This week in 8th-grade social studies, we dove deep into the Constitutional Convention and the ratification debates, using a variety of EduProtocols to engage students and build understanding. From Frayer Models to define key terms and concepts, to Sketch and Tell-O and 8Parts Sourcing for visual analysis and critical thinking, each day offered a structured and interactive way for students to connect with history.
Activities like Gimkit, Quizizz Mastery Peak, and Emoji Kitchen kept the energy high and provided opportunities for review, creativity, and synthesis. Through consistent protocols and thoughtful lessons, students explored the compromises, debates, and decisions that shaped the U.S. Constitution.
Monday – Frayer-Sketch and Tell-O Rack and Stack
Tuesday – Map and Tell – Notes – Sketch and Tell-O Rack and Stack
Wednesday – Frayer – Annotate/Tell – Sketch and Tell-O Rack and Stack
Thursday – Visit Curipod – it’s awesome!!!
Friday – 8pArts – Frayer – Sketch and Tell-O Rack and Stack
Monday
Even though I was out sick, I wanted to ensure my students had meaningful, engaging lessons to kick off our exploration of the Constitutional Convention. With EduProtocols and structured activities, I aimed to keep students on track while fostering curiosity and understanding.
Starting with the Purpose
Every lesson on the Constitutional Convention begins with the question: “What was the purpose of the Constitutional Convention?” To set the stage, I assigned an EdPuzzle that introduced the basics of the event. EdPuzzle is always a reliable tool when I’m out—it keeps students engaged with videos while offering questions to ensure they’re following along.
Building Vocabulary with Gimkit
Next, I created a Gimkit with key terms students would encounter throughout the week, including federalist, anti-federalist, compromise, republic, and constitution. Vocabulary is critical for understanding the bigger picture, and Gimkit’s game-like format keeps students motivated while helping them retain these foundational terms.
Deep Dive with a Frayer Model
To dive deeper into the Constitutional Convention, students completed a Frayer model. They defined the convention, identified three key figures who attended, listed three important facts, and added an image to tie it all together. This activity helped them organize their initial understanding while highlighting the significant people and ideas of the event.
Sketch and Tell-O: Synthesizing Purpose
Students then read about the purpose of the Constitutional Convention and created a Sketch and Tell-O. They sketched out three important facts from the reading and wrote a summary answering the essential question: Why was the Constitutional Convention necessary? This activity combined visual and written processing, encouraging them to connect details to the broader purpose of the event.
Tuesday
Still out on Tuesday, I kept the focus consistent and structured, guiding students through the key compromises made at the Constitutional Convention. With a mix of graphic organizers, interactive mapping, and creative synthesis, students had the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise.
Starting with Vocabulary
We began with a Gimkit review of the vocabulary introduced on Monday. Terms like federalist, anti-federalist, compromise, republic, and constitution are foundational, and revisiting them daily helps reinforce understanding while building fluency.
Graphic Organizers: Breaking Down the Compromises
To tackle the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise, I created two graphic organizers.
- The Great Compromise Organizer
- Students read a brief article about the Great Compromise, identifying:
- The issue at stake
- The two opposing sides
- The compromise itself
- Students read a brief article about the Great Compromise, identifying:
- The Three-Fifths Compromise Organizer
- After reading a second article, students completed the same organizer for the Three-Fifths Compromise, focusing on:
- The issue of representation and slavery
- The opposing perspectives of Northern and Southern states
- The resulting compromise
- After reading a second article, students completed the same organizer for the Three-Fifths Compromise, focusing on:
By structuring the readings and graphic organizers this way, students were able to make direct comparisons between the compromises while seeing how both contributed to strengthening the national government.
Map and Tell: Connecting Compromises to Modern Context
To reinforce their understanding of the Great Compromise, students engaged in a Map and Tell activity. Using a map showing the current number of representatives for each state, students answered the following questions:
- Which state currently has the most people?
- Identify a state with the fewest people.
- In 2019, Ohio had 16 representatives in the House. Why do you think they only have 15 now? (Hint: It’s not because they died!)
- Every state has 2 senators. How many senators are in the U.S. Senate?
These questions required students to apply what they learned about representation and the legislative structure created by the Great Compromise. The activity added relevance and encouraged them to connect historical decisions to the modern-day functioning of government.
Sketch and Tell-O: Synthesis
Students ended the day with a Sketch and Tell-O activity addressing this essential question:
“How did the leaders at the Constitutional Convention compromise to strengthen the central (national) government?”
Their responses needed to include the terms great compromise, representation, and three-fifths compromise. By combining visual representation with written explanation, students synthesized their learning while reinforcing the central role of compromise in the Convention.
Wednesday
For the third day in a row, I was out, but the focus on the Constitutional Convention’s compromises remained strong. Wednesday’s lesson tackled the debate over the executive branch—whether the nation should have one president or three, and how that leader should be chosen. The structure and consistency of the lessons helped students stay engaged and build on their understanding of the compromises that shaped the U.S. government.
Starting with Vocabulary
As always, the day began with a Gimkit review of the key vocabulary terms from earlier in the week. Repetition is key to reinforcing these foundational terms, and Gimkit’s interactive format ensures students stay motivated and focused.
Frayer Model: Defining the Executive Branch
Next, students created a Frayer model for the term executive branch. They:
- Defined the term.
- Provided examples (e.g., the president, the cabinet).
- Listed non-examples (e.g., legislative branch, judicial branch).
- Drew a picture representing the concept.
This activity helped students clarify the role and function of the executive branch, setting the stage for the deeper analysis to follow.
