Unit: Unit 1 Foundations of American Government (3.5-4 weeks)
Grade Level/Government 12th Grade
Teacher: McDonald
Learning Goals (Question 1)
Describe the Constitutional Convention and the purpose of the Constitution as described in the
preamble.
Discuss the viewpoints of the framers of the Constitution
Complex
Understand the construction of the Federal government as designed by the articles of the Constitution
Describe the purpose of the Constitutional Amendments.
Explain how amendments are proposed and made.
Simple
Know:







Vocabulary:
the meaning of the Constitution’s three main parts.
five major framers that attended the Constitutional Convention
the purpose of having a Constitution
a Citizen’s fundamental Constitutional rights
the elements of the Articles of the Constitution
the amendments and group them according to their similarities.
The process of amending the Constitution.

Preamble

Articles of the Constitution

Amendments
Planning for Question
3
Planning for Question 2
Preview
Critical Input Chunk
Actively Process
Unit Essential Question:
What should be the goals
of government?
Read:
Chapter 1: Principals of
Government
Ch 2 Origins of American
Government
Ch 3 The Constitution
Ch 4 Federalism
Primary source Document
Create a web or flow chart of
the Basic Concepts of
Government.
Classify the governments
of several different
countries according to
three sets of
characteristics:
Describe: the four defining
characteristics of a state.

Who can participate in
the governing process

The geographic
distribution of
governmental power
within the state

The relationship
Chapter 1 Essential Question
Is Government necessary?
Chapt 2 Essential Question:
How does the
Constitution reflect the
times in which it was
written?
Chapt 3 Essential Question:
Magna Carta
English Bill of Rights
Virginia Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights
Elaborate:
1. What is government
and what is its purpose?
2. What are some forms
of government in the
world today?
3. What are the basic
Planning for Question 4
Chapt 4 :
Imagine you are one of
the framers of the
Constitution. You are
trying to pick a system of
government, which will
work best for the United
States; which system of
government would you
choose and why?
Unit: Unit 1 Foundations of American Government (3.5-4 weeks)
Grade Level/Government 12th Grade
Teacher: McDonald
How has the Constitution
lasted through changing
times?
Conversation Wall using
giant sticky note to field
KWL topics about the
Constitution and news
articles & current events
concerning the
constitution.
The Constitution
Listen to/take notes over
Lectures on: Chs 1-4
concepts of democracy?
Create timeline of the events
leading to the Declaration
of Independence.
Elaborate:
1.
What ideas and
traditions influenced
government in the
English colonies?
Brainstorming KWL about
the constitution.
2.
Advance Graphic Organizer
Chunking Constitution
Parts into categories.
What events and
ideas led to American
independence?
3.
What compromises
enabled the Framers
to create the
Constitution?
4.
What issues aroused
the vigorous debate
over ratification of
the Constitution?
Create web of the six main
principles upon which the
Constitution is based and
identify where in the
document the basic
principles are reflected.
Elaborate:
How has the
Constitution been
amended through
the formal
between the
legislative and the
executive branches of
the government.
Compare:
the First and Second
Continental
Congresses.
Analyze: the role of party
practices and custom in
interpreting the
Constitution.
Procedural Practice:
You want to amend the
constitution. Explain
the process you would
have to follow in order
to accomplish this task.
Unit: Unit 1 Foundations of American Government (3.5-4 weeks)
Grade Level/Government 12th Grade
Teacher: McDonald
amendment process?
How have the day-today workings of
government affected
how we interpret the
Constitution?
Resources: Magruder’s American Government Textbook Chapters 1-4, Primary Source Documents (US Constitution, Declaration of Independence, Articles of
Confederation, Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan) Supportive materials as provided by textbook manufacturer.