James Madison University – College of Education
Social Studies Lesson Plan Format
Name: ______Stephanie Suess__________
Date: _____7/20________
Subject/Class: _IB History of the Americas__ Grade Level: ___11____
Topic: __Ideas that Shaped the Declaration of Independence__________
NCSS Theme # 6: Power, Authority and Governance
Subthemes:

Knowledge: The need for respect for the rule of law, as well as a recognition of times
when civil disobedience has been justified; fundamental values of constitutional
democracy (e.g. the common good, liberty, justice, equality, and individual dignity).

Processes: Examine persistent issues involving the rights, responsibilities, roles, and
status of individuals and groups in relation to the general welfare; analyze and
evaluate conditions, actions, and motivation that contribute to conflict and
cooperation among groups and nations.
NCSS Theme # 10: Civic Ideals and Practices
Subthemes:

Knowledge: Concepts and ideals such as human dignity, social justice, social liberty,
equality, inalienable rights, responsibilities, civil dissent, citizenship, majority and
minority rights, the common good, and the rule of law; key practices involving the
rights and responsibilities of citizenship and the exercise of citizenship (e.g. respecting
the rule of law and due process, voting, serving on jury, researching issues, making
informed judgments, expressing views on issues, and collaborating with others to take
civic action.)

Processes: Research primary and secondary sources to make decisions and propose
solutions to selected civic issues in the past and present; identify, seek, describe, and
evaluate multiple points of view about selected issues, noting the strength and
weaknesses, and consequences associated with holding each position.
Essential Questions/Big Ideas:
 How did colonists view their rights as royal subjects under the Crown?
 How did the ideas of John Locke influence Thomas Jefferson and the signing of the
Declaration of Independence?
 What is the Origin, Purpose, Value, and Limitations of the Declaration of Independence?
 How John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson are conceptually related to the
Declaration of Independence.
SOLs/Standards addressed:
STANDARD VUS.4a
The student will demonstrate knowledge of events and issues of the Revolutionary Period by
a) analyzing how the political ideas of John Locke and those expressed in Common Sense helped shape the
Declaration of Independence;
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
IB Standard
Section 1:

United States Declaration of Independence; processes leading to the declaration; influence
of ideas; nature of the declaration; military campaigns and their impact on the outcome
(suitable examples could be Saratoga and Yorktown)
Learning Outcomes/Objectives:
Students Will Be Able To:
1. V: Evaluate their viewpoints on various questions about human nature and government.
2. U: Explain the fundamental views colonists had about their rights in colonial political
structures.
3. D: Interpret the ideas of John Locke as they relate to limited government, unalienable rights,
equal rights, and authority from the consent of the governed.
4. D: Apply their interpretations Locke’s ideas to a photograph from the 1989 revolt in
Tiananmen Square.
5. D: Interpret quotes from Locke in order to create new understandings of his theories.
6. D: Appraise the Origin, Purpose, Values, and Limitations of the Declaration of Independence.
7. D: Create a Class Concept Chart that demonstrates the contributions of John Locke and
Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson to the Declaration of Independence.
Assessment alignment chart: How will you know they know the objectives listed above?
Objective
V1: SWBAT Evaluate their
viewpoints on various questions
about human nature and
government.
Assessment (formative and
summative)
Formative: The students will think
critically about the questions regarding
human nature and government, which
will be reflected in quality responses
during the discussion.
U2: SWBAT Explain the
fundamental views colonists had
about their rights in colonial
political structures.
Summative: Students will use these
conclusions to support essay responses
regarding content on the unit test.
Formative: The students will contribute
accurate and grounded responses during
the discussion of Chapter 5 of the We
The People textbook.
D3: SWBAT Interpret the ideas
of John Locke as they relate to
limited government, unalienable
rights, equal rights, and
Summative: Students will use these
conclusions to support essay responses
regarding content on the unit test.
Formative: The students will contribute
accurate and grounded responses during
the discussion of John Locke’s ideas and
contributions to the American political
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
authority from the consent of the foundation.
governed.
Summative: Students will use these
conclusions to support essay responses
regarding content on the unit test.
D4: SWBAT Apply their
Formative: The students will contribute
interpretations Locke’s ideas to
accurate and grounded responses during
a photograph from the 1989
the discussion of the photograph of the
revolt in Tiananmen Square.
