UNDERSTANDING BY DESIGN®
Enduring Understanding
- The U.S. Constitution was shaped by the American Revolution, Enlightenment thinkers, and problems with the Articles of Confederation.
Essential Questions
- What influenced the development of our government institutions?
- Why and how did the colonists declare independence?
Students will know:
- how Judeo-Christian values influenced the formation of colonial governments and contributed to our constitutional structure.
- how the colonists came to value limited government and representative government.
- the principles set forth in the English Bill of Rights and how they influenced American colonists.
- how European philosophers and jurists, including Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Blackstone, influenced the colonists.
- how colonial written constitutions, charters, and legislatures gave the colonists experience with limited self-government.
- the events that led the American colonists to declare independence from Britain.
- the roles of the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress.
- the significance and key parts of the Declaration of Independence.
- why the Founders chose the Articles of Confederation as the first form of government.
- the structure and principles of government under the Articles of Confederation.
- the strengths and weaknesses of government under the Articles of Confederation.
- the events that led to the dismantling of the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention.
- the major debates and compromises at the Constitutional Convention between large states and small states.
- the provisions of the Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Connecticut Compromise.
- how the Constitutional Convention dealt with slavery, including the three-fifths compromise.
- the major arguments of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists regarding ratification of the Constitution.
- the significance of the Federalist Papers.
- that ratifying the Constitution depended on the Founders promising to include a bill of rights.
Students will be able to:
- describe the limits set on the monarchy in the English Bill of Rights.
- explain representative government.
- identify the sources that influenced the formation of colonial government.
- analyze the ways colonial governments were limited and representative.
- explain the reasons the colonists declared independence.
- analyze the text of the Declaration of Independence.
- identify reasons states began forming constitutions.
- compare and contrast what the national government could and could not do under the Articles of Confederation.
- summarize events such as Shays’s Rebellion.
- identify problems that arose in the Confederation period.
- discuss the proper way to form a working government.
- compare and contrast the respective arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists for ratification of the Constitution.
- explain the differences between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan and how the Connecticut Compromise resolved the differences.
- analyze the impact of slavery on the formation of the Constitution.
Predictable Misunderstandings
Students may think:
- that the U.S. Constitution was the first to set up a limited government with protection for the rights of individuals. In fact, the English government had encompassed these same principles for quite some time. Encourage students to research the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights and compare and contrast these documents with our Constitution.
- that colonists thought of themselves primarily as Americans. Students may be surprised to learn that most colonists considered themselves to be first and foremost British subjects up until just a few years before the American Revolution. This is a key reason why colonists were so outraged when they were treated with less consideration than subjects in England, and why they eventually decided to break from British rule.
- that the U.S. Constitution was adopted immediately after the American Revolution. It is easy to assume that the form of government we now enjoy has been the same since our nation won its independence. Encourage students to learn about the Articles of Confederation and list ways that the system of government formed by this document was different from the one formed under the Constitution.
Assessment Evidence
Performance Tasks:
- Hands-On Chapter Project
Other Evidence:
- Guided Reading Activities
- Vocabulary Activity
- Lesson Quizzes
- Chapter Tests, Forms A and B
SUGGESTED PACING
½ day — Introducing the Chapter
½ day — Lesson 1
½ day — Lesson 2
½ day — Lesson 3
1 day — Lesson 4
½ day — Chapter Wrap-Up and Assessment
3½ Days — Total
DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION
The activities presented are suitable for all levels. Modifications for student ability levels are available for many of the activities. The types of modifications available are indicated by the icons below.
Approaching Level
Beyond Level
English Language Learner
All students benefit from activities that utilize different learning styles. Activities are designated with the labels below to help you differentiate teaching by the types of learners.
Intrapersonal
Logical/Mathematical
Visual/Spatial
Verbal/Linguistic
Interpersonal
Auditory/Musical
Kinesthetic
Naturalist