Secondary / ESL Lesson Plan Template -- 2021-2022 Academic Year

Name: Russell Finelsen Lesson Topic: The Constitutional Convention

Content Area: AP US History Grade Level(s): 11th grade

Lesson Content
Background Information/ Relevance/ Context/ Rationale (Purpose) – Please be clear about how this particular lesson is situated within the current instructional sequence (i.e.,
unit), why this content is important for students to learn, and how you will convey the relevance and significance of this lesson to students.

This lesson will be in the middle of the unit about the Revolutionary War and new government era, 1754-1803. The lesson will be a constitutional
convention role-play, having each student pretend to be a delegate and research their delegate’s views of the Constitution. The directions for this
assignment, to tell students what to research, is located in the “2021 Constitutional Convention Role Play” document. Students were assigned their
delegates. The student would argue as their delegate on several points under the topics of distribution of power, representation, slavery, and rights. The
student would also make an opening and closing statement regarding the delegate’s most important issue and opinion on signing the Constitution. During
the convention role-play, I will be portraying George Washington. I will be giving the directions for the debate, and I will be asking higher-order, critical
thinking questions to the delegates during each of the debates. From the list of questions, I will not be asking all of the questions for each debate. Rather, I
will likely choose one question and ask follow-up questions to students’ responses, and I will let the conversation flow to other topics. As such, the lesson
is more student-centered, but it is still teacher-directed. The lesson will show students a view of how the Constitutional Convention went, while also
including the views of those who were not there, such as Phillis Wheatley and Chief Joseph Brant, thus accounting for views of the minority communities of
Blacks, women, and Native Americans. This lesson is relevant to students because it will show students that compromise is needed to help many people
reach an agreement, and even then, not everyone will have their desires fulfilled, which will cause some delegates to walk out of the Convention and not
sign the Constitution.

VSOLs/CCSSs Addressed: (some of these overlap across grade levels or are not addressed in its entirety during this short lesson)

VUS.5 The student will apply social science skills to understand the development of the American political system by

b) describing the major compromises necessary to produce the Constitution of the United States, with emphasis on the roles of
James Madison and George Washington;
 Learning Targets
As a result of this lesson, students will...

Explore the following ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS… UNDERSTAND THAT…

How do we reach compromise? Students will understand that the delegates at the Constitutional
Convention had to make many concessions and forego some of their most
important beliefs to agree to the Constitution.

KNOW… BE ABLE TO (DO)...

Students will know the different points of view regarding distribution of
power, representation, slavery, and rights held by famous men and women
during the time of the drafting of the Constitution.
Students will know the compromises made to write a Constitution that the
delegates would sign and states would ratify.
Students will be able to make an argument from their delegate’s point of
view regarding an issue covered in the Constitutional Convention.
Students will be able to use evidence from their research to support or
refute arguments made by other students playing their delegates.

Plan for Assessment

As you plan your lesson, think about what evidence you will gather to determine if students have mastered the lesson’s learning targets. Develop a plan for assessing the degree to which your
students have mastered the learning targets in this lesson. Your plan should include at least one formative assessment at a minimum, and may also include diagnostic/pre-assessment or
summative assessments depending on the nature of the learning targets and the placement of the lesson within the context of the unit. Please add/remove tables as needed.

Assessment #1, 2, 3

Learning target(s) for which you will collect data (write out):

Students will understand that the delegates at the Constitutional Convention had to make many concessions and forego some of their most important
beliefs to agree to the Constitution.
Students will know the different points of view regarding distribution of power, representation, slavery, and rights held by famous men and women during
the time of the drafting of the Constitution.
Students will know the compromises made to write a Constitution that the delegates would sign and states would ratify.
Students will be able to make an argument from their delegate’s point of view regarding an issue covered in the Constitutional Convention.
Students will be able to use evidence from their research to support or refute arguments made by other students playing their delegates.

Type of Assessment (choose and highlight one): Possible Options: ● Problem set
● Diagnostic Assessment or Pre-Assessment (before the lesson) ● Previous class work ● Strategic questioning
● Graphic organizer ● Learning/response log
 ● Formative Assessment (during the lesson) ● Journal entry ● Exit ticket
● Think/Pair/Share ● 3-2-1 countdown
● Summative Assessment (after the lesson) ● 1-minute essay ● Other

Specific Plan (What does the assessment entail, and what evidence will help you determine students’ progress towards the learning target(s)?):

Students, as assigned delegates, will start the convention role-play by making an opening statement that includes who they are, what state they are from,
and the most important idea that should be considered at the meeting. During the debate section, students will have to answer questions posed by me on
a topic and/or agree/disagree with other students’ arguments on a debate topic. After the debate, students will make a concluding statement as their
delegate stating if they would sign the Constitution, why or why not, and if the Constitutional ratification process would experience any issues in their
home state.

