1.0 Overall: The purpose of this lesson is to provide
students an opportunity to step into the shoes of the framers
of the United States Constitution to analyze and evaluate the
social, political, economic and geographical forces that shaped
the United States Constitution. Students will conduct research
in the role of one of the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention
and then participate in civil discourse as the delegates might
have 200+ years ago using the principles of parliamentary procedure.
Students will have "reality checks" throughout the experience
to compare their convention results with the actual U.S. Constitution.
Bloom's Taxonomy: CongressLink lesson plans are built
around Bloom's
taxonomy. The purpose of the taxonomy is to provide a coherent
format for lessons and to make it easier for teachers to design
them according to CongressLink's standards.
2.0 Knowledge: Students will list the causes of the
American Revolution. Students will list the problems with the
Articles of Confederation. Students will locate the grievances
listed in the Declaration of Independence
3.0 Understanding: Students will summarize the issues
to be addressed by the Philadelphia Convention.
4.0 Application: Students will determine how the causes
of the American Revolution and the problems with the Articles
of Confederation influenced the new Constitution.
5.0 Analysis: Students will infer how their delegate
voted on various issues at the Constitutional Convention.
6.0 Synthesis: Students will compose journalistic products
to predict how the general population and delegates responded
to the issues addressed at the Philadelphia Convention.
7.0 Evaluation: Students will evaluate how their decisions
at the convention compared with those of their assigned delegate.
Students will justify as to whether or not the new Constitution
should be ratified.
Pre-Teaching
Before commencing work on the Mock Convention, it is important
that the students have a working knowledge of the history
that shaped the framing of the Constitution. Students should
have an understanding of the causes of the American Revolution,
the principles embodied in the Declaration of Independence,
and the problems of the Articles of Confederation. Watching
the movie "1776" during the study of the Declaration of Independence
is helpful in that students will see some of the same characters
at the convention and also see the manner of dress and other
customs that bound the delegates.
Class 1
Put students into small groups of three or four. Provide students
with a copy of the Declaration
of Independence. Have groups review the causes of the
American Revolution, directing them to examine the list of
Injuries and Ursupations. Have students list the problems
of British rule on one half of a piece of butcher paper or
poster board. Have groups come forward with the lists and
share with the class. Have a discussion about the commonalties
of the lists. Have groups review how the Articles
of Confederation tried to avoid the problems of British
rule. Lesson 10 in "We the People" has a nice overview of
this. United States history and government texts also address
this. Have students list each problem with British rule and
the corresponding provision in the Declaration of Independence
orthe Articles of Confederation that addressed it. Post lists
throughout the room. Have the students circulate in a gallery
to observe all of the lists. KEEP THESE POSTERS FOR THE LAST
LESSON.
Homework: Have students explain at least three issues
that may facilitate the need for a new Constitution at this
point in history because they were either not addressed by
the Articles of Confederation or were issues of weakness in
the Articles.
Class 2
Discuss homework responses. Make a list on the board of the
constitutional issues. Introduce the Mock Convention. Inform
the students that for the next week, they will be involved
in a Mock Constitutional Convention to recreate the debate,
compromises, and decisions that resulted in our present day
Constitution. Each student will be assigned a delegate to
the convention to research. Their job is to discover what
that person might have said about the main issues discussed
at the Philadelphia Convention and then play that person
at the Mock Convention.
The main issues to de discussed at the convention are...
1. Should power rest in the states or the national government?
Why? How much power should the leaders have and what type of
leaders should there be? How should we select our governmental
leaders?
2. How should the government be structured? How much power
should each branch of government have and what specifics need
to be considered about each branch (legislative, executive,
judicial)?
3. How should representation be decided, by population or equally
by state? Should slaves count in the population?
4. What should be done about the slave trade?
5. Do we need to guarantee individual rights?
Each student is to compile a delegate portfolio that is to
be turned it at the culmination of the convention. The portfolio
will have three main parts: (1) Research Notes, (2) Position
Statements, and (3) Convention Records.
