Confederation Comparison

Submitted by: Linda Smith (South Carolina) Date: July 5, 2003 Description: This activity will compare Confederation under the Articles of Confederation in the United States and the Confederation Period in Canada. The students will evaluate the relative successes and failures of each and determine why Confederation of Canada produced a more effective government. Grade levels: Grades 11-12 Subjects(s): World History/ History of the Americas/Government Duration: 2 Blocks (180 minutes) Goal: The goal is to analyze the impact of political, economic and social factors that determined the success and failure of the Confederations through a comparison of both structures. The student should be able to construct a logical argument to determine the reasons Canadian Confederation has been successful. As a secondary goal, students should also be able to analyze the successes of the Articles of the Confederation. Objectives:

1. The student will be able to analyze primary source documents. 2. The student will be able to compare and contrast government structures. 3. The student will be able to identify and evaluate the importance of political, economic,

and social factors that effect government policies. 4. The student will be able to present an historical explanation from an international

perspective. 5. The student will be able to present arguments that are clear, coherent, relevant, and well

substantiated.

Standards: National Standards I: Time, Continuity and Change SC Standards: 8.2, 8.2.5, 8.3, 8.3.1 National Standards VI: Power, Authority and Governance SC Standards: 12.3.1, 12.3.2, 12.3.4, 12.3.6, 12.4 International Baccalaureate Standards: 1, 4,5,6,7.

Background: Prior to this activity, the students should have completed the units on the Revolution and Articles of Confederation and the Confederation Period of Canada. (Teacher note: This lesson is not taught consecutively; however, it will serve as a good review of one historical period as well as a review of historical context. Also, my classes would have completed a course on Government before this class. If your students have not had Government, it may be helpful to review some terms with them, such as unitary, federal, etc.) Materials:

1. Texts: Enduring Vision (Boyer, Clark, et.al.) An Illustrated History of Canada (Craig Brown, ed.) 2. Documents (attached) 3. Comparison Guide (attached) 4. Rubric (attached)

Procedures:

1. Divide the class into groups no larger then 3. 2. Distribute an organizer for students to complete while gathering data and a rubric for the

assessment. 3. Distribute a set of documents to each group. (I do not allow the students to keep the

documents or to write on them. I like to keep them for future use and to save time and paper. If your text does not include a copy of the Articles of Confederation or the British North America Act, you may need to include those with the documents.)

4. Model one or two examples from the organizer as a whole class discussion. Allow the students to continue on their own.

5. Conclude the first day with a class discussion on the information. 6. On the second day, begin with a question and answer session to clarify any

misunderstandings. The students should be given the first half of the class to conclude their work .Encourage the students to compare their ideas.

( Teacher note: In order to use documents more effectively, my students have been taught to “SOAPS” a document: Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Source. Once these details have been gathered, students are instructed to ask: How does this document help to answer the question?) Assessment: Students will write an essay: “Compare the Confederation of Canada and the Confederation of the US under the Articles of Confederation. How do you account for the longevity of the Canadian Confederation?” Rubric: The rubric will be the IB guide for marking Paper 3.