UNIT TITLE: American Revolution
Author: Robert W. Wielgos
School: Reavis High School: Burbank, Il 
THEME: American Revolution
BROAD CONCEPT: Freedom
GRADES: 7-9
INTEGRATED SUBJECTS: United States History, Geography, Math, and Reading
UNIT GOALS AND PURPOSE
· Students will identify major events leading up to the Revolution.
· Students will identify historical characters and their contribution to the revolution and creation of the American government.
· Students will identify the countries involved in the Revolution, as well as, identify the benefits of each country.
· Students will synthesize parts of the Declaration of Independence and restate in their own words.
·
Students will identify and place historical events on a
time line.
TIME FRAME: 10 - 15 day unit
OBJECTIVES:
In this lesson, students will:
- Use the internet to research and investigate the background of the Revolution
- Use inspiration to organize data
- Use Excel and Kid Pix to organize data into graphs
- Use power point to create slideshows that demonstrate what they have learned about a specific individual from the Revolution
- Create a time line showing the major events of the Revolution
MATERIALS:
- General materials and equipment
United States History Book ruler
art supplies map of the United States
overhead projector paper
- Technology tools
computer
- Software Used in this Unit
Microsoft Word Microsoft PowerPoint
Kid Pix Inspiration
Excel
ILLINOIS STATE STANDARDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT:
Social Studies
16.A.3a Describe how historians use models for organizing historical interpretation (e.g., biographies, political events, issues and conflicts).
16.A.3b Make inferences about historical events and eras using historical maps and other historical sources.
16.A.3c Identify the differences between historical fact and interpretation.
16.B.3a (US) Describe how different groups competed for power within the colonies and how that competition led to the development of political institutions during the early national period.
16.B.3b (US) Explain how and why the colonies fought for their independence and how the colonists' ideas are reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.
16.B.3c (US) Describe the way the Constitution has changed over time as a result of amendments and Supreme Court decisions.
16.B.3d (US) Describe ways in which the United States developed as a world political power
16.C.3a (US) Describe economic motivations that attracted Europeans and others to the Americas, 1500-1750.
16.C.3b (US) Explain relationships among the American economy and slavery, immigration, industrialization, labor and urbanization, 1700-present.
16.C.3c (US) Describe how economic developments and government policies after 1865 affected the country's economic institutions including corporations, banks and organized labor.
GEOGRAPHY
17.A.2a Compare the physical characteristics of places
including soils, land forms, vegetation, wildlife, climate, natural hazards.
17.A.3b Explain how to make and use geographic
representations to provide and enhance spatial information including maps,
graphs, charts, models, aerial photographs, satellite images
17.D.2a Describe how physical characteristics of places influence people's perceptions and their roles in the world over time.
17.D.2b
Identify
different settlement patterns in Illinois and the United States and relate them
to physical features and resources.
MATH
7.B.3 Select and
apply instruments including rulers and protractors and units of measure to the
degree of accuracy required
7.A.1c
Identify
and describe the relative values and relationships among coins and solve
addition and subtraction problems using currency.
7.C.2a Describe relationships in a simple scale drawing.
7.C.2b Construct or draw figures with given perimeters and areas
STUDENT ACTIVITIES WHICH WILL PROMOTE ENGAGED LEARNING:
Activity #1 Calm before the Storm
Students, with the aid of the teacher, will review colonial life leading up to the American Revolution and discuss the causes and results of the French and Indian War. A K-W-L chart will be developed in order to gain a better understanding of what the students know and don’t know.
Activity #2 Colonial Economy
Create a token colonial economy where students earn a red token for work that they complete during class. This list of work and rewards will be created by the class with help form the instructor and is to be followed through out the unit. After day two, the instructor is to start charging the students for everyday activities, restroom usage, borrowing paper, pens, and using the garbage. This token economy provides a basis for discussion at the end of each day about how the colonists may have felt about being taxed.
Activity #3 Weapons of War
Students need to understand what an enormous undertaking the colonies were about to embark upon. With help form the textbook, internet, and other outside sources student are instructed to construct three pie graphs using correct figures from the time period showing the amount of population, weapons, and industry each country involved had.