Lesson Sequence

Steps in the Lesson (including Modalities & Resources)
● You should include all steps in the lesson. Please list each step in a new row and indicate the estimated time
frame for completing the step.
● Scripting may or may not be included, but the plan should be explicit and clear enough that another person
would be able to teach from it.
● As you outline each step in the lesson, you should clarify the resources (digital and/or analog) and modalities
to be used. Please use consistent labeling for clarity.
● Guiding questions:
○ What will students be doing during each step?
○ What will you (the instructor) be doing during each step?
○ What directions will need to be provided to students to help them know what to do?
○ How will you transition from one activity to another?
○ How will you help the students see the relevance/importance of what they are learning?
○ Is the plan clear enough that another individual would be able to teach from it?
○ What grouping modes will be used during this step of the lesson -- whole group, small group, individual?
○ What specific digital and/or analog resources will be utilized during this step of the lesson?
Planning for Learner Diversity / Instructional Scaffolds
● You should identify specific ways you plan to ensure equity and
inclusion by building on learners’ diversity.
● Guiding questions:
○ How can you leverage students’ prior experiences and assets in this
step of the lesson?
○ How does this step address and build on learner diversity to ensure
equity?
○ What challenges/ opportunities/barriers might exist for individuals
or groups of learners in accessing content and learning activities in
this step of the lesson?
○ How will you utilize Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and/or
differentiation so that all students can access the content and
learning activities?
○ What feedback can you provide to acknowledge and value each
student’s contributions?

Time Steps in the Lesson (including Modalities & Resources Utilized) Planning for Student Diversity /
frame Instructional Scaffolds

5 The first five minutes will consist of me asking how the students are doing and students moving around
minutes as necessary and getting ready for the convention role-play. During this time, I will also explain the
directions of the debate overall. The script for such is located in the “Procedures” document.
15 Students, as delegates, will make their opening statements, as detailed in the introduction, saying who Some students might have a slower
minutes they are, what state they are from, and what issue they want to see discussed at the Constitutional thought process or talking
Convention. These opening statements will be 30 seconds long; if they go longer, I will say, for example, difficulties, which will make talking
“Thank you, Gouverneur Morris, your 30 seconds are up. For timing purposes, we will move on to the for such a short period of time
next delegate.” difficult.

2 After all the delegates have made their opening statements, I will review the instructions for the actual
minutes debate. The script for such is located in the “Procedures” document.

10 The first debate will cover Distribution of Power. During this debate, I will ask students questions. To I will attempt to provide detailed
minutes start, I will call on a student to answer the question, and after that, if students raise their hands, I will call feedback to students after they
on them to rebut the first student’s argument, but if not, I would call on another student to share their respond, more than “Good work,”
perspective. I will also ask some students follow-up questions to their responses. I will attempt to something like, “You made a good
provide detailed feedback to students after they respond, more than “Good work.” Questions are argument talking about…”
located in the “Questions” document. Information and notes regarding each of the delegates is in the This debate specifically will include
“Procedures” document - delegates that are bolded under a debate topic means my goal is to have those Chief Joseph Brant, a Native
delegates speak, because they focus on those issues in the actual convention. American, whose voice is not usually
heard when talking about the
Constitution.

10 The second debate will cover Representation. During this debate, I will ask students questions. To start, I I will attempt to provide detailed
minutes will call on a student to answer the question, and after that, if students raise their hands, I will call on feedback to students after they
them to rebut the first student’s argument, but if not, I would call on another student to share their respond, more than “Good work,”
perspective. I will also ask some students follow-up questions to their responses. I will attempt to something like, “You made a good
provide detailed feedback to students after they respond, more than “Good work.” To transition from argument talking about…”
the previous debate, I will ask if students have any final comments they would like to contribute, and if
no students volunteer, I will transition the debate to the next topic by saying something like, “Very good.
Many people made good points. Let’s move on to the issue of....” Information and notes regarding each
of the delegates is in the “Procedures” document - delegates that are bolded under a debate topic means
my goal is to have those delegates speak, because they focus on those issues in the actual convention.

