1. Legislative Branch
1.1. Objective
1.1.1. Students will be able to read Article 1 of the Constitution and accurately summarize and connect key details.
1.2. Assessment(s)
1.2.1. Formative
1.2.1.1. Students will follow a lecture by filling in guided notes and writing a K-W-L chart to address the essential question for the day.
1.2.2. Summative
1.2.2.1. End of unit, individual, multiple-choice exam with one restricted-response, short-answer question to explain Article 1 of the Constitution.
1.2.2.2. Presentation on one branch of government created with a group (executive, legislative, judicial), including checks and balances associated with that branch. To be graded using a rubric.
1.3. Activities
1.3.1. Teacher: 1. Prezi lecture - Article 1 of the Constitution
1.3.2. Student: 1. K-W-L Chart - Article 1 of the Constitution 2. Follow lecture with fill-in guided notes
2. Executive Branch
2.1. Objective
2.1.1. Students will collaborate and research the major functions, term lengths, election processes, powers, etc. of the executive branch and complete a worksheet with the pertinent information using the following primary documents: Article 2 of the Constitution, Proclamation 4311 – Ford Pardons Nixon, and the most recent State of the Union Address.
2.2. Assessment(s)
2.2.1. Formative
2.2.1.1. Formal teacher review of student analysis worksheets
2.2.1.2. Informal progress-monitoring during Introduction activity via students volunteering answers (teacher analyzes for correctness)
2.2.2. Summative
2.2.2.1. End of unit, individual, multiple -choice exam.
2.2.2.2. Presentation on one branch of government created with a group (executive, legislative, judicial), including checks and balances associated with that branch. To be graded using a rubric.
2.3. Activities
2.3.1. Teacher: 1. Guided outline of Article II of the Constitution with students.
2.3.2. Student: 1. Primary sources analysis worksheets to analyze Proclamation 4311 (Ford pardons Nixon), State of the Union Address. Individual and then collaborate.
3. The Amendment Process
3.1. Objective
3.1.1. Students will learn and demonstrate knowledge of how the Constitution is amended and be able to describe at least 10 important amendments via a foldable.
3.2. Assessment(s)
3.2.1. Formative
3.2.1.1. Teacher will informally progress-monitor students throughout the lesson via class discussions that address the material to be read followed by class discussions that go over the material to be read. These methods are pre-reading and post-reading discussions, which will inform the teacher of student comprehension of material.
3.2.2. Summative
3.2.2.1. The teacher will collect and grade the foldables to ensure they are complete and accurate. The teacher will use these to inform future instruction and gauge student understanding.
3.3. Activities
3.3.1. Teacher: 1. Guided review of textbook format, including section headers, bolded vocabulary, etc. 2. Assist students in grouping into fours to learn about 4 parts of amendment process, jigsaw style, with a foldable. 3. Lead class discussion at the conclusion of Activity 2.
3.3.2. Student: 1. Read section "Bill of Rights" and "List of Amendments" chart in textbook. 2. Select 10 amendments from chart to create own "Bill of Rights", demonstrated as a foldable - to include Amendment #, description, how long it took to get ratified, and date it became an amendment.
4. How a Bill Becomes a Law
4.1. Objective
4.1.1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of how a bill is passed in congress by creating a bill of their own and attempting to get it passed in a mock congressional session.
4.2. Assessment(s)
4.2.1. Formative
4.2.1.1. Teacher observation during simulation. Teacher will observe all students and take notes of students who seem to be struggling/not contributing to process.
4.2.1.2. Teacher will read and assess debrief closure activity to check for student understanding. Recurring questions from students will be addressed at a later time in the unit.
4.2.2. Summative
4.2.2.1. Material covered will be present on an end-of-unit, summative, multiple-choice exam.
4.3. Activities
4.3.1. Teacher: 1. Introduce online lesson (fill-in handout) on process of bill becoming a law. 2. Monitor simulation and act as "Bill Clerk" 3. Simulation debrief discussion
4.3.2. Student: 1. "How a Bill Becomes a Law" online lesson, fill-in handout 2. Create a bill of their own 3. Mock congressional sessions simulation. Students will act as HOR, Senate, and President to read, deliberate, pass, and veto bills into law.
5. Judicial Branch
5.1. Objective
5.1.1. After completing this lesson, students will be able to explain the judicial branch according to Article III of the Constitution.
5.1.2. After completing this lesson, students will be able to explain the Supreme Court’s role in interpreting the Constitution and the importance of Marbury v. Madison.
5.2. Assessment(s)
5.2.1. Formative:
5.2.1.1. Informal assessment in introduction activity as teacher asks students to define vocabulary terms in order to successfully move on. The teacher will ensure students have correct definitions and know the key players to ensure students can successfully understand the material to follow.
5.2.1.2. Informal assessment as teacher navigates around the room during student engagement discussions and listens for ideas, thoughts, and misconceptions presented
5.2.1.3. Handouts to be turned in for formal assessment by teacher.
5.2.1.4. Exit Tickets turned in will serve as a formal assessment to determine if students have met the learning objectives.
5.2.2. Summative:
5.2.2.1. End of unit multiple-choce exam with pertinent content from this lesson.
5.2.2.2. End of unit project on one branch of government (Judicial, Legislative, Executive).
5.3. Activities
5.3.1. Teacher: 1. Introduce "Listening Triad" discussion activity via Prezi. 2. Lead class discussion at conclusion of "Listening Triad" activity.
5.3.2. Student: 1. Read Article III of the Constitution in groups of 3 and then answer analysis questions in "Listening Triad" discussion format. 2. Read "Explanation of Marbury v. Madison" in "Listening Triad" discussion format, with different roles than before. 3. Recorder will present discussion findings to class.