Hannah Nichols

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1.0 Lesson Plan Details
Grade Level

March 5, 2015
Lesson Title, Day Number, Authors,

Exploring the Northeast: Civics & Town Meetings in New England, Day 10,
Hannah Nichols, Fourth Grade
Expected Duration: 45 minutes
Concepts Covered: Town meeting structure, attendees, voting, significance,
modern applications, and usefulness in providing an outlet for civic discussion
Vocabulary: Town meeting, Warrant, Articles, Moderator, Clerk,
selectmen/selectwomen, class members, direct government, representative
government, bylaws
Skills: Students will work together in groups, use expository writing to argue
for/against a topic, participate in civic discussion, and apply content to
students lives
1.1

Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives

Learning Outcomes:
Students will be able to identify the three key components and four
major players in historically accurate New England town meetings.
Students will be able to participate in a mock town meeting using the
historically accurate terms:
Warrant
Moderator
Clerk
Selectmen/Select Women
Class members
1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography &
NCSS Themes I - X with subthemes
5.3.4.E. Explain the voting process.
NCSS.1.1.a ...enable learners to analyze and explain the ways groups,
societies, and cultures address human needs and concerns
5.2.4.D. Describe how citizens participate in school and community
activities.
NCSS.1.10.dprovide opportunities for learners to practice forms of civic
discussion and participation consistent with the ideals of citizens in a
democratic republic
1.2

Anticipatory Set

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The teacher will refer to the previous days discussion of history and ask
students what the three most important things were that they learned about
Paul Revere. The teacher will explain that todays lesson will be about a topic
that originated around the same time, but that there are important matters to
be discussed before beginning.
The teacher will introduce the lesson using a previously created PowerPoint
(see supplemental materials attached). This PowerPoint will declare a new set
of rules for the classroom, which the teacher will read with enthusiasm. The
Rules will include:
1. All assignments will cost 10 cents. No assignment will be handed out
unless it is paid for. Please bring $1.00 in advance to cover the first 10
assignments.
2. Any student who forgets their homework assignments must balance a
book on their head for 10 minutes in the back of the classroom.
3. When called upon, a student must repeat the question posed by the
teacher before responding.
4. Boys and girls must stay on opposite sides of the classroom at all
times.
5. Any student caught speaking without being called upon will be
assigned extra homework.
After declaring these rules and assuring students that they are, in fact, the
new classroom rules (to be implemented beginning the following day), the
teacher will define town meetings and begin to introduce the content of the
lesson. It is important that the teacher does not respond to any objections or
outbursts in regard to the new rules.
1.4 Procedures
The teacher will discuss direct government versus representative
governments, and show the affiliated graphic. After this, the teacher will
explain that town meetings in New England were the first major form of
government in the United States of America (then the colonies). The teacher
will explore the basic topics listed below, and go over the general format of a
town meeting.
Meriam Webster definition of town meetings: a meeting of the people
who live in a town to pass laws for the town or to discuss town
problems, issues, etc.
The first town meeting was held in Faneuil Hall in Boston, in 1743
Town meetings continued to be used as a form of government in the
New England states, today.
Town meetings consist of a Moderator, a Clerk,
selectmen/selectwomen, and class members.

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After explaining the basics of a town meeting, emphasizing the importance of