10 The third debate will cover Slavery. During this debate, I will ask students questions. To start, I will call I will attempt to provide detailed
minutes on a student to answer the question, and after that, if students raise their hands, I will call on them to feedback to students after they
rebut the first student’s argument, but if not, I would call on another student to share their perspective. I respond, more than “Good work,”
will also ask some students follow-up questions to their responses. I will attempt to provide detailed something like, “You made a good
feedback to students after they respond, more than “Good work.” To transition from the previous argument talking about…”
debate, I will ask if students have any final comments they would like to contribute, and if no students This debate specifically will include
volunteer, I will transition the debate to the next topic by saying something like, “Very good. Many Phillis Wheatley, an Black woman,
people made good points. Let’s move on to the issue of....” Information and notes regarding each of the whose voice is not usually heard
 delegates is in the “Procedures” document - delegates that are bolded under a debate topic means my when talking about the Constitution.
goal is to have those delegates speak, because they focus on those issues in the actual convention.

10 The fourth debate will cover Rights. During this debate, I will ask students questions. To start, I will call I will attempt to provide detailed
minutes on a student to answer the question, and after that, if students raise their hands, I will call on them to feedback to students after they
rebut the first student’s argument, but if not, I would call on another student to share their perspective. I respond, more than “Good work,”
will also ask some students follow-up questions to their responses. I will attempt to provide detailed something like, “You made a good
feedback to students after they respond, more than “Good work.” To transition from the previous argument talking about…”
debate, I will ask if students have any final comments they would like to contribute, and if no students This debate specifically will include
volunteer, I will transition the debate to the next topic by saying something like, “Very good. Many Phillis Wheatley, an Black woman,
people made good points. Let’s move on to the issue of....” Information and notes regarding each of the and Chief Joseph Brant, a Native
delegates is in the “Procedures” document - delegates that are bolded under a debate topic means my American, whose voices are not
goal is to have those delegates speak, because they focus on those issues in the actual convention. usually heard when talking about
the Constitution.

2 After the debates have concluded, I will thank everyone for sharing their perspectives. I will share to
minutes students that (magically) a Constitution has been written. I will share the main points of the Constitution,
which are included in the “Procedures” document. I will tell students, still as delegates, the instructions:
they will have between 30 seconds and 1 minute (the actual timing depends on class timing) to say if
they will support and/or sign the Constitution (this differs for some people like Phillis Wheatley and
Chief Joseph Brant, who are not at the convention), why or why not, and if they think, if applicable, their
home state will support and ratify the Constitution. These instructions are detailed in the “Procedures”
document.

15 Students will make their closing statements. After this, I will thank everyone for participating and Some students might have a slower
minutes summarize what happened at the actual convention. thought process or talking
difficulties, which will make talking
for such a short period of time
difficult.
Materials/ Supplies/ Sources/ Digital and Interactive Instructional Technology (if appropriate): – Please list all necessary instructional supplies, materials, and sources.
Make sure that these are clearly labeled and referenced throughout the lesson plan to enhance clarity.

Procedures sheet
Questions sheet
Assignment directions sheet
Distribution of Power

Will a stronger or weaker central government better help the country, and why?

Should states have any power? A lot of power? A little power?

How should the executive or executives be chosen?

How do we prevent another King George from getting absolute power?

What powers should we give the legislative branch?

Representation

What’s better, the New Jersey Plan or the Virginia Plan, and why?

How important should each individual’s vote be in directly affecting the election of politicians? In
other words, is direct election good or bad?

How should states be represented in the legislature? By population or one vote for all?

Should we have one or two chambers in the legislature?

Slavery

Should the Constitution ban slavery? Why?

Should slaves be counted for representation purposes and how?

How should the Constitution account for slaves who escape their owners?

Should the Constitution ban the Atlantic slave trade? Why?

Rights

Do we need to specifically state in the Constitution the specific rights individuals have to prevent
government overreach? Which ones?

What rights should citizens have?

How should we treat people of other religions? Of other ethnicities? Of different social classes?
Beginning of “convention”

Welcome all to Philadelphia. It is August 1, 1787, and we are still debating about our new form
of government. Most of us have agreed that the Articles of Confederation, despite the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787, has mostly failed to provide a government that will effectively support and
lead the country. While under the rule of the Articles of Confederation, we have faced many
issues: the battle between New York and New Hampshire over control of disputed territory,
conflicting trade policies between states, taxes being imposed by one state on another state, the
inability of Congress to tax to raise money to pay off debts to the British, French, and Spanish,
the inability of Congress to regulate trade and raise revenue, and the inability of Congress to
form a national army to protect our citizens against the attacking Native American tribes,
Barbary Pirates, and rebelling farmers.