Activity #4 Participants
With the understanding of which countries had the had the upper hand from the previous days project, students are given an enlarged map of the original thirteen colonies. With this map students are instructed to find the total population of each of the thirteen states and place it in the state. Next, they are to find out the number of soldiers each state provided for the war and place that in the state. Lastly, the students are ask to provide a fraction of the soldiers sent relative to the population and place that in the state.
Activity #5 Lets get down to Business
Create a list (Sugar Act, Currency Act, Stamp Act, Townshend Act, Boston Massacre, Boston Tea Party, 1st Continental Congress) and any other events the instructor may deem important. Instruct students to create a time line placing the list of events in chronological order. Students should also be instructed to give a brief description of the event and how it contributed to the Revolutionary War.
Activity #6 Struggle for Independence
Students are given a list of battles that they need to research. For each event they will need to find the date the event occurred, a brief summary of what happened, and where they found the information (i.e., book, URL,). Using a graphic organizer students are to write at least two complete sentences for each event.
Activity #7 Struggle for Independence
(cont.)
With the information gathered from the previous day students are instructed to place the battles that they have been given correctly on the map. Once the battles have been placed in the correct location, students are to determine how many miles they would have to march, using the map scale, to have participated in all of the battles.
Activity #8 Yummy….. Dinner Time!
Exploring camp life for both Americans and the British and to truly get an understanding of life on the road, students are given recipes of what an enlisted soldier would be eating. Ingredients for the recipe are provide. Students are instructed to create one wonderful meal with the use of their recipe.
Activity #9 Declaration of Independence
Read and review the document in GREAT detail. Present a list of the Declaration’s signers. Using the given occupations, religions, national origins and ages, students will be instructed to graph the average statistics.
Activity #10 The End
Present events that took place in October 1781 when Cornwallis was surrounded at Yorktown. Discuss the importance Peace of Paris and events that followed at the conclusion of the war. Review with the students to test knowledge they gained from the unit.
SHARE YOUR IDEAS:
FINAL ASSESSMENT As the instructor you can decide on a rubric and the type of assessment needed but below are types of assessment I have used in the past.
1. Have students chose an individual from the Declaration of Independence and construct a power point presentation on that individual.
2. Students can recreate a battle scene in scale model.
3. Students can create a
Revolutionary War newspaper. The
purpose of the newspaper is for students to create articles detailing the
highlights of the revolution and creation of the American government, as well
as, identifying important people, events and documents.
STUDENT AND TEACHER ROLES:
TEACHER
· To act as the facilitator and guide for the students
· Provide correlation between classroom activates and real-life situations.
· Provide opportunities for interaction among students to investigate, explore, and collaborate in order to create and problem solve.
· Create a learning environment that is flexible and invites learning.
· Provide many and varied tools and resources to empower your students.
STUDENT
· Apply previously learned information and skills
· Take responsibility for learning
· Collaborate and share information and learning with others
· Actively participate in learning.
ADDITIONAL REFERENCE PRINT RESOURCES STUDENTS MAY USE :
World Book Encyclopedia
FOR ADDITIONAL ONLINE INFORMATION AND MEDIA PERTAINING TO THIS UNIT, TEACHERS MAY WANT TO USE THE FOLLOWING INTERNET ARTICLES:
1. Mr. Donn’s History Pages
http://members.aol.com/donnandlee/SiteIndex.html#History
This web page provides teachers with lesson plans for
all subjects including history. These
lessons provide interactive hands on learning for the students.
2. Uncle Sam
Image Gallery
http://home.nycap.rr.com/content/unclesam.html
This site provides, teachers and students alike, a
plethora of American images and photos that individuals can use in their
presentation.
3. Liberty; The American
Revolution
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/
This PBS web site provides headlines, timelines,
resource material and related topics, as well as, other information on the
American Revolution.
4.
13 Originals; The Thirteen Colonies
http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html
This web site provides a map of the original thirteen
colonies, along with providing the students with a brief history on the
founding of each of the thirteen colonies.
5. Can you
make them behave, King George?
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/curriculum/socialstd/