Author:
Barbara Soots, Washington OSPI OER Project, Jerry Price, Melissa Kunert
Subject:
U.S. History, Social Science, Political Science
Material Type:
Lesson, Lesson Plan, Teaching/Learning Strategy, Unit of Study
Level:
Upper Primary
Tags:
  • C3 Framework
  • Civics
  • Congress
  • IDM
  • Inquiry Design Model
  • Wa-social-studies
  • Washington
  • License:
    Creative Commons Attribution
    Language:
    English
    Media Formats:
    Downloadable docs

    Education Standards

    Grade 5 Inquiry: Representation in Congress

    Grade 5 Inquiry: Representation in Congress

    Overview

    This inquiry by Melissa M. Kunert, Evergreen Public Schools, is based on the C3 Framework inquiry arc. This inquiry provides an opportunity for students to analyze the constitution as it pertains to life today. Becoming a responsible citizen in society is an important role that also requires education about how our constitution was first written and that changes can always be made in our world

    Does fair representation in Congress work today with the existing political parties?

    Supporting Questions

    1. What was the conflict between the large states and the small states about representation in Congress?
    2. What powers does Congress have 2. in our government?
    3. What does the representation look like in Congress today?

    Inquiry Description

    This inquiry provides an opportunity for students to analyze the constitution as it pertains to life today. Becoming a responsible citizen in society is an important role that also requires education about how our constitution was first written and that changes can always be made in our world. As students are beginning to understand, the constitution is a fluid document that continues to change over time as it continues to grow with the needs of the people. Even the framing of the constitution is subject to change if found necessary by the people.

    In order to answer the compelling question, the students first need to look at what the people of 1787 needed from their government and how the representation in Congress was decided upon to work for the states at that time. The second formative task helps students look at what powers Congress has both as a whole and individually in the Senate and House.

    The third formative task and supporting question helps students understand that the idea of political parties, as we know them today, was not present in 1787. This important task will help students broaden their idea of the changes our society has gone through since the writing of the constitution.

    The final supporting question and formative task builds students awareness of how political parties play a role in today's Congress. By building their knowledge of the framer's original ideas and concerns over representation, as well as the changes that have occurred in government ever since, students should have the information they need to form an opinion about whether or not the compromise over the representation in Congress decided upon in 1787, fits our world today.

    Three out of the four sources; I found on Newsela. I have found many trusted articles on Newsela and appreciate that they can be adjusted based on Lexia levels, which allows students to comprehend, even if at a lower reading level. Newsela also provides a digital format for annotating and for the teacher to highlight specific sections of the text and ask even more leading questions within the document to help scaffold students' thinking while they read.

    This inquiry will probably take 3-4 one-hour teaching periods to accomplish, given the time it takes to plan, write, edit, and publish the summative task.

    Structure

    This inquiry integrates reading and writing in the social studies content. By completing this task, students will build their social studies knowledge as well as reading and writing skills. The four supporting questions were carefully chosen to guide students' in building the knowledge they need to form an opinion about the

    compelling question; does representation in Congress work today? There are several concepts within that question that students would need to understand in order to make an informed opinion. If they are deciding if the representation is fair, they need to understand how it was originally framed, what powers Congress was given, and how the people and the government has changed over time and how that affects those powers.

    Because political parties play a major role in Congress today, there is another layer added to government that was not considered when the framer's decided upon representation. Each task takes students through the process of understanding each piece. As the teacher, you can check in and make sure that students comprehend each piece of that puzzle before you task them with staking their opinion about the question about whether the representation is still a strong foundation that has withheld over time, or if it's a system that really needs to be reexamined in order to meet the needs of today's government and society.

    Attribution and License

    Attribution

    Cover photo via whitehouse.gov | Public Domain

    License

    Except where otherwise noted, original work in this inquiry by Melissa Kunert, Evergreen Public Schools is available under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners. Sections used under fair use doctrine (17 U.S.C. § 107) are marked.