1989 revolt in Tiananmen Square.
D5: SWBAT Interpret quotes
from Locke in order to create
new understandings of his
theories.
Summative: Students will use these
conclusions to support essay responses
regarding content on the unit test.
Formative: The students develop logical
alternative interpretations of quotes by
John Locke.
Summative: Students will use these
conclusions to support essay responses
regarding content on the unit test.
D6: SWBAT Appraise the
Formative: The students will accurately
Origin, Purpose, Values, and
assess OPVL for the Declaration of
Limitations of the Declaration of Independence.
Independence.
Summative: Students will use this
practice to complete the OPVL portion
of the unit test.
D7: SWBAT Create a Class
Formative: The students will accurately
Concept Chart that demonstrates complete the Class Concept Chart on the
the contributions of John Locke Declaration of Independence
and Thomas Paine, and Thomas
Jefferson to the Declaration of
Summative: Students will complete
Independence.
questions that contain similar concept
charts on benchmark assessments
accurately for SOL style preparation.
Background Content Outline: (Taken Directly From the Curriculum Framework)
New political ideas about the relationship between people and their government helped to justify the Declaration of
Independence. The revolutionary generation formulated the political philosophy and laid the institutional foundations for
the system of government under which we live. The American Revolution was inspired by ideas concerning natural rights
and political authority, and its successful completion affected people and governments throughout the world for many
generations.
The ideas of John Locke
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
The period known as the “Enlighten-ment” in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries saw the development of new ideas
about the rights of people and their relationship to their rulers. John Locke was an Enlightenment philosopher whose ideas,
more than any other’s, influenced the American belief in self-government. Locke wrote that:
• All people are free, equal, and have “natural rights” of life, liberty, and property that rulers cannot take away.
• All original power resides in the people, and they consent to enter into a “social contract” among themselves to form a
government to protect their rights. In return, the people promise to obey the laws and rules established by their government,
establishing a system of “ordered liberty.”
 Government’s powers are limited to those the people have consented to give to it. Whenever government becomes a threat
to the people’s natural rights, it breaks the social contract and the people have the right to alter or overthrow it.
• Locke’s ideas about the sovereignty and rights of the people were radical and challenged the centuries-old practice
throughout the world of dictatorial rule by kings, emperors, and tribal chieftains.
Thomas Paine and Common Sense
Thomas Paine was an English immigrant to America who produced a pamphlet known as Common Sense that challenged
the rule of the American colonies by the King of England. Common Sense was read and acclaimed by many American
colonists during the mid 1700s and contributed to a growing sentiment for independence from England.
The Declaration of Independence
The eventual draft of the Declaration of Independence, authored by Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, reflected the ideas of
Locke and Paine:
• “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
• “That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed….”
• “That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish
it, and to institute new government….”
• Jefferson then went on to detail many of the grievances against the king that Paine had earlier described in Common
Sense.
DEAN CHART
Concept word
Natural Rights
D=define
any right that
exists by virtue of
natural law
E=examples
Right to life,
liberty, and
property (Locke)
pursuit of
happiness
(Jefferson)
Consent
to permit,
approve, or
agree; comply or
yield
The
Enlightenment
An intellectual
movement of the
seventeenth and
eighteenth
Agree to share
power, agree to
share a resource,
giving someone
joint ownership
Meetings in
salons of Paris to
discuss human
progress,
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
A=attributes
Rights believed
facilitate the
human
experience,
fundamental
belief that all
people have, not
given to women
and minorities
until later on.
To give, to turn
over freely, to
agree
N=non-examples
Speech, Freedom
of Religion, and
other extended
versions of
natural rights
Locke,
Montesquieu,
Voltaire,
Rousseau, ideas
Absolute power,
divine right,
despotism
Total power,
absolute control,
uncompromising
centuries marked
by a celebration
of the powers of
human reason, a
keen interest in
science, the
promotion of
religious
toleration, and a
desire to
construct
governments free
of tyranny.
writings of
Enlightenment
philosophers
being read in
other countries
and areas of the
world
incorporated in
the Declaration
of Independence,
The Constitution,
The Bill of
Rights
Instructional Plan:
Discussion
10 minutes
We The People
Textbook:
Colonial Politics
20 minutes
What the Teacher Will Do
The teacher will begin class by asking the
students the following questions:
 What is human nature? That is, what
traits of personality and character, if any
do all people have in common? Are
people selfish? Do they have the capacity
to care for the good of others?
