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Founding Fathers Role Play

Grade 5Social StudiesEnglish8 days

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The "Founding Fathers Role Play" project for 5th-grade students combines social studies and English to help learners understand the impact of the Founding Fathers on the United States' formation through creative exploration and role-play. Students research and develop profiles of historical figures, engage in debates, and prepare role-play scripts to demonstrate historical narratives, focusing on key themes, challenges, and critical documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The project emphasizes research skills, narrative writing, grammar usage, and presentation capabilities, enabling students to draw connections between past and modern governance.

Founding FathersRole-PlayUnited States HistoryDeclaration of IndependenceConstitutionResearch SkillsHistorical Narrative

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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we creatively explore and role-play the lives, motivations, and influences of the Founding Fathers to better understand their impact on the formation of the United States and its government?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.

Who were the Founding Fathers and what motivated their actions in shaping the United States?
How did the Founding Fathers influence the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution?
In what ways can role-playing help us understand historical events and figures like the Founding Fathers?
What were the key challenges and compromises faced by the Founding Fathers during the formation of the U.S. government?
How can understanding the Founding Fathers' perspectives aid us in understanding modern American government and society?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:

Students will be able to summarize the key events and themes in the lives of the Founding Fathers and explain their motivations.
Students will develop narratives that creatively role-play events from the lives of the Founding Fathers.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the influences the Founding Fathers had on the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Students will compare and contrast the Founding Fathers' perspectives and their impacts on modern governance.
Students will effectively use English grammar and conventions in both written and spoken presentations.

Common Core Standards

5.RL.5

Primary

Summarize a text and determine the central themes of stories, plays, or poems, including how they are developed using details.Reason: This standard aligns with the project as students will need to summarize the lives and actions of the Founding Fathers, determining central themes in their historical context.

5.RL.6

Primary

Explain how a narrator’s or speaker’s point of view influences how events are described in stories, plays, or poems.Reason: Students will explore different perspectives of the Founding Fathers, which aligns with understanding how point of view influences storytelling.

5.L.1

Secondary

Demonstrate command of the conventions of English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.Reason: Role-playing involves both writing and speaking, requiring students to use correct grammar and conventions.

5.W.3

Primary

Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.Reason: This aligns as students will create role-playing narratives involving historical figures and events.

5.SL.4

Primary

Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes.Reason: Students will present their role-plays on the Founding Fathers, which aligns with organized, factual delivery of content.

Social Studies

5.SS.4.2

Primary

Identify and explain the important concepts in the Declaration of Independence.Reason: Understanding the Declaration of Independence is key to exploring the motivations and actions of the Founding Fathers.

5.SS.4.4

Primary

Identify the basic principles of the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, including popular sovereignty, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, judicial review, and federalism.Reason: This standard is central as the Founding Fathers played a major role in creating these documents and principles.

5.SS.4.6

Secondary

Identify the three branches of government and the functions and powers of each.Reason: The project involves understanding governmental structures established by the Founding Fathers.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Founding Fathers' Debate Club

Transform the classroom into a debate club where students take on the personas of various Founding Fathers to argue differing viewpoints on the creation of founding documents. This setup will compel students to research and delve into primary sources, fostering a dynamic environment for examining historical perspectives and decision-making processes.

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Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.

Activity 1

Founding Father Profile Maker

In this activity, students will research a Founding Father and create a detailed profile highlighting this person's life, motivations, and role in shaping the U.S. government. This profile will serve as the foundation for subsequent role-playing activities.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Select a Founding Father to research.

2. Gather information on this Founding Father using at least three different sources, focusing on their contributions, challenges faced, and personal motivations.

3. Summarize your findings into main themes and important events in the Founding Father's life.

4. Organize the information into a comprehensive profile, including key milestones and contributions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed profile of a Founding Father, summarizing key events, themes, contributions, and motivations.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 5.RL.5 as students summarize key events and themes, and prepares for 5.SS.4.2 by focusing on their roles in major historical documents.

Activity 2

Historical Debate Prep

Students will prepare for a debate by exploring and comparing different viewpoints of the Founding Fathers on key issues like the Declaration of Independence. This activity will refine their understanding of historical perspectives and develop their argumentation skills.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Identify central issues during the formation of the U.S. government, such as the debate over federal vs. state powers.

2. Research differing perspectives of two selected Founding Fathers on these issues.

3. Compare and contrast these perspectives using a graphic organizer.

4. Draft a debate speech that synthesizes this information into coherent arguments.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA debate speech, ready for presentation, comparing two Founding Fathers' perspectives on a key historical issue.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 5.RL.5b in comparing characters and 5.SL.4 in organizing a presentation. Prepares for deeper exploration in 5.SS.4.4.

