Grade 8
Social Studies
Unit: 01
Lesson: 03
Suggested Duration: 3 Days
Representative Government
Lesson Synopsis:
This lesson helps students answer several important questions about government in the colonies. Students begin to
comprehend colonial issues that were contributing factors in establishing representative government. People who
influenced the growth of representative government in the colonies are also included in this lesson.
TEKS:
8.1
8.1B
8.3
8.3A
8.3B
8.3C
8.20
8.20A
History. The student understands traditional historical points of reference in U.S. history through 1877. The
student is expected to:
Apply absolute and relative chronology through the sequencing of significant individuals, events, and time
periods. Supporting Standard
History. The student understands the foundations of representative government in the United States. The student
is expected to:
Explain the reasons for the growth of representative government and institutions during the colonial period.
Readiness Standard
Analyze the importance of the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia
House of Burgesses to the growth of representative government. Supporting Standard
Describe how religion and virtue contributed to the growth of representative government in the American
colonies. Supporting Standard
Citizenship. The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the democratic
process. The student is expected to:
Explain the role of significant individuals such as Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John Locke, William
Blackstone, and William Penn in the development of self-government in colonial America.
Social Study Skills TEKS:
8.29
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired through
established research methodologies from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is
expected to:
8.29A
Differentiate between, locate, and use valid primary and secondary sources such as computer software, databases,
media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to acquire information about the United States.
Eligible for dual-coding with STAAR
Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing,
contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences
and conclusions.
8.29B
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION
Performance Indicator:
•
To explain the reasons for development of representative government in the United States, create annotated
timeline that illustrates the influence of the Mayflower Compact, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and Virginia
House of Burgesses on the growth of representative government. Include examples from the documents related
to key influences. (8.3A, 8.3B; 8.29A, 8.29B)
1C, 4K
Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:
•
Representative governments often develop to meet the political, economic, and social needs of people who hold
similar beliefs.
— What were the reasons for the growth of representative government and institutions during the colonial
period?
— What is the importance of the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia
House of Burgesses to the growth of representative government?
— How did religion and virtue contribute to the growth of representative government in the American colonies?
— What were the roles of significant individuals in the development of self-government in colonial America?
©2012, TESCCC
01/09/13
page 1 of 6
Grade 8
Social Studies
Unit: 01 Lesson: 03
Vocabulary of Instruction:
•
•
self-governance
compact
•
•
representative government
virtue
Materials:
•
Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.
Attachments:
•
•
Handout: Frayer Model (optional, 1 per student)
Handout: 5 W Graphic Organizer (1 per student)
Resources and References:
•
None identified
Advance Preparation:
1. Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson, including information relevant to the student
expectations taught in this lesson.
2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.
3. Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.
4. Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.
5. Prepare materials and handouts as needed.
Background Information:
European Enlightenment gave rise to new methods of self-governance including a division of powers and a balance of
powers within a governmental system. Political thought and philosophical ideals including religion and virtue also
contributed to the development of self-governance. People such as Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John
Locke, William Blackstone, and William Penn played an important role in the development of self-governance, individual
rights, and a representative government. A paradigm shift occurred among the colonial Americans. A gradual movement
towards a representative government began to set the stage for revolution and eventual independence from England.
GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION SUPPLEMENTAL PLANNING DOCUMENT
Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners.
The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus
Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page.
All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
ENGAGE – Spectrum Activity
NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes
Suggested Day 1 – 10 minutes
TEKS: 8.3A
1. To introduce the concept of governance, begin by drawing a
horizontal spectrum on the board with the following categories
written opposite each other: on one side write one ruler
Instructional Note:
(monarch/king), and on the opposite side write (no ruler). Make • It is important to guide students to draw
sure to leave a wide section in the center.
conclusions about the two extremes on the
spectrum.
2. Tell students that they have a choice to live under one of these
• In a representative government, power is held
two systems of governance.
by the people and exercised through the
efforts of representatives elected by those
3. With a partner, students discuss the two options and create a list
people
of pros and cons for each of the two choices. (A T-chart is a
• Governance is the act or process of governing.
recommended graphic organizer)
4. ruler
Facilitate
One
a short discussion
No and
ruler scribe student responses on the
©2012, TESCCC
01/09/13
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Grade 8
Social Studies
Unit: 01 Lesson: 03
Instructional Procedures
Pro
Notes for Teacher
spectrum on the board.
Pro
Con alternative do you
• Con
If neither system works,
what
recommend? Discuss alternatives with your partner and
be prepared to share your responses. (Students use prior
knowledge and may respond with electing (voting) for
someone to represent them or choosing leaders that
represent them.)
• The colonists encountered the same sort of dilemma.
They had been living under the governance of one ruler,
the king, and now they find themselves thousands of
miles away from their ruler. Should they continue to
remain loyal to the one ruler or should they create a
different form of government? Why? What alternatives
could they have? Where on the spectrum would these
go?
5. Script student recommendations. Students usually suggest a
representative government. Provide students with a description
of the term representative government.
6. Use a transition statement such as:
• Let us explore how the colonists decided to deal with
the issue of governance.
EXPLORE – Representative Government
1. Distribute, or have students create their own Frayer Model
graphic organizers (See Handout: Frayer Model) for the term
representative government.
Suggested Day 1– 25 minutes
Materials:
• Mayflower Compact
• Fundamental Orders of Connecticut summary
• Virginia House of Burgesses description
2. Provide a description for each of the terms before students
begin to work on their Frayer Model.Students write the term in
Attachments:
the center of the organizer and the definition (in their own words)
• Handout: Frayer Model (optional, 1 per
in the top left box. Throughout the lesson, students gain
student)
knowledge that will help them complete the organizer.