 What should be the purpose of
government?
 Where should people in positions of
power get their authority to govern?
 How should a government (power) be
organized?
 What kinds of governments should be
respected and supported?
 What kinds of governments should be
resisted and fought?
The teacher will assign students to read the
Chapter: What Basic Ideas About Rights and
Constitutional Government Did Colonial
Americans Hold? The teacher will instruct the
student to take notes as they read. They will also
be given the discussion questions to reflect on
while they are reading. Once most students have
finished, the teacher will review the questions:
 What do you think is the best way to
explain the American colonists’ view of
government?
 In what ways were 18th century
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
What the Students Will Do
Students will respond to the
discussion questions
thoughtfully.
The students will take notes
on Chapter 5 and develop
responses to the two
discussion questions.
YLI John Locke
Lesson (modified)
30 minutes
American and British societies similar
and different in terms of the rights of
individual liberty, equality of
opportunity, suffrage, and property?
The teacher will distribute copies of the
biography provided on John Locke and ask
students to read it and answer the questions
included:
 What are three of John Locke’s beliefs about
government?
 What U.S. document(s) are based on the ideas
of Locke?
 How can Locke’s influence be seen in this
document?
The teacher will then put up the photograph from
the 1989 revolt in Tiananmen Square and ask the
following questions:
 What is happening in this photograph?
 Which principles of democracy are possibly
being violated?
i. (equality, natural rights, liberty,
unalienable rights)
 How does this photograph relate to limited
government?
OPVL Instruction:
Decl. of Ind and
Two Treatises on
Government
20 minutes
Concept Chart:
The teacher will then have student go back to the
study guide page with excerpts of Locke’s ideas
and direct students to complete these
individually or in groups. Discuss their
interpretations of Locke’s writings.
The teacher will have the students turn back to
the We The People Textbook and have them
review pages 46-48 about the Declaration of
Independence. She will then instruct the class to
turn to the Appendix where there is a full version
of the Declaration of Independence. The teacher
will then explain how to analyze documents
using the components of Origin, Purpose,
Values, and Limitations (OPVL). She will
instruct the student to take notes on these three
components and then look for examples in the
Declaration. If advanced students finish, they
can practice OPVL on Locke’s Second Treatise
on Government included in the Locke Packet.
The teacher will create a large concept chart on
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
The students will read the
biography and answer the
three questions as they are
reading. I usually instruct
students that they can
highlight or underline the text
and then write the question
number in the margin.
The students will analyze the
photograph and discuss the
correlation to Locke’s ideas
about unlimited and limited
government.
The student will work in pairs
and re-interpret the quotes by
Locke to find new
understanding of his ideas.
Students will review page 4648 with the teacher, they will
then take notes on OPVL.
Next, 4 students will read the
4 parts of the Declaration of
Independence. They will then
suggest elements from the
document that meet the
requirements of Origin,
Purpose, Values and
Limitations. The student will
write down the examples that
the class comes up with on
their notes page from earlier.
The students will copy the
Ideas Contributing
to the Declaration
of Independence
10 minutes
the board for students to copy on their notes
page. The teacher will place John Locke,
Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson in a
triangle formation. She will then ask the class
for two pieces of important information for each
individual (reviewing content about Thomas
Paine’s contributions from a prior lesson) Then,
she will ask the students what goes in the middle
of the triangle.
Wrap Up:
As a light and humorous way to end the class,
Video: Too Late to the teacher will play the video ‘Too Late to
Apologize
Apologize: A Declaration’
5 minutes
http://youtu.be/uZfRaWAtBVg
concept chart, contribute
appropriate responses, and
correctly name that the central
concept is the Declaration of
Independence.
The students will view the
video and reflect on the
significance of the colonists
actions and relationship with
King George.
Materials Needed for the Lesson:
 We The People Textbook (Our school has a set) Chapter 5 and Declaration of Independence
 Packet containing the Biography on John Locke, Study Guide with quotations, and selected
excerpts from his Second Treatise on Government.
