Lesson Plan for Implementing

NETS•S—Template I
(More Directed Learning Activities)
Grade Level(s) 9th grade

Content Area Social Studies | American Government

Time line Six 90-minute class periods

Standards (What do you want students to know and be able to do? What knowledge, skills, and strategies do you
expect students to gain? Are there connections to other curriculum areas and subject area benchmarks?)

Georgia Standards of Excellence:

Content Standards
SSCG6 Analyze the meaning and importance of each of the rights guaranteed under the
Bill of Rights and how each is secured.
1. Creativity and innovation Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct
knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.
a. Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. Create original works as a means of personal or group expression
NETS*S Standards: c. Use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues

6. Technology operations and concepts Students demonstrate a sound understanding of

technology concepts, systems, and operations.
a. Understand and use technology systems
b. Select and use applications effectively and productively
Students should be able to:
1. Analyze the meaning of each right guaranteed under the Bill of Rights
2. Explain the importance of each of the rights guaranteed under the Bill of Rights
3. Understand why the Bill of Rights were added to the Constitution.
Objectives
4. Use powtoons.com, toondoo.com, animoto.com or pixton.com to create a cartoon
or comic strip that explains one of the Bill of Rights.
5. Use iCivics.org’s Do I Have a Right? The Bill of Rights Edition to review the Bill of
Rights.

Overview (a short summary of the lesson or unit including assignment or expected or possible products)

During this lesson, students will learn the historical context and meaning of each of the rights guaranteed through
the Bill of Rights. The purpose of this lesson is for the students to apply the importance of the Bill of Rights
through the creation of a cartoon or comic strip. Students will participate in a class discussion about their
knowledge of the Bill of Rights as a pre-assessment of their background knowledge. Next, they will watch a video
that explains each of the rights guaranteed through the Bill of Rights while completing a listening guide. Students
will view this video through EdPuzzle.com. Students will reinforce their knowledge of the rights guaranteed
through the Bill of Rights through a mini lecture. The mini-lecture will discuss the historical importance of the
inclusion of the Bill of Rights. During the lecture, students will learn hand gestures to remember the amendments.
Next, students will play a memory game, matching the explanation of each amendment to its correct number.
They will then read through scenarios to determine which amendment is violated within the scenario. Students will
play iCivics.org’s Do I Have a Right? The Bill of Rights Edition as a last review before the performance task.
Students will then create a cartoon or comic strip explaining one of the Bill of Rights. To wrap up the lesson, the
students will take an assessment about the Bill of Rights. During the lesson, students will have one homework
assignment, an article called “Can Your Phone Testify Against You?” Students will read the article and answer
response questions.

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Essential Questions (What essential question or learning are you addressing? What would students care or
want to know about the topic? What are some questions to get students thinking about the topic or generate
interest about the topic? What questions can you ask students to help them focus on important aspects of the
topic? What background or prior knowledge will you expect students to bring to this topic and build on?)

Background knowledge: Students should have learned about the ratification of the Constitution and the debate
that took place between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the ratification of the Constitution. Answering
the first essential question will indicate that students have learned this information.
1. Why were the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution?
2. What is the Bill of Rights?
3. What are the rights guaranteed through the Bill of Rights?

Assessment (What will students do or produce to illustrate their learning? What can students do to generate new
knowledge? How will you assess how students are progressing (formative assessment)? How will you assess
what they produce or do? How will you differentiate products?)

As a culminating activity, students will produce a comic strip or cartoon explaining one of the Bill of Rights.
Students will generate new ideas by creating an original storyline that explains one of the rights guaranteed
through the Bill of Rights. They will evaluate and choose which platform they would like to use to produce the
product. A rubric will be used to evaluate their products.

Formal and informal formative assessments will take place throughout the lesson. Teacher questioning and
observations, the scenarios workshop, the memory matching game, and the quiz will serve as formative
assessments.

Resources (How does technology support student learning? What digital tools, and resources—online student
tools, research sites, student handouts, tools, tutorials, templates, assessment rubrics, etc—help elucidate or
explain the content or allow students to interact with the content? What previous technology skills should students
have to complete this project?)

