General Information

By using an opening inquiry type brainstorming session regarding how families make decisions I hope to assist the students to make an in depth examination of the decision making - powers of the Constitution.

Standards Tapestry Files

I am working from the “big idea” that transfer of learning is more likely to occur if the student can associate the new information with something from their personal experiences.  Students come to my classroom with a variety of interests.  One thing I can be sure of…. they are VERY interested in their own life experiences.  Thus, my toolkit will attempt to allow the students to compare their family “government” to the Constitutional government of the United States.

• Standards Tapestry
  

Assessment Rationale

The aspects of the decision- making powers of the Constitution will be assessed through the use of a vocabulary worksheet as well as a government worksheet.  The student presentation will consist of the student constructing an “ideal” family unit regarding decision making and utilizing either a poster presentation; a power point presentation or a graphic using “inspiration.”

Standards	Vocabulary	Government Worksheet	Classroom Discussion	Student Presentation
SS  8.1.30 SS  8.2.2 SS  8.2.3 SS  8.2.4	X	X X X X	X X X X	X X X X

Humanities-rich Resources

Type (book link, etc.)	Name	URL (if any)	Annotation (can include description and notes on how to use.
Link	National Archives	www.archives.gov
Link	Our Documents	www.ourdocuments.gov	Most important one-hundred documents in history
Link	Library of Congress	www.memory.loc.gov	Primary documents with activity suggestions for teachers
Textbook	Call to Freedom-Beginnings to 1877		Chapter 8 Section 3 has the background information for the students.
Vocabulary Worksheet	Holt Textbook		Simple exercise stressing the “terms of the Constitution”
Government Worksheet			Comparison exercise comparing decision making in a family to the powers of the Constitution

Instructional Plan

Day One:  Your father (or mother) has been offered a job in another city.  How would your family go about making a decision concerning what to do?  From this I would think a lively discussion would ensue and the students would quickly realize the different ways families arrive at decisions.

Day Two:  Using their textbook as a source, the students fill out a worksheet to begin using the specialized vocabulary of the Constitution.

Day Three:  Using the “government worksheet”, the students discover how an idea (bill) becomes a decision (law).

Days Four and Five:  The students are to devise a project illustrating their idea of the “perfect” family decision making process.

Days Six and Seven:  Using either a power point presentation, poster board presentation or inspiration presentation the students share their ideas.

Instructional Day	Description
Day 1	Brainstorming activity on “family decision making.”
Day 2	Vocabulary assignment on the Constitution.
Day 3	Complete the 2 Web activities on Marco Polo:  Marco Polo Intro and Marco Polo 2
Day 4	Use “government worksheet” to look at how decisions are made by the Constitution.
Day 5	Students work on presentations.
Day 6	Students work on presentations.
Day 7	Students work on projects.
Day 8	Students work on projects.
Day 9
Day 10	(to add a new row, click in the last cell and press the “TAB” key)

Instructional Plan Files

Government Worksheet


Teacher Inquiry Kiosk

• Constitution Bibliography