Part One: Research your delegate to discover information
on your delegate in this order :
a. Personal background of your delegate
b. Delegate feelings and attitudes towards the issues of the
Mock Convention
c. How your delegate will vote in the issues
d. Enemies and allies of your delegate at the convention
e. How geography effects your delegate (where they live, how
they make a living, etc.)
Part Two: Choose at least three of the issues addressed
at the Convention and write a position statement for each as
to how your delegate feels about that issue. You will use these
at the convention during debate on the issues.
Part Three: During the convention, you will record:
a. How you voted playing the part of your delegate
b. How you would have voted on the issue
c. What happened each day of the Mock Convention?
d. The historical outcome of the convention issues
After instructing students of their task, have a lottery for
roles. The teacher should take the role of George Washington
to chair the convention. See the Congresslink web site, Historical
Notes, for a list of delegates. Choose a number of delegates
that will give representation of the various factions at the
convention.
Homework: Assign Lesson 11 in "We the People" or
a similar assignment in their text to give students a general
background as to the delegates and issues addressed in the
Philadelphia Convention. You may also want to give the students
the opportunity to get extra-credit if they dress the role
of their delegate. This would be a homework assignment to prepare
for.
Adaptation: Your could have pairs of students research
delegates, and then take turns playing the delegate at the
convention. Pair stronger students with weaker to facilitate
the process.
Class 3-5
Give students time to research delegates and write their position
statements. The librarians at my school pull resources from
the shelves in advance so our students can access one main
area for information. The National Archives site has great
biographies of all of the delegates to the Convention. www.nidlink.com/~bobhard/consti15.html is
also a copious site for convention information.
Class 5
Use the first part of class to pass out a sheet of Parliamentary
Procedure Basics. This is an excellent way to run class discussions
in general. Briefly go over the motions. The teacher as George
Washington, will play a pivotal role in running the Mock
Convention according to these rules. See http://crs.uvm.edu/citizens/procedure.htm.
Class 6
Convene your convention. Set time limits for discussion so
that you can address Issue One concerning power today. Have
a reality check after each issue is voted upon, referring
to the actual Constitution as found on Congresslink so the
delegates can compare their decision to the actual ones made.
Homework: Have students write a letter home informing
their family about how the convention is going, citing personalities,
factions, etc. that are shaping the convention thus far.
Class 7
Have James Madison read the minutes from the previous day.
Once minutes are amended and approved, go onto Issue Two.
Have a reality check after each issue is voted upon, referring
to the actual Constitution as found on Congresslink so the
delegates can compare their decisions to the actual ones
made.
Homework: Have students draw a political cartoon that
might have appeared in the hometown paper of their delegate
as to the decisions being made at the convention.
Class 8
Have James Madison read the minutes from the previous day.
Once minutes are amended and approved, go onto Issues Three
and Four. Have a reality check after each issue is voted
upon, referring to the actual Constitution as found on Congresslink
so the delegates can compare their decision to the actual
ones made.
Homework: Have students draw an interest group: women,
northerners, southerners, big states, small states. Have them
write a letter to the editor in their role explaining their
reaction thus far to the convention decisions.
Class 9
Post cartoons from previous day around the room so the delegates
can view them as they enter. Have James Madison read the
minutes from the previous day. Once minutes are amended and
approved, go onto Issue 5 and 6. Have a reality check after
each issue is voted upon, referring to the actual constitution
as found on Congresslink so the delegates can compare their
decision to the actual ones made.
Homework: Prepare portfolio to turn in.
Class 10
Collect portfolios. Bring out posters created in the lesson
from Day One. as a class, cite how the issues listed on the
poster were addressed by the Constitutional Convention. Lecture
to students the process of ratification and the role of federalists
and anti-federalists in the process.
Evaluation: Instruct delegates that their home states
have received the new Constitution to be ratified. Have them
write a recommendation as to whether or not they believe ratification
is a good idea.