Activity 3

Role-Playing Scripts and Rehearsals

In this activity, students write and rehearse scripts for role-playing different scenarios involving their researched Founding Fathers, focusing on using correct grammar and engaging narration.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Use the profile and debate speech to draft a first-person narrative script for your role-play scenario.

2. Ensure the script includes accurate historical context and uses proper English grammar and vocabulary.

3. Rehearse the script in pairs or small groups, focusing on clear and factual delivery.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA well-rehearsed role-playing script that accurately depicts a Founding Father's narrative and historical context.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 5.W.3 for writing narratives, 5.L.1 for grammar, and 5.SL.4 for oral presentation skills.

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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Founding Fathers Role-Play Assessment Rubric

Category 1

Historical Understanding and Research Skills

Assesses the student's ability to research extensively, understand historical contexts, and summarize the contributions and themes related to the Founding Fathers.

Criterion 1

Research Thoroughness

The extent to which the student uses diverse sources to gather comprehensive information about a Founding Father.

Exemplary

4 Points

Utilizes more than three high-quality, varied sources, demonstrating a deep and extensive understanding of the Founding Father's life and contributions.

Proficient

3 Points

Uses at least three varied sources to gather thorough information about the Founding Father, showing solid understanding.

Developing

2 Points

Uses less than three sources, some of which are similar, showing basic understanding with moderate depth.

Beginning

1 Points

Uses insufficient or non-varied sources, showing limited understanding of the Founding Father.

Criterion 2

Theme and Event Summarization

The clarity and depth of summarizing the main themes and events related to a Founding Father's life.

Exemplary

4 Points

Provides a clear, insightful summary of main themes and events, showing exceptional comprehension and connection to broader historical context.

Proficient

3 Points

Offers a clear summary of main themes and events, demonstrating a good level of comprehension.

Developing

2 Points

Presents a basic summary with some important themes and events missing, indicating partial comprehension.

Beginning

1 Points

Provides an unclear or overly simplistic summary, lacking key themes and events.

Category 2

Narrative and Presentation Skills

Evaluates the creativity and effectiveness of writing and presenting role-playing narratives based on historical figures, focusing on historical accuracy, engagement, and grammar.

Criterion 1

Narrative Development

The quality of narrative scripts in terms of historical accuracy and creativity in representing Founding Fathers.

Exemplary

4 Points

Crafts an exceptionally creative and historically accurate narrative demonstrating thorough understanding of the character.

Proficient

3 Points

Develops a creative and mostly accurate narrative that captures the essence of the Founding Father.

Developing

2 Points

Creates a basic narrative with some creativity and historical accuracy, but lacking depth.

Beginning

1 Points

Produces a simplistic narrative with limited or inadequate historical representation.

Criterion 2

Grammar and Conventions

The correctness and sophistication of grammar, vocabulary, and conventions in written and spoken presentations.

Exemplary

4 Points

Demonstrates superior command of English grammar and conventions; applies a wide range of vocabulary accurately.

Proficient

3 Points

Exhibits a good understanding of grammar and conventions; uses appropriate vocabulary.

Developing

2 Points

Shows basic but inconsistent use of grammar and conventions with some errors affecting clarity.

Beginning

1 Points

Contains frequent grammatical errors and lacks clarity in the use of conventions.

Criterion 3

Presentation Skills

The ability to effectively present role-playing scripts, engaging the audience with clear and organized delivery.

Exemplary

4 Points

Presents with exceptional clarity and engagement, effectively using body language and voice to enhance understanding.

Proficient

3 Points

Delivers a clear and engaging presentation, with effective use of body language and voice.

Developing

2 Points

Presents with basic clarity and engagement, some inconsistency in delivery technique.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to present clearly with limited engagement and ineffective delivery techniques.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning

Question 1

Reflect on the process of researching and portraying your chosen Founding Father. What were some of the key insights you gained about their life, motivations, and contributions?

Text

Required

Question 2

How did the role-playing activity enhance your understanding of the Founding Fathers and their era?

Text

Required

Question 3

What were some of the key debates or disagreements among the Founding Fathers, and how did these shape the formation of the U.S. government?

Text

Required

Question 4

On a scale of 1 to 5, how effective was the role-playing activity in helping you achieve the learning goals of this project?

Scale

Required

Question 5

Which Founding Father do you think had the most significant impact on the development of the United States, and why?

Multiple choice

Optional

Options

George Washington

Thomas Jefferson

James Madison

Benjamin Franklin

John Adams

Other (please specify)