Graphic Organizer: Breaking Down the Debate
Students then read about the debate over the executive branch, focusing on the key issues:
- Should the country have one president or three?
- How should the president be chosen?
Using the same organizer from the previous days, they identified:
- The issue at hand.
- The two opposing sides of the debate.
- The compromise that resolved the conflict.
This consistent structure helped students compare this debate with the previous ones, reinforcing the importance of compromise in shaping the Constitution.
Annotate and Tell: Analyzing James Wilson’s Argument
To deepen their understanding, students analyzed a primary source excerpt from James Wilson, who argued for having one president. Through an Annotate and Tell activity, they highlighted key points and answered these questions:
- What are Wilson’s main arguments for having one leader?
- How does Wilson’s example of Massachusetts support his argument for a single executive?
- According to Wilson, what problems could arise with three leaders?
This activity encouraged critical thinking and connected historical perspectives to the broader debate over the executive branch.
Wrapping Up with Synthesis
To conclude, students worked on three tasks:
- Answering Essential Questions: Students reflected on the executive branch’s role and how the Constitutional Convention resolved its structure.
- Sketch and Tell-O: They illustrated their understanding of the debate, including key issues, arguments, and the compromise reached.
- CER Writing: Students crafted a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning paragraph responding to the question: Should we have one president or three?
Thursday
It’s rare for me to miss three days in a row, so when I returned to class today, I faced the challenge of pulling together three days’ worth of content—some completed on Chromebooks, some on paper. The goal for the day was simple: consolidate the material, assess understanding, and help students connect the dots.
Starting with Quizizz
I kicked off the lesson with a 10-question Quizizz that covered key points from the past three days. Quizizz’s format, where each question is asked once, allowed me to see how students performed on a broad range of topics. Unfortunately, the results revealed significant gaps, with class averages at 45%, 47%, 54%, and 59%. The data didn’t point to one specific area of struggle; it was clear the students needed a comprehensive review to piece everything together.
Curipod to the Rescue
To address the gaps, I turned to Curipod—a tool that continues to impress me with its versatility and ability to engage students. I uploaded a premade presentation summarizing the key points of the Constitutional Convention, and Curipod enhanced it with interactive features that brought the content to life.
- Guided Notes: Students worked on guided notes as we moved through the presentation, grounding them in the essentials of the Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the executive branch debate.
- Interactive Features:
- Students submitted open-response questions, such as one where they could “ask James Madison a question.”
- Curipod provided AI feedback for their responses, making the review process more engaging and personalized.
- The AI whiteboard feature asked students to draw how the Founding Fathers balanced representation between big and small states with the Great Compromise. AI analyzed their drawings and offered feedback.
- Voting on Responses: Students anonymously voted on open-response answers, with the top three being displayed at the end. I love this feature because it minimizes bias and encourages thoughtful participation.
Curipod’s interactive elements made the material engaging and accessible, and the guided notes ensured students had something tangible to refer back to as we reviewed.
Wrapping Up with Quizizz
We ended class by retaking the same Quizizz from the beginning of class. The results spoke volumes:
- 47% jumped to 76%.
- 45% increased to 80%.
- 54% rose to 77%.
- 59% climbed to 80%.
The improvement showed that the combination of Curipod, guided notes, and interactive features helped students consolidate their understanding and apply it effectively.
Friday
By Friday, we were back on track and moving forward with the next big question in our unit: “What were the arguments over ratifying the Constitution?” This lesson delved into the emergence of Federalists and Anti-Federalists, emphasizing how the newly proposed Constitution required states to not only understand but also buy into the vision for a federal government.
Starting with Mastery Peak
We began with the Mastery Peak feature in Quizizz, using the same questions from Thursday to refine understanding. The growth in scores was impressive:
- 77% → 100%
- 70% → 93%
- 77% → 96%
- 67% → 96%
This demonstrated that students were solidifying their grasp of the material as we continued to revisit and apply it.
Introducing Ratification with Gimkit
Next, I ran a quick 2-minute Gimkit with six questions about the ratification of the Constitution. This short review prepared students for the day’s focus and introduced key terms like Federalists, Anti-Federalists, and ratification.
I framed the lesson with the question: “What were the arguments over ratifying the Constitution?” This served as a springboard to discuss how Federalists and Anti-Federalists debated the need for state approval and public buy-in to legitimize the new government.
Sourcing with 8Parts: The Federal Pillars
We began our exploration with the Federal Pillars image, using the 8Parts Sourcing Protocol to analyze it. Students:
- Identified nouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions in the image.
- Summarized the artist’s message about the ratification process.
This visual analysis helped students interpret how the artwork symbolized the growing support for ratification while emphasizing the states’ critical role in the process.
Frayer Models: Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
Next, students completed two Frayer models, one for Federalists and one for Anti-Federalists. They defined each group, listed key characteristics, included examples of prominent figures, and noted non-examples. This activity helped clarify the contrasting perspectives on the Constitution:
- Federalists advocating for a strong central government.
- Anti-Federalists emphasizing states’ rights and the need for a Bill of Rights.
Emoji Kitchen: Representing Ratification Arguments
To wrap up, students used Emoji Kitchen to visually represent three arguments over ratification. They selected emojis to symbolize each argument and wrote a summary answering our essential question: “What were the arguments over ratifying the Constitution?” This activity added a creative and personal element to the lesson, encouraging students to connect with the material in a unique way.
Ending with Gimkit
We finished class with the same Gimkit as earlier, reinforcing the key concepts about ratification. This repetition helped solidify understanding while ending the day on an engaging note.
Moler's Musings 