Technology will support student learning through watching a self-paced video via EdPuzzle.com, playing a
simulation game via iCivics.org, and creating a comic strip or cartoon via powtoons.com, toondoo.com,
animoto.com or pixton.com.

Digital Tools: EdPuzzle.com, toondoo.com, animoto.com, pixton.com, powtoons.com, iCivics.org, YouTube

Resources: Rubric, Bill of Rights Scenarios, iCivics.org Memory matching game, possibly, YouTube

Previous Skills Needed: Students should know the basics of how to operate a computer and how to login to
EdPuzzle.com. An account is needed to access the content on EdPuzzle.com.

Instructional Plan
Preparation (What student needs, interests, and prior learning provide a foundation for this lesson? How
can you find out if students have this foundation? What difficulties might students have?)

Prior to this lesson, students need to know why the Bill of Rights were added to the Constitution. This can be
discovered through a class discussion led by teacher questioning about the Ratification of the Constitution
debate. Initially, students may have difficulties with operating the cartoon or comic strip website, but after
spending some time on the website, it should get easier.

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 Management (How and where will your students work? Classroom, lab, groups, etc?

The primary location of this lesson is the classroom. During the days that technology will be integrated, students
will use their Microsoft Surface tablets. There will be three laptops available for students who do not have devices.
If the number of students who do not have tablets outnumber the number of laptops, the students without devices
will be able work in the library.

Instruction and Activities (What instructional strategies will you use with this lesson? How will your
learning environment support these activities? What is your role? What are the students' roles in the
lesson? How can the technology support your teaching? What engaged and worthwhile learning activities
and tasks will your students complete? How will they build knowledge and skills? Will students be
expected to collaborate with each other and others? How will you facilitate the collaboration?)

Materials and learning activities will be available as a hard copy and electronically via Schoology.

Teacher role: The teacher role will be a facilitator. The teacher should only be there to reinforce information and
to answer clarifying questions. From the beginning of the lesson, students will be responsible for being proactive
and creators of the product.

The lesson will address students with IEPs and diverse learning styles by providing a diverse array of
opportunities to master the standards. Auditory, Oral, kinesthetic opportunities will be provided.
Day 1 Class discussion: Students will participate in a class discussion about the Materials:
ratification debate of the Constitution. The teacher should ask questions, such
as The Bill of Rights:
1. What were the two arguments surrounding the ratification of the Pretty Important
Constitution? and Very Epic
2. Why did the anti-federalists insist on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights?
3. What experiences, relating to government and individual liberties,
shaped the viewpoints of the anti-federalists?
billofrightsCHART.do
These questions are necessary to ensure that student have the background cx
knowledge to understand the relevance of the Bill of Rights. This is also the
time to clarify any misconceptions relating to the questions above. As the Bill of Rights
discussion continues, the teacher should ask students about they know about Gestures
the Bill of Rights.

Where are we going?

During this segment of class, the teacher should inform the students that for the BillRights.ppt
next lesson they will be learning about the first 10 amendments, the Bill of
Rights. The teacher should also explain that the culminating activity is for them
to complete a comic strip or cartoon about one of the Bill of Rights.

EdPuzzle:
Students will be instructed to log into the EdPuzzle platform to watch “The Bill of
Rights: Pretty Important and Very Epic” while completing a listening guide. This
video can also be found on YouTube. The listening guide requires the students
to record the meaning of each of the amendments and its importance. Edpuzzle
is a platform that allows the students to watch the video at their own pace. This
platform also allows the teacher to infuse questions within the video to check for
understanding throughout the video. For this lesson, the students will complete
the listening guide, instead of answering questions within the video because
this guide will serve as a reference throughout the lesson.

Kinesthetic Learning:
As a summary activity, the teacher will discuss each of the amendments
through a PowerPoint. While discussing each amendment, the teacher will
teach the students gestures to remember the Bill of Rights. The main purpose

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 of this portion of the lesson is to clear up any misunderstandings and to fill in
any gaps unfilled during the video. Students should be doing most of the
explaining, using the knowledge gained from the video.
Day 2 Opener:
In groups of 3-4, students will play iCivics.org’s Bill of Rights Matching Activity.
This is a memory game that will review the Bill of Rights for the students. Matching Game.pdf

Reinforcement:
Students will apply the knowledge of the Bill of Rights by reading scenarios to
identify the right that is violated within the scenario. The class and the teacher Bill of rights
will review the correct answers with the class and clarify any misconceptions scenarios.docx
that led to incorrect answers.
Do I Have a Right?
Bill of Rights
Simulation:
Edition
Students will play Do I Have a Right? Bill of Rights Edition to solidify their
knowledge of the Bill of Rights.

Homework:
Can Your Phone
To understand the relevance of the Bill of Rights, students will read “Can Your
Testify Against You.pd
Phone Testify Against You?” Students will read the article and answer response
questions.

Can Your Phone

Testify Against You - Q

Day 3 Opener:
The class will discuss the homework article and review the questions. The class
will also review the gestures associated with the amendments within the Bill of Comic Strip.docx
Rights.

Culminating Activity:
The teacher will introduce the culminating activity to the students. Students will
create a comprehensive cartoon or comic strip about one of the Bill of Rights.
Students will have a variety of digital platforms to choose to create their
product. The teacher will explain in detail the expectations and instructions, as
outlined on the rubric.

Work Period:
Students will have the opportunity to explore the different tools to choose which
tool they feel the most comfortable completing the assignment. Once students
have selected the website they would like to use, they should begin creating the
storyline for their cartoon or comic strip. As students are working, the teacher
should circulate around the room to ensure that students are on task and to
answer any questions that the students may have.
Day 4 - 5 Opener:
The teacher will review the rubric and expectations.

Work Period:
Students should continue working on their product. As students are working, the
teacher should circulate around the room to ensure that students are on task
and to answer any questions that the students may have.

*At the end of Day 5, students should submit their cartoon or comic strip via
Schoology.com, the class’ Learning Management System.
Day 6 Opener:
The teacher will review the Bill of Rights.
Bill of rights quiz.pdf
Assessment and Reflection:
The students will take an assessment about their knowledge of the Bill of
Rights. After the assessment, students will be asked to grade themselves

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 based on the rubric.

Differentiation (How will you differentiate content and process to accommodate various learning styles
and abilities? How will you help students learn independently and with others? How will you provide
extensions and opportunities for enrichment? What assistive technologies will you need to provide?)

Students will experience the content through multiple learning styles. They will learn the content through a visual,
auditory, and kinesthetic opportunity. Students will be able to learn visually through the EdPuzzle video and the
PowerPoint. They will learn audibly through the class discussions, and they will learn kinesthetically through the
hand gestures and the creation of their comic strip/cartoon.

Students will learn independently by completing the EdPuzzle video, the scenarios activity, and cartoon or comic
strip alone. They will also play the game alone. They will learn collaboratively through class discussions and
through the Matching Game.

As an enrichment assignment, students will be able to incorporate more than one amendment within their cartoon
or comic strip.

Assistive technologies, such as, closed captioning will be provided to assist students, if necessary.

Closure and Reflection (Will there be a closing event? Will students be asked to reflect upon their work?
Will students be asked to provide feedback on the assignment itself? What will be your process for
answering the following questions?
• Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
• In what ways was this lesson effective?
• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?
• How would you teach this lesson differently?)

As a closure and reflection, students will be asked to grade themselves using the rubric. They will also be able to
respond to the following questions through a Padlet page. The Padlet page will only be for the teacher to see and
the students will be able to respond anonymously. Data from the cartoon/comic strip and quiz will also give insight
about the effectiveness of the lesson.
• Did students find the lesson meaningful and worth completing?
• In what ways was this lesson effective?
• What went well and why?
• What did not go well and why?

From my observation, the lesson was effective. The students did an outstanding job on their projects. The data
from the quiz also proved that the lesson was effective. Next time, I would allow some students to create their
comic strip via paper. Some students were not comfortable with using the platforms to create their cartoons or
comic strip. Because of this, I would also allow more time to address the varying technological abilities.

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