voting on controversial issues and the fact that town meetings are still held in
many places, the teacher will refer back to the previously declared new
classroom rules.
The teacher will tell students that she will reconsider the classroom rules if
they can convince her otherwise in a town meeting.
The class will be divided into six groups, with five assigned a newly
proposed rule. Each of the five groups assigned a rule will receive an
Official Complaint form to complete, and will be directed to work
together to create an argument against their assigned rule. The sixth
group will consist of five students assigned to represent the
selectmen/selectwomen of the town, to sit with the teacher (acting as
Moderator) to create the meetings Warrant (agenda) and preside over
the meeting. These students must work together to create a basic
agenda with an outline provided by the teacher. For the sake of time
and simplicity, the teacher will also act as Clerk for this assignment.
The teacher will walk around the room and take anecdotal notes on whether
or not students are using their knowledge about town meetings and
contributing equally.
After completing their respective forms and creating a plan for their
argument, students will sit in rows facing the front of the classroom,
where the five selectmen/selectwomen and teacher will sit facing the
other students.
The teacher will facilitate discussion reading each issue on the Warrant
before assigned groups present their arguments. The topic will be opened to
other comment, and will then be voted on using a yea or nay system. The
teacher will assign one of the selectmen/selectwomen to count the votes.
During the discussion, the teacher will collect anecdotal notes to assess the
understanding of the purpose/significance of town meetings as well as the
general town meeting format.
When final votes are counted, the teacher will make a statement regarding
the outcome. She will state that this has radically changed the future of their
classroom, and saved the students from particularly harsh rules.
The teacher will relate this to town meetings in New England, and
explain that these direct interactions allow the entire town to create
the rules they live under, referring back to the previous exploration of
town meetings.
When finished with this discussion, the teacher will collect each groups form
for assessment.

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1.5 Differentiation
Tier III Students: Struggling learners will be placed in groups with stronger
learners. During the period of filling out Official Complaint forms, students
will be expected to contribute in whatever way possible. Any notice of
contribution within or extended beyond their expected levels of performance
will be recorded in the teachers anecdotal notes. Students in Tier III will also
receive a short outline of the material discussed in class to review at home.
Information will be applied in the following class.
Talented Learners: Talented learners will explore civics in New England in
greater depth by using the iPads to visit the following sites:
Modern town meetings:
Galvin, W. Citizens Guide to Town Meetings. Retrieved March 1, 2015,
from
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cistwn/twnidx.htm
Primary Sources from:
Lesson Plans: Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://resources.osv.org/school/lesson_plans/ShowLessons.php?
PageID=P&LessonID=25&DocID=1126&UnitID=
Extended study, colonial period/town meetings:
Lutz, A. The 13 Colonies: Life in Early America. Retrieved March 2,
2015, from
http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/13-coloniescolonial-lifeeconomics-politics.html
Students may explore primary sources and modern town meeting websites
through these sources and briefly share their findings at the end of the unit.
1.6 Closure
Students will be asked to consider how the process of town meeting differs
from the United States of Americas current governing system, and will think
pair share to further discuss why town meetings were/are an important part
of life in New England.
The teacher will display her final slide that lists the three key ideas of the
lesson:
Town meetings are a form of direct government allowing citizens to
participate in the rules and laws of their towns.
Town meetings consist of a Moderator, Clerk, selectmen/women, and
class members, meaning that the entire town works together to create
a successful meeting.

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Town meetings are still an important part of New England government.

Which the students will then use as support to answer concluding questions
on a provided worksheet. The thought questions will be:
Why were town meetings important in the past, and why are they still
important today?
What are the three major components of a town meeting? Who is
involved?
How could we incorporate direct government into our classroom?
The teacher will collect responses to these questions for assessment.
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)
Formative Assessment: Students will be assessed through anecdotal
notes during participation in groups. The teacher will also take
anecdotal notes during discussion, checking for comprehension of the
purpose/significance of town meetings and general grasp of the town
meeting format.
These two assessments will be included for the purpose of
measuring student learning and quality of instruction. If students
are able to actively participate and contribute to their groups, it
follows that they have learned something about town meeting
formats and the purpose of town meetings.
Summative Assessment: The teacher will collect group Official
Complaint forms as well as exit slips to be considered for assessment.
Official Complaint forms and exit slips will be collected for
assessment as a tangible representation of success with lesson
objectives. The forms completed during group work explore the
students abilities to form discussions in a format appropriate for
town meetings while also assessing their use of classroom
materials. Exit slips clearly assess the objectives of the lesson
and provide objective data in relation to student performance.
1.8 Materials/Equipment
A. STUDENT MATERIALS/ READING RESOURCES: The students will require
Official Complaint forms, Warrant outlines, exit slip worksheets,
paper, pencils, iPads, and the following resources for extended study:
Modern town meetings:
Galvin, W. Citizens Guide to Town Meetings. Retrieved March 1,
2015, from http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cistwn/twnidx.htm

