Last updated: October 14, 2021
Lesson Plan
Compromise of 1850, 3rd & 4th Grade
- Grade Level:
- Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
- Subject:
- Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- State Standards:
- Missouri: Knowledge of continuity and change in the history of Missouri & U.S. Concept F - westward expansion and settlement of U.S. Discuss issues of Missouri statehood, #3a. Concept F
Kansas: KCCR SL.3.1.b - Engage in collaborative discussions. - Additional Standards:
- Oklahoma: Explain how the characteristics of culture affect the ways in which people live. 4.3.2.B
- Thinking Skills:
- Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
Is compromise necessary for the success or survival of a representative government?
Objective
Students will be able to identify that the Compromise of 1850 as an attempt to address two main issues (expansion and slavery) facing the United States and understand why not all solutions solve problems.
Background
Discuss the ways in which different areas of the country make a living: North & South.
Preparation
Compromise of 1850: Five main issues facing the United States
1)Admission of California into the Union
2)Abolishing slave trade in Washington, D.C. 3)Decision on Mexican Cession areas of Utah and New Mexico 4)Disputed territory between Texas and New Mexico 5)Fugitive Slave Law
Hypothesize: What rules or ways would the North want the United States to expand? (Justify your response with one reason or piece of evidence based on the type of work/economy of the area. What rules or ways would the South want the United States to expand? (Justify your response with one reason or piece of evidence based on the type of work/economy of the area). Hypothesize: Why did the South want slavery to expand? Why did the North NOT want slavery to expand? (Provide a moral reason and an economic reason that each side used.)
Composite Bios of those involved in writing Compromise of 1850
Senator Henry Clay: An American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House Speaker as well as the ninth Secretary of State, also receiving electoral votes for president in 1824, 1832, and 1844 presidential election.
Senator Daniel Webster: An American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, and Millard Fillmore.
Stephen A. Douglas: An American politician and lawyer from Illinois. He was one of two Democratic Party nominees for president in the 1860 presidential election, which was won by Republican Abraham Lincoln.
John C. Calhoun: An American statesman and political theorist from South Carolina who held many important positions including being the seventh vice president of the United States from 1825 to 1832, while adamantly defending slavery and protecting the interests of the white South.
Materials:
Poster Paper
Markers, magazines for pictures
Glue
Stencils
Materials
Lesson Hook/Preview
1. Ask students to brainstorm issues that need to be addressed either at home/school.
a. Examples prompts: amount of recess to class work, types and amount of homework, home chores, sharing, etc.
2. Then have students share with their shoulder partner their responses. Have them circle any similar responses and x on different ones.
3. From there students share with a quad or small group of 3-4, repeating the same processes.
4. Once students have shared and constructed their lists with similarities and differences they will then select two of the most common or alike issues to address.
5. They are then tasked with coming up with a solution that looks like it will help, but in reality will actually make things worse.
a. Example: Issue: Amount of homework. Students want to reduce the amount of homework across the board. The teacher listens and decides to reduce the amount of homework for reading, science, and social studies to give the students what they want, but the teacher feels that homework is a solid way of reinforcing learning and does not want to do away with homework altogether. The teacher decides that due to the reduction of homework in these areas the amount of math homework can be increased. Students now do 100 problems each night of math, this takes longer than the original homework setup.
Procedure
Have students create a Propaganda Poster. It must include the following:
1)Compromise of 1850: What the elements/parts of the Compromise were
2)Who created or opposed it (Senators)
3)Why it should be supported or opposed?
Display the posters around the room. Give students sticky notes and have them place their sticky note on the propaganda poster that would MOST likely convinced people to follow that direction.
Discuss what the poster showed or said that convinced the most people to follow the message of the poster. (Digital voting can be done by creating a shareable that students add their own images and messages on a designated slide such as Google Slides.)
Concluding Discussion Questions:
How does the way someone make a point impact the audience who sees or hears it?
What are the most effective ways to convince people to join your point of view?
What is a way that works fast?
What is a way that lasts?
How do you think the decisions that make up the Compromise of 1850 will impact the future of the United States?
(Help/Hurt) - Triumph or Tragedy?
Give one reason to justify your position.
What would you have added or not done to the Compromise of 1850 to make it better?
Supports for Struggling Learners
Provide students with a template for responses to the "Gallery Walk" of propaganda posters. Thank you for sharing, I had not thought about that point. You really made me reconsider my position. I totally agree with your point because... Have you ever considered...?
Enrichment Activities
Have students create a TV ad that promotes the Compromise of 1850 and then have the class view the TV ad and leave feedback on whether they would support the message of the ad based on how it was shown, delivered, and the accuracy of the claims.