SuccessLink Missouri Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Friday, July 30, 2010

Great Teaching Ideas

lesson & unit viewer

Compromising

published on: 2/28/2003

Contributing Teacher(s): Margo Dill

Subject Area: Social Studies/U.S. History

Grade Range: Upper Elementary (4-5)

Materials Needed:

Compromise vocabulary chart
Resource books
Internet, or social studies books
Compromise constructed response question

Objective:

The students will compare compromises in their lives to the Constitutional delegates, who compromised while writing the Constitution.
The students will define the 3/5 Compromise and the Great Compromise.
The students will discover synonyms for compromise.

Process Standards:

Goal 3.2 develop and apply strategies based on ways others have prevented or solved problems

Content Standards:

Social Studies 3. Principles and processes of governance systems

Time Allowance: 45 minutes - 1 hour

Description: This is Lesson 3 of an eight-lesson unit. This lesson focuses on compromises made by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention, and how to apply the skill of compromising to our own lives.

Classroom Component:

NOTE: This is Lesson 3 of an eight-lesson unit titled “Writing the Constitution.” These eight lessons focus on how the Constitution became the law of the land, starting with the Articles of Confederation and ending with our first two presidents under the new government. (This unit does not focus on the Bill of Rights or the organization of our government. I taught that separately as a government unit around election time.) The other lessons are:

Lesson 1--“Problems with the Articles of Confederation”

Lesson 2--“How to Solve the Problem of the Articles of Confederation”

Lesson 4--“Slavery and the Constitution”

Lesson 5--“ 1787 ”

Lesson 6--“Anti-Federalists and Federalists”

Lesson 7--“The First Cabinet and First Political Parties”

Lesson 8--“A Peaceful Transition Between Leaders”

This lesson focuses on compromises made by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention, and how to apply the skill of compromising to our own lives.

Step-by-Step Implementation:

The teacher passes out the vocabulary word map for COMPROMISE.
The teacher asks students if they''ve ever compromised, or where they think they may have heard the word before. If they do not know it, the teacher can give an example, and the students can come up with a definition. Together, the teacher and the student generate a definition for compromise to record on the vocabulary chart (see the example below).
The teacher asks students to think of a time in their life when they had to compromise. If they can''t think of one, they can make up a time when they might need to compromise. They write it on their charts.
Next as a class, the students generate a list of words or phrases that mean the same thing as compromise. They write these on their chart.
On their own, students investigate the GREAT COMPROMISE and the 3/5 COMPROMISE. My students used their social studies books. Students could also use library resources, encyclopedias, and the Internet. On their charts, they write about these compromises in their own words.
IF YOU NEED TO SAVE TIME: Half of the students look up the GREAT COMPROMISE, while the other half look up the 3/5 COMPROMISE. Then the students share their ideas with each other for a whole group discussion.
The teacher passes out the COMPROMISE constructed response question when everyone finishes researching the 2 previously mentioned COMPROMISES.

Compromise Worksheet

Answer Key for the Compromise Worksheet

Compromise: What does it mean? A compromise is an agreement that two sides make when having an argument, debate, or discussion. In the compromise, both sides give up something to get something from the other side. It is a way to make both sides happy.

Examples from their own life will vary.

Synonyms for Compromise:

Deal
Fair trade off
Agreement
Peaceful Settlement for an argument
Sharing

The Great Compromise:

When creating the legislature branch of the new government under the Constitution, the delegates argued on the number of representatives from each state that should be in Congress. Smaller states wanted the same number of representatives from all states—no matter what the population. Larger states wanted to have more representatives than the smaller states because they had more people living in them. To end the argument, the delegates made the Great Compromise. There would be two houses in Congress: a House of Representatives and a Senate. The Senate has the same number of representatives from each state no matter how large or small the population. The House of Representatives has a different number of representatives based on population.

The 3/5 Compromise:

The northern and southern states argued over whether or not to count the slaves in the total population for a state. When finding population for representation in the House of Representatives, the southern states wanted to count the slaves. Then, they could have more representatives. The northern states didn''t think this was fair since slavery was illegal in many of those states. When counting people to figure taxes, the northern states wanted the slaves counted in the total southern population. The southern states didn''t think this was fair. A compromise settled the argument. Three out of every five slaves would be counted to figure the total population of a state.

Scoring Guide for the Explanations of the GREAT COMPROMISE and the 3/5 COMPROMISE:

4	Explained both compromises in detail, used complete sentences and own words, provided correct facts, made very few grammar or spelling errors
3	Explained both compromises in complete sentences, used own words, provided correct facts, made a few mistakes in grammar and spelling
2	Explained only one compromise correctly or not enough detail for both compromises, mostly used complete sentences and own words, provided correct facts, made spelling and grammar errors
1	Explained one compromise incorrectly and the other vaguely, provided some incorrect facts, didn''t use complete sentences or own words, made several mistakes in spelling and grammar
0	Didn''t explain either compromise correctly

Constructed Response Compromise Question:

You and your sister want to watch two different shows that begin at the same time. You want to watch cartoons at 4:00. Your sister wants to watch a talk show that begins at 4:00. Explain three different ways you could compromise with your sister.

1

2

3

Scoring Guide

3	Listed three different solutions for the TV problem. The solutions are all compromises. They are sensible, real life options.
2	Listed two different solutions for the TV problem. The two solutions are compromises. They are sensible, real life options.
1	Listed one solution for the TV problem. The one solution is a compromise. It is a sensible, real life option.
0	None of the solutions offered are compromises.

Examples of good answers:

For one week, your sister watches the show at 4:00—the next week, you watch the show at 4:00. For one week, you tape your sister''s show on the VCR, and you watch your show at the regular time. The next week, tape your show, and watch your sister''s show at the regular time. Every other day, you watch your show, and she watches her show. You switch back and forth between the shows during the commercials. Depending on the type of show, you could watch your show the first half, and her show the second half, and then switch every other day or every other week.

Positive Climate:

Talking about compromising and getting along with others can help promote a positive attitude in the classroom. The teacher can also talk about compromising to solve problems in the classroom.

Modifications for IEP or at-risk students:

CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE QUESTION: The teacher can have these students think of one or two different ways to compromise with the TV show problem, instead of three ways.

COMPROMISE CHART: The teacher can just assign one of the compromises for that student to read and write about, and have the student copy the other compromise from another student. The easier compromise to understand is probably the 3/5 Compromise.

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For additional information contact :
Margo Dill
Fairmount Elem.
Francis Howell R-III
(636) 851-4500
EMAIL: margo_dill@fhsd.k12.mo.us