• Handout: 5 W Graphic Organizer (1 per
student)
3. Divide the students into groups of three.
4. Distribute a Handout: 5 W Graphic Organizer to each student.
TEKS: 8.1B; 8.3B; 8.29A
5. Provide each group with a copy of:
• The Mayflower Compact (primary source document)
• A summary of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut
(secondary source)
• A summary that explains the Virginia House of Burgesses
(secondary source)
6. Each student reads one of the documents silently, looking for
the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and then completes the
Handout: 5 W Graphic Organizer based on the content of the
document.
7. Members of the group takes turns explaining the document they
read and helping the rest of the group understand the document
in terms of the 5 W graphic organizer, adding information on the
other two documents as their group members share their 5Ws..
8. Teacher circulates, probing with questions, correcting and
©2012, TESCCC
01/09/13
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Grade 8
Social Studies
Unit: 01 Lesson: 03
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
clarifying information, and adding background information as
needed.
9. Facilitate a discussion where students share what they learned.
Include questions such as:
• How did the Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental
Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia House of
Burgesses contribute to the growth of representative
government?
• How did religion and virtue contribute to the growth of
representative government in the American colonies?
EXPLAIN – Frayer Model
1. Say:
• The Mayflower Compact, the Fundamental Orders of
Connecticut and the Virginia House of Burgesses all
contributed to the growth of representative government
in the colonies and then in the newly formed United
States.
2. Students add newly-gained information to their Frayer Model
organizer regarding characteristics, examples, and nonexamples related to the growth of representative government in
the United States.
Suggested Day 1 – 15 minutes
Instructional Note:
To build student understanding of important terms,
use the Frayer Model throughout the year.
Students build a Frayer Model graphic organizer
each time they encounter a term related to
representative government, such as Articles of
Confederation, Magna Carta, Constitution,
Consent of the Governed, etc.
3. Students share their ideas with a partner, adjusting their Frayer
Model as needed.
EXPLORE – Contributing Ideas
1. Set up learning stations with information about the following
people. Stations should include biographical information as well
as information about the ideas that contributed to the growth of
representative government in the colonies and United States.
• Thomas Hooker
• Charles de Montesquieu
• John Locke
• William Blackstone
• William Penn
2. Say:
• We have seen the early evidence of representative
government in the colonies. But where did these ideas
come from? And how did they find their way into our
founding documents to set up the form of government
we have today?
• Today we explore five individuals whose ideas
influenced the development of self-government in
colonial America.
Suggested Day 2 – 30 minutes
Materials:
Information (including biographical information) on
Thomas Hooker, Charles de Montesquieu, John
Locke, William Blackstone, and William Penn
TEKS: 8.3C; 8.20A
Instructional Note:
It is especially important for students to understand
how each individual influenced the development of
self-government in colonial America.
3. Students create a graphic organizer on which to take notes about
the five people to be studied. (A possible organizer would be a
bubble map with Representative Government in the center and
“bubbles” for each of the people).
4. Groups visit each learning station to learn about each of the
individuals and their contributions to the ideas of representative
©2012, TESCCC
01/09/13
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Grade 8
Social Studies
Unit: 01 Lesson: 03
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
government.
5. For each of the individuals, students note the following
information on their organizer:
• Important dates and an explanation for their importance
• Profession/Career
• Historical Impact (especially how he influenced the
development of self-government in colonial America)
6. Students participate in a class discussion where they summarize
the ideas that became part of the foundation for the government
of the United States.
EXPLAIN – Acrostic Poem About My Favorite
1. Student pairs create an Acrostic Poem based on the name (first
and/or last name) of one of the individuals studied. While
creating the poem, they include in the discussion the
philosophies of the individuals and critical ideas in the founding
documents.
ELABORATE – Summarizing Ideas
1. Students add three “bubbles” to their bubble map organizer from
Day 2. The bubbles should be for the Mayflower Compact, the
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the Virginia House
of Burgesses.
Suggested Day 2 – 20 minutes
Instructional Note:
Sample of Acrostic Poem:
British attorney
Laws were his favorite topic
And that all men had rights
Keeping laws in written form
So educated
Textbooks of his work were printed
Oxford was his choice for his degree
Now the founding fathers were
influenced by
him
Especially James Madison and Thomas
Jefferson
Suggested Day 3 – 20 minutes
Materials:
• Bubble map organizer from Day 2
2. Students add summarizing information about these topics to their
organizer.
3. Facilitate a discussion where students use what they have
learned (including information on their bubble map) to contribute
to a class discussion where they answer the guiding questions
and support of the Key Understanding.
• Representative governments often develop to meet the
political, economic, and social needs of people who hold
similar beliefs.
— What were the reasons for the growth of
representative government and institutions during
the colonial period?
— What is the importance of the Mayflower Compact,
the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and the
Virginia House of Burgesses to the growth of
representative government?
— How did religion and virtue contribute to the growth
of representative government in the American
colonies?
— What were the roles of significant individuals in the
©2012, TESCCC
01/09/13
page 5 of 6
Grade 8
Social Studies
Unit: 01 Lesson: 03
Instructional Procedures
Notes for Teacher
development of self-government in colonial
America?
EVALUATE
•
To explain the reasons for development of representative
government in the United States, create an annotated timeline
that illustrates the influence of the Mayflower Compact,
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, and Virginia House of
Burgesses on the growth of representative government. Include
examples from the documents related to key influences. (8.3A,
8.3B; 8.29A, 8.29B)
1C, 4K
©2012, TESCCC
01/09/13
Suggested Day 3 – 30 minutes
TEKS: 8.3A, 8.3B; 8.29A, 8.29B
page 6 of 6