Unit Plan Template s23

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Unit Plan Template

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Unit Author
First and Last Name / Jason Milne
School District / Pioneer
School Name / Pioneer High School
School City, State
Unit Overview
Unit Title
WE THE PEOPLE….
Unit Summary
This unit’s goal is to enhance students' understanding of the institutions of American constitutional democracy and help them to identify the contemporary relevance of the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Critical thinking exercises, problem-solving activities, and cooperative learning techniques will help develop the participatory skills necessary for students to become active, responsible citizens.
Subject Area
· United Sates History and Government
11-12
Approximate Time Needed
10, 40 minute classes…
Unit Foundation
Targeted Content Standards and Benchmarks
Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes
Identify concepts of civic life, politics, and government
- The purposes of politics and government
- Limited and unlimited governments
Identify the relationship of limited government to political and economic freedom
Identify purposes and uses of constitutions.
Shared powers and parliamentary systems (background of English Bill of Rights, Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, Town Meetings)
o
Curriculum-Framing Questions
Essential Question / · How does the government established by the Constitution embody the purposes, values, and principles of American Democracy?
Unit Questions / o How are power and responsibility distributed, shared, and limited in the government established by the United States Constitution?
o How is the national government organized and what does it do?
o How are state and local governments organized and what do they do?
o What is the place of law in the American constitutional system?
o How does the American political system provide for choice and opportunities for participation?
Content Questions / · What are the major ideas expressed in the Declaration of Independence?
· What are some of the sources for the language and ideas found in the Declaration of Independence?
· Do all the ideals in the Declaration in our Constitution?
· How have the ideals in the Constitution changed over time?
· Do all branches of the government have the power of judicial review?
· How does the Constitution address the individual US citizen?
Assessment Plan
Assessment Timeline
Before project work begins / Students work on projects and complete tasks / After project work is completed
· Comparison charts looking at concerns of the Feds and anti-feds
· Web notes
· Youtube presentation of constitutional convention
· View excerpt of John Adams (HBO) at Constitutional Convention
· Examine grievances outlined in Declaration of Indep. / · Prepare constitutional questions for Congressional hearing… / · Simulated congressional hearing…more infor at http://www.civiced.org/index.php
· / · Activity 1
· Activity 2 / · Watch back video of Congressional hearing and critique…
· Quiz
· Tests (based on NYS Regents exam) / ·
Assessment Summary
Activity 1: Students will take on the role of a newspaper editor, preparing an editorial for the day after the Constitution would have become public. They will write a Federalist and/or anti-federalist editorial, depending on the viewpoint of their newspaper, explaining the main ideas of the Constitution, its ideology, and their approval/disapproval.
Activity 2: Students should take on the role of a textbook editor and write a section about the background influences on the Constitution. They will write short paragraphs, explaining the key sections of the Great Compromise (Article I), role of the President (Article II), and/or the Supreme Court (Article III). They will include a chart, similar to the one used in this activity. This could be completed by doing a powerpoint.
Activity 3: A simulated congressional hearing in which students "testify" before a panel of judges. Students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles and have opportunities to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues.
Unit Details
Prerequisite Skills
Knowledge of platform of the Federalists and Anti-federalists.
Instructional Procedures
Accommodations for Differentiated Instruction
Special Needs Students /
Nonnative Speakers /
Gifted/Talented Students / Students display their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights in the program’s culminating activity: a simulated congressional hearing. Students serve as expert witnesses on the country’s founding principles and constitutional law and answer follow-up questions from a panel of judges. This will be simulated in class…also there are competitions at the state and federal level.
Materials and Resources Required For Unit

Technology – Hardware (Click boxes of all equipment needed)

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Camera
Computer(s)
Digital Camera
DVD Player
Internet Connection / Laser Disk
Printer
Projection System
Scanner
Television / VCR
Video Camera
Video Conferencing Equip.
Other
Technology – Software (Click boxes of all software needed.)
Database/Spreadsheet
Desktop Publishing
E-mail Software
Encyclopedia on CD-ROM / Image Processing
Internet Web Browser
Multimedia / Web Page Development
Word Processing
Other

Intel® Teach Program

Essentials Course

Printed Materials / http://edsitement.neh.gov/lesson_images/lesson723/Chart_723.pdf
Supplies /
Internet Resources / http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=723, http://www.wethepeople.gov/, http://www.civiced.org/index.php?page=wtp_introduction
Other Resources / John Locke’s Second Treatise of Govt, Transcript of the Declaration of Independence, Chart comparing 4 Constitutions’ affect on the Declaration of Independence

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