 Overhead with copy of photograph from Tiananmen Square.
 Highlighters for students.
 Projector
Bibliography/Resources Used (using APA):
 Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Education. (2008). Curriculum framework virginia
and united states history Richmond, VA: Retrieved from
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/frameworks/history_socialscience_framewks/2008/200
8_strikethrough/framewks_va-us_history.pdf
 Leeson, SM., Branson, MS., Casper, SE., & Quigley, CN. (2009). We the people: the citizen &
the constitution. Calabasas, CA: Center for Civic Education.
 Youth Leadership Initiative. (n.d.). Lesson plan: the key to john locke. Retrieved from
http://www.youthleadership.net/central/lesson_plans/421?_yli_session=c9e7462b5268e064b4b
472460f12b876
 Soomopublishing. (Producer). (2010). Too late to apologize: a declaration. [Web]. Retrieved
from http://youtu.be/uZfRaWAtBVg
 LLC, . (n.d.). Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/?o=100074
Adaption/Differentiation:
ELL/struggling
 Contact YLI and ask how I can access the Spanish version of the John
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
readers
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ADHD
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Gifted
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Locke lesson plan.
Give struggling readers outlines of Chapter 5 and more detailed notes
on OPVL. Perhaps a Guided Reading page in place or in addition to.
Also, give them a pre-made concept chart if necessary.
All concepts will be covered orally with reinforcement.
If there is an inclusion teacher in the room, I will ask her to help
monitor all students’ progress on the components of the lesson.
I will also send their completed work to Support for individual study
and study with their case manager.
This lesson is chunked into many different segments, portions spent on
analysis are not lengthy and in most cases done with a class or in pairs.
The teacher will check on these student individually for clarification of
instructions and redirection when needed.
Individual students may be instructed to check with a specific neighbor
for clarification or verifying responses.
One of these students could also be asked to draw the concept chart on
the board with the teacher’s direction.
Advanced students will be directed to read excerpts included from John
Locke’s Second Treatise on Government and complete OPVL.
Gifted students will also have opportunities to answer the discussion
questions using higher-level thinking skills.
Gifted students will have the opportunity to analyze different eras of
history and how they are related.
These students will also be asked to look for deeper Values and
Limitations of the Decl. of Independence, as well as other Purposes of
its composition.
Explanation of Instructional Strategies Used:
I really struggled with this lesson and was trying to find the best way to tackle this SOL. I
decided to go to the We the People Textbook and see if there were portions that I could use.
Fortunately, I was able to pick through the first few chapters and find some really great concepts.
After speaking with my department head, I was informed that we have a set of these books at our
school. Unfortunately, I was still not satisfied with my resources for John Locke so I decided to look
at the YLI website after finding a listing of a Locke lesson on the ‘List of Lesson Plans’ page in our
YLI folders. After creating a free account, I found the lesson and decided to use it. By saving the
lesson into Word format and resaving it as a modified version, I was able to cut it down to what I
needed for class. Finally, OPVL is a skill that is assessed with the IB test during the second year so I
have to teach it to students early in the year and we apply throughout on unit tests with various primary
sources. It is always hard to find a good document to use as practice which will help the students
understand what each component is, and isn’t. After some review I realized the Declaration of
Independence is a perfect document to use. The Concept Chart idea came from the recognition of the
need to use these types of graphic organizers to illustrate relationships between topics. These formats
will be found on the new SOL tests so I have to start incorporating them on a large scale. (See sample
that I will use on the following page). Finally, the last element is the YouTube video. I remember
Brian Heintz showing us an SNL skit on the Gadsden Purchase and recommending that we incorporate
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
modified by Dr. Cude & Dr. Stern 8/10
humorous media into our methods wherever possible to keep the student’s interest and attention.
Unfortunately, search results for “SNL History Skits” turned up nothing, but somehow I did find the
Too Late To Apologize Video when searching under ‘Declaration of Independence’. I hope that
students will have the song stuck in their heads for the rest of the day and think about the ‘personal
relationship’ with Great Britain that it is playing off of.
Sample Concept Chart:
Thomas Paine:
John Locke:
How they are related
Thomas Jefferson:
Dept. of Middle, Secondary, and Math Education
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