As such, we need to write a document that forms a new government that best represents our
country, that will provide the tools necessary to make sure the United States succeeds for many
years to come, as per the guidelines of this Constitutional Convention. Before today’s
discussion, I want to state the rules of this meeting. If you wish to speak, please raise your
hand, and I will call on you, to eliminate the risk of you interrupting someone else. You are, of
course, allowed to disagree with another person, but please respectfully disagree. Say a
person’s arguments are misguided and why, not that the person is dumb. This is a discussion
and a debate, not an argument. If you break the rules, you might be asked to leave this
discussion. Are there any questions?

First, I want everyone to know what everyone else stands for in regards to the creation of a new
government structure. I would like everyone to give a 30 second speech, an elevator pitch,
stating your name, state of origin, what you think is the most important idea to consider at this
meeting and why you think that way. I will let you know when your 30 seconds have elapsed,
since for purposes of timing, you will not be able to talk longer than 30 seconds. Once you are
called on, you may speak.

Now, we will debate on four major topics: distribution of power, representation, slavery, and
rights. You will be asked to speak during at least two of the four debates, depending on which
issues and ideas you believe in the most. During each of the debates, I will ask a question and
ask one of you to respond. Afterwards, if you would like to rebut that argument, please raise
your hand. Or, if no one volunteers, I will call on someone else to respond. Any questions? Let’s
get started.

End of “convention”

Thank you all for participating and providing your ideas regarding the new form of government
to represent our great nation. I would like to propose to you the Constitution, a new document
that includes these key elements:
 ● Single executive elected through the electoral college
● Three branches, checks and balances
● Strong central government: no vetoes of state laws, but treaties apply; tax, control trade
● Great Compromise: Bicameral, Senate (two representatives for each state), House
(proportional representation per population)
● Fugitive Slave Clause
● Slave trade allowed until 1808
● ⅗ Compromise
● Simple majority in legislature needed to regulate commerce

The question is this: Will you sign/support the Constitution? Why or why not? Give a 45 second
speech that details the reasoning for your decision. And, explain any problems that might cause
the Constitution to not be ratified in your state.
Constitutional Convention Role Play

You will research your assigned delegate or figure to create a short

report, which will help you prepare for the convention. Your research
should aim to answer the following questions:

1. Who is my delegate/figure and where are they from?

2. Which idea does my delegate/figure believe is most important to
consider adding to the Constitution?
3. What does my delegate/figure think about what the Constitution
should say about the distribution of power?
4. What does my delegate/figure think about what the Constitution
should say about representation?
5. What does my delegate/figure think about what the Constitution
should say about slavery?
6. What does my delegate/figure think about what the Constitution
should say about rights?

Make sure you know where your delegate/figure stands on these

issues and what specific compromises or plans they support.

During the Constitutional Convention, you will speak from the point of
view of your delegate/figure. Keep in mind that some of the views you
research about are disturbing. Many delegates at the convention, for
instance, support slavery. Going into this, none of us support slavery.
We are merely portraying delegates who support slavery, to show the
divide among the delegates when considering slavery in the
Constitution.

To begin our convention role-play, you will be asked to provide a 30-

second opening speech, where you will say who you are portraying,
where you are from, and what issue you find most important at the
convention.
The convention itself will be split into four sections of debate:
distribution of power, representation, slavery, and rights. During the
entirety of the debate, you will be expected to speak at least two times
about the topics your delegate/figure focused on.

To end our convention role-play, you will be asked to provide a 45-

second closing speech, where you will say if you, as your
delegate/figure, will support the sign or support the Constitution and
why or why not? You should also explain if your home state would
ratify the Constitution and why or why not.

You will turn in your notes sheet after the convention role-play.
 Delegates to the Constitutional Convention: Role Play

1) Gouverneur Morris –
2) James Wilson –
3) Edmund Randolph –
4) George Mason –
5) James Madison –
6) Gunning Bedford –
7) Elbridge Gerry –
8) Luther Martin –
9) Roger Sherman –
10) Alexander Hamilton –
11) Benjamin Franklin –
12) Charles Cotesworth Pinckney –
13) William Patterson –
14) John Rutledge –
15) Rufus King –
16) Charles Pinckney –
17) William Livingston -
18) William Richardson Davie –
19) Thomas Jefferson –
20) John Adams –
21) Patrick Henry –
22) Phillis Wheatley –
23) John Dickinson –
24) Chief Joseph Brant –
25) Daniel Shays –