March 5th, 2015

8th Grade Honors U.S. History 1 4A

Strengths of the Class:

This class is very respectful and good at staying on task. They also like to help each other
and work with their peers.
Unique needs of the Class:
There are clicks and groups of friends in class, which can make it hard to have people
work with new people, unless you use a form of division that is random and unbiased.
Subject: U.S. Government
Curriculum Standards:
USI.6.3: Examine the basic structure of the Constitution.
c. Explore the role and functions of the three branches of government.
USI.6.4: Analyze the rights, liberties and responsibilities of citizens.
A. Identify the responsibilities of citizenship to secure liberties.
Homework from the previous day: A Bill of Rights: Cause and Effect Sentences
Content Objectives for the Lesson:
1. Students will be able to infer how the executive branch of government is elected
through the election of a class president.
2. Students will be able to explain the reason for the Constitution through an analysis of
the Preamble.
Learning objectives for Students:
1. I will be able to help in choosing a class president and vice president.
2. I will be able to memorize and analyze the Preamble of the Constitution.
Language Objectives for Students:
1. I will be able to define the Executive Branch of government and classify its
responsibilities.
Starter:
Open your textbook to page 220. Read about the Executive Branch and list:
1. The members of the branch
2. 3 of their responsibilities
Classroom Procedures:
1. At the bell students will come in and write their objective in the planner and then get
started on the starter.
2. Students will then turn in their starters and put their books away.
3. Students will be asked to get out their homework from last time. They will have a chance
to ask any questions about the homework and given five minutes to complete it.

4. Now students will get a chance to nominate up to ten students for the position of class
president.
5. Each student will get a ballot paper for which to write down their choice for class
president. The goal is that the person chosen must gain a majority of the votes. This class
has 32 students so in order to win a candidate must have at least 16 votes. If no one has a
majority the first round then those with less than 3 votes will be eliminated and we will
vote a second round. This will continue until one candidate has a clear majority. The next
closest candidate will be vice president.
6. Now students will get a chance to see how the first election worked in the United States
through the eyes of John Adams. They will take Cornell Notes on the Election and
answer the question How is the first election similar to the election of our class
president? How is it different?
7. After the video student will write in the summary of their Cornell notes what they learned
about the election process today.
Class Work:
1. Objective/ Starter
2. Homework Review
3. Class President Election
4. First Election Video
Plan for Assessment:
Student will be taking Cornell notes and writing a summary to show what they got out of
the lesson today in terms of how the Electoral College works in the United States. This will
allow me to see how well they are grasping what the Executive branch of government does.
Plans for Enrichment:
Students who finish voting early will have a chance to work on the constitution mini
books and to also work on memorizing and passing of the preamble of the Constitution. Once
this is completed they can begin to write their own preamble or explanation of the new
government for the people of the United States.
Plans for Remediation:
Students who need help voting will be given more time and if they are struggling with
the homework will have time during class to get help from their peers and the teacher, while the
votes are being counted.
Plans for English Language Learners:
English Language Learners will be given a chance to look up words that are difficult and
to ask questions as needed. Also explanations of the dialogue in the video will be given. We are
also working on getting closed captions working for all videos. Also their summary does not
have to be minimum 4-6 sentences but can be 2-3 sentences.
Reflection: This lesson went really well but I think I could have done more to relate the class
election to the early elections for United States President. For example, many of the first
presidents including Washington did not actively campagin for the position and only accepted it

out of obligation. I think it would have also helped to have more social context for the examples
I did give.