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Primary Sources from:

Lesson Plans: Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://resources.osv.org/school/lesson_plans/ShowLessons.php?
PageID=P&LessonID=25&DocID=1126&UnitID=
Extended study, colonial period/town meetings:
Lutz, A. The 13 Colonies: Life in Early America. Retrieved March
2, 2015, from http://education-portal.com/academy/lesson/13colonies-colonial-life-economics-politics.html
Nichols, H. Amazingly simple graphic design. Retrieved February 27,
2015, from https://www.canva.com (presentation, infographic)
B. TEACHER MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR LESSON DESIGN: The teacher
will use one presentation created on the website Canva (cited below,)
one inforgraphic created on Canva, paper and pencil for anecdotal
notes, forms for assessment previously discussed, a SmartBoard, and
the following resources:
Nichols, H. Amazingly simple graphic design. Retrieved February
27, 2015, from
https://www.canva.com (presentation, infographic)
Eisenhart, D. Colonial Rules. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from

http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst219.ht
ml
Galvin, W. Citizens Guide to Town Meetings. Retrieved March 1,
2015, from
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cistwn/twnidx.htm
Lesson Plans: Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://resources.osv.org/school/lesson_plans/ShowLessons.
php?PageID=P&LessonID=25&DocID=1126&UnitID=
Massachusetts Town Meeting Votes on Environmental Issues.
Retrieved March
1, 2015, from http://buzzardsbay.org/massachusetts-townmeetings.htm
McClelland, A. Hear ye! Hear ye! The Town Meeting is Called to
Order!
Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://www.firstladies.org/curriculum/curriculum.aspx?
Curriculum=933

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New England Town Meetings. (2010, May 21). Retrieved March 1,

2015, from
http://participedia.net/en/methods/new-england-townmeetings
Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/town meeting
C. SOURCES CHART (SEE FOLLOWING PAGES)

Source

Significa
nce

Evaluation

Bylaws. Retrieved March 2, 2015,

from
http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/bylaws

MI

N/A

Eisenhart, D.. Colonial Rules.

Retrieved March 1, 2015, from
http://ofcn.org/cyber.serv/academy/
ace/soc/cecsst/cecsst219.html

MI

N/A

Massachusetts Town Meeting Votes

on Environmental Issues. Retrieved
March 1, 2015, from
http://buzzardsbay.org/massachuset
ts-town-meetings.htm

SI

Reliability:
1. .org website
2. Run by a national
organization (National
Estuary Program)
3. Purpose is to inform
the public about
governmental issues
in relation to their
program
Accessibility: This is
relatively easy to access for
all, with no restrictions, and
provides safe content for

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students.
McClelland, A. Hear ye! Hear ye!
The Town Meeting is Called to
Order! Retrieved February 28, 2015,
from
http://www.firstladies.org/curriculum
/curriculum.aspx?Curriculum=933

SI

Reliability:
1. .org website
2. Lesson plan created
by the National First
Ladies Library
3. No outside
advertisements and
discusses a wide
variety of topics
Accessibility: Easy to
access for teachers, but not
useful to students, as it is in
a lesson plan format.

Galvin, W. Citizens Guide to Town

Meetings. Retrieved March 1, 2015,
from
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cistw
n/twnidx.htm

SI

Reliability:
1. .state.ma.us (from a
state website
Secretary of the
Commonwealth of
MA)
2. Website contains
information directly
from the state
regarding all aspects
of voting
3. Provides multiple
contact options with
no intruding material
Accessibility: This website
is easily accessible, and
provides information in a
simple Q&A format that
would be useful to anyone
looking to further their
knowledge.

New England Town Meetings. (2010,

May 21). Retrieved March 1, 2015,
from
http://participedia.net/en/methods/n
ew-england-town-meetings

MI

N/A

Lesson Plans: Town Meeting.

Retrieved February 28, 2015, from

SI

Reliability:

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http://resources.osv.org/school/lesso
n_plans/ShowLessons.php?
PageID=P&LessonID=25&DocID=11
26&UnitID=

1. .org website
2. Old Sturbridge Village
is an 1830s New
England living history
museum
3. Specializes in colonial
history, provides
standards and reliable
primary resources

Containing primary sources from:

Benjamin F. Thomas,
Goodwins Town Officer,
Fourth Edition (Worcester,
Mass.: Dorr, Howland & Co.,
1837), 139-140. Edited by
Old Sturbridge Village.

Accessibility: Easy to
access and contains all
related content on one
simple page with clickable
tabs. Lesson Content and
Teacher Resources are not
as useful for students, but
contains many primary
sources and related articles.

Isaac Goodwin, Town Officer;

or, Laws of Massachusetts
relative to the duties of
municipal officers, 3rd Edition
(Worcester: Dorr and
Howland, 1834), 321-322.
Town Meeting. Retrieved February
28, 2015, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/town
meeting

MI

N/A

Lutz, A. The 13 Colonies: Life in

Early America. Retrieved March 2,
2015, from http://educationportal.com/academy/lesson/13colonies-colonial-life-economicspolitics.html

MI

N/A

D. TEACHER CONTENT NOTES

I.

Background Information/Vocabulary
a. Direct Government vs. Indirect/Representative Government
i. Direct = the people vote and their votes are put into
law/procedure/process
ii. Indirect/Representative = the people vote for
representatives who vote on the issues that are put into
law/procedure/process
1. See infographic (attached)

II.

Town Meetings: The basics

a. What is a town meeting?

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i. Definition of a town meeting from Meriam Webster:

a meeting of the people who live in a town to pass laws
for the town or to discuss town problems, issues, etc.
b. First town meeting held in Faneuil Hall in Boston, in 1743
c. Town meetings continue today, and are considered a legislative
entity in may New England States (most towns under 50,000
residents)
d. Minimum number of voters in attendance to hold a town
meeting determined by towns bylaws
i. Definition of bylaws from Meriam Webster: a law or
regulation that is made by a local government and that
applies only to the local area

(McClelland)
III.

Participants of town meetings

a. Board of selectmen and selectwomen
i. Five people total
ii. Assist in running the meeting
iii. Finalize the Warrant (agenda) for each meeting
iv. Elected by the townspeople
b. Clerk
i. Sends out the Warrant for the meeting
ii. Keeps records of each individual town meeting
iii. Maintains list of all eligible voters
c. Moderator
i. Runs the town meeting
ii. Elected by the townspeople
d. Class members
i. These are all eligible voters/townspeople
1. In modern town meetings, attendees must be
registered voters unless an exception is given via
bylaws

(McClelland) & (Lesson Plans: Town Meeting)

IV.

Warrants
a. Defines Articles (public issues) to be discussed and voted on in
each meeting
i. Must have at least one Article
b. Acts as a syllabus for the meeting
i. Contains time & date of meeting

(Massachusetts Town Meeting)

V.

Structure of town meetings

a. Meeting called to order by Moderator

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b. Each discussion point read, deliberated, and voted on

individually
i. Ways to vote:
1. Voice vote
a. Yea or nay
2. Show of hands
a. Raise hand if in agreement with passage of
3. Roll call
a. Call each voter by name and make vote
4. Standing/Rising vote
a. All in favor stand and counted
b. All opposed stand and counted
5. Secret ballots
a. Vote given without public display of opinion
c. May use either a simple majority or supermajority voting system
i. Towns bylaws may determine what exactly this means
d. Throughout:
i. Moderator maintains order and must select people before
they speak
1. If someone is given a warning and continues to be
disruptive, the Moderator is able to suggest their
removal
ii. The Clerk takes avid notes on all of the goings-on at the
meeting

(Galvin)
VI.

What were they used for & why were they so important?
a. Discuss issues within each town and resolve conflicts
i. Were originally used to discuss land, agriculture, and
trade policies/conflicts
ii. Used to consider budgets
b. Gave members of a town a forum for organized discussion
c. Existed before larger organized government existed in the
Colonies (other than oversight by British leaders)

VII.

(Massachusetts Town Meeting)

Problems with town meetings
a. Often have problems with rowdiness
i. Rules regarding profanity/name-calling are generally
embedded into the process
ii. Some modern communities hold online town meetings to
combat this

(New England Town Meetings, 2010)

b. Low attendance may interfere with requirements of by-laws
i. Incentives sometimes given to encourage attendance

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(Galvin)
VIII.

The modern application of Town Meeting

a. Continue to provide a forum for towns to participate in direct
government
b. Discuss budgetary decisions
c. Generally held minimum of twice a year
i. Spring meeting typically used to vote on budget for
following year
d. Registered voters may attend
e. Alternative to city government which consists of legislative and
executive branches incorporating a mayor
(Galvin)

IX.

Extended applications of town meetings

a. Town meetings in the context of the classroom
i. How can we incorporate direct government into the
classroom?
1. Weekly classroom meetings? Votes on classroom
rules?
b. Primary sources:
i. Lesson Plans: Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015,
from
http://resources.osv.org/school/lesson_plans/ShowLessons.
php?PageID=P&LessonID=25&DocID=1126&UnitID=
1. Shows old records of Warrants/procedures

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Resources
Bylaws. Retrieved March 2, 2015, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/bylaws
Massachusetts Town Meeting Votes on Environmental Issues. Retrieved March 1, 2015
from http://buzzardsbay.org/massachusetts-town-meetings.htm
McClelland, A. Hear ye! Hear ye! The Town Meeting is Called to Order! Retrieved
February 28, 2015, from
http://www.firstladies.org/curriculum/curriculum.aspx?Curriculum=933
Galvin, W. Citizens Guide to Town Meetings. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/cis/cistwn/twnidx.htm
New England Town Meetings. (2010, May 21). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from
http://participedia.net/en/methods/new-england-town-meetings
Lesson Plans: Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from
http://resources.osv.org/school/lesson_plans/ShowLessons.php?
PageID=P&LessonID=25&DocID=1126&UnitID=
Containing primary sources from:
Benjamin F. Thomas, Goodwins Town Officer, Fourth Edition
(Worcester, Mass.: Dorr, Howland & Co., 1837), 139-140. Edited
by Old Sturbridge Village.
Isaac Goodwin, Town Officer; or, Laws of Massachusetts relative to the
duties of municipal officers, 3rd Edition (Worcester: Dorr and
Howland, 1834), 321-322.
Town Meeting. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/town meeting
1.9 Technology
The teacher will use a SmartBoard, presentations created in Canva, and iPads
for students exploring the provided extended resources.

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2.1 Reflection on Planning

Writing this plan required a significant amount of attention to detail
and outside research. Because of the focus on including all materials
required for the lesson, I felt mildly disorganized in my approach. Fathoming
the breadth of materials required a certain amount of pre-planning that I did
not complete. I believe that if I were to create a general outline of all
documents included and begin with a base knowledge in town meetings, the
planning component would have gone a bit more smoothly.
The potential successes of this lesson are student involvement and
enjoyment. I thoroughly believe that students are more likely to learn if they
are engaged in hands-on activities related to the lesson, and this particular
plan addresses that well. This lesson is also strong in the sense that it applies
a historical concept that has translated into modern times to the students
lives.
My major concern for lesson implementation is lack of order in the
classroom after showing the New Classroom Rules presentation. Students
may become excited and concerned by the proposal and respond in a
negative fashion. The teacher will rely on classroom management skills to
avoid this, and will proceed as if teaching a regular lesson.

Adapted from H. Leaman, fall 2010

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