Grant, Lee, and Swan, 2014

The Process
Preparation: Determine location of workstation(s) and prepare materials listed below. Develop groups of 3-4students.
Daily Reflection (5 minutes)
Say: List the major ideas behind the development of the Constitution in your notes. After you have listed the ideas, think about the following question: Do these ideas create a just government? Place a (+) symbol next to the ideas you feel create a just government. Next, place a (-) symbol next to the ideas you feel do not create a just government.
Daily Briefing Introduction (10 minutes)
Project and readthe supporting question, formative performance task and resources from the HUB Student Page.
Say:Let’s begin thinking about what you will need to knowin order to answer the supporting question. You will need to know:
  • the major ideas behind the development of a written constitution;
  • the purpose of the preamble;
  • the way the constitution is design to support the purpose of government as laid out in the Preamble; including the three branches of government and the power granted to each branch; and
  • the amendment process and its effectiveness.
Direct students to open or distribute the graphic organizerAll About the US Constitution.
Say:Use the graphic organizer, All About the US Constitution, to guide your work and as an opportunity for me to checkin and speak to you prior to beginning development of yourcomic strip.
Note: Students will only be completing the first two columns of the graphic organizer: The Purpose and How the US Government Organizes to Fulfill the Purpose.
Say:A variety of resources have been prepared,including readings, videos, interactive constitution, and news site to answer the supporting question and complete the formative performance task. Use these resources to take notes based on the list, “need to know”, and complete the handout. You have the opportunity to pick and choose which resources to use to collect the information you need. You also have the choice to use the note taking strategy you prefer best. Be sure that you cite evidence from the text in your notes and document the resource you cited.
Project “HUB Student Page: Featured Resources” section
Say: The reading and video resources are from Social Studies School Services: Active Classroom. When you login, you will notice that the resources are in the toolkit for Unit 1 Foundations and Principles of U.S. Government. You can also use the link provided in the Featured Resources once you are in Social Studies Services: Active Classroom.
Model for students how to login and navigate Social Studies Services Active Classroom.
Teacher Note: Ensure resources are assigned to students. Students can access the resources through their assignments on Social Studies School Services: Active Classroom or by using the link on the Student HUB Page, using the instructions provided on the handoutAccess Readings and Videos from Active Classroom Instructions.
Say:Look at the resources on the HUB Student page. I will briefly model for you my thinking as I determine which resource or resources to use to complete the graphic organizer today.
Think Aloud
Say: As I move through the resources, I expect to be surprised. I might think to myself: “wow,” “really,” or “I didn’t know that.” I also expect to be confused at times when I am reading or watching a video. This is okay. I have resources that will help clear up my confusion. Now, let’s look to the graphic organizer. The graphic organizer asks me to describe the purpose of each part of the Constitution and how the government organizes to fulfill this purpose. Looking at the title provided in the feature resources, I can use the Interactive Constitution or Power Basics: The Constitutional Framework: The Structure of the Constitution. The Interactive Constitution takes me through the actual document and provides additional information to guide my understanding of the document.
Project the Interactive Constitution. Demonstrate navigating the Preamble and resources available.
Say: The Preamble provides additional information on the navigation bar about the Preamble. This information could be useful in determining how the government fulfills the purpose. It also provides multiple perspectives which could be helpful when thinking about the compelling question. The menu button allows me to return to the other parts of the constitution. Article 1 is setup different but still provides additional information to help me understand the context. If I click on the highlighted part in the text a small text box comes up and it shares relevant information.
Click through a couple of the highlighted sections.
Say: The information provided shows me how the constitution has changed over time, and it addresses the supporting question. I will, however,have to sift and determine which information will assist me in answering the purpose and how the US government organizes to fulfill the purpose in the graphic organizer. I may want to take additional notes on the side that I feel helps me answer the supporting question and provides information that will assist me in answering the compelling question at the end of this unit.
Project the resources Power Basics: The Constitutional Framework: The Structure of the Constitution and navigate as you think aloud about the resource.
Say: Power Basics provides be a brief summary of the sections and explains the purpose of each section. But does it give me enough information to determine how it is organized? I think I will need to use one of my other resources for that or go back to the Interactive Constitution.
Ask: Are there any questions about your task or the resources you have available?
Ask: Can someone tell me what it is we should be doing for the next 20 minutes?
Say: 20 minutes is on the timer. Begin.
Inquiry ( 20 minutes)
Actively monitor students to ensure students are on task, completing graphic organizer, and taking notes based on the list, “Need to Know”. Conference with students who may need more assistance or have questions. Address any student misunderstanding.
Whole Group Workshop (15 minutes)
Say:Stop! I need everyone’s attention. Look at your graphic organizer. We need to identify the areas in the Constitution that planned for growth and change. As you read the notes you recorded in the graphic organizer, annotate the areas where the founders establish opportunities for growth and change with a G/C (growth/change). You will have 3 minutes to annotate information included in your graphic organizer.
Cold call on 2-3 students to identify the areas they annotate. Ask students to share textual evidence.
Say: As you continue to work on your notes, use the annotation C/G to identify the areas the founders establish opportunities for growth and change.
Actively monitor students to ensure students are on task, completing graphic organizer, and annotating notes. Conference with students who may need more assistance or have questions. Begin to pull small groups to showcase current event articles that show how our government is changing over time.
Small Group Workshop (10 minutes)
NEWSELA Articles:
A History of the 15th Amendment
The History of the 19th Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment That Almost Was
3 Questions -
This workshop focuses on looking at how our government has changed throughout the years. Give each student in the group a different reading. Ask the students to look for how our government was established to provide opportunities for growth and change and annotate the reading using C/G. Provide students 3 – 5 minutes to read document.
Begin discussing with the group there findings in the articles. Be sure to discuss the amendment process and judicial review.
Teacher Note: Small group workshop may change depending on student misunderstandings identified in planned catches (checkpoints) and unplanned catches (checking for understanding while actively monitoring.)
Formative Performance Task (30 minutes)
Say: It is time to begin working on your Formative Performance Task. You each have been tasked with creating a comic strip that explains how the founding fathers developed a constitution to help our government establish order and plan for growth and change.
Share with students their options to create the comic strip.
  • Option 1: Draw your comic strip and take a picture to upload.
  • Option 2: Use Comic Creator or another application. Save your work and upload.
Say:You have 15 minutes to complete this task.
Actively monitor students to ensure students are on task; address student misunderstanding and/or question students to extend their thinking.
Say: It is time to share with your group. Use the sentence stems on Feedback Cards to provide constructive feedback to each group member. Give one piece of warm feedback and one piece of cool feedback.
Say: Groups nominate a time keeper.
Say: Timekeepers, raise your hands.
Say: Timekeeper, your job is to ensure each presentation and comment period stays under 3 minutes.
Say: Begin presenting.
Actively monitor group presentations and comment periods using the bounce stems. Reinforce the use of the stem for groups who are not using the stem. Provide examples to groups.
Teacher Note: Use a running roster to document students who are actively participating and who are not actively participating in conversation. If time allows, direct students to adjust their comic strip based on the feedback they received.
Summative
Performance Task / Construct an argument that addresses the compelling question using specific claims and relevant evidence from historical sources while acknowledging competing views.

HISD Secondary Social Studies 2017 Adapted from Grant, Lee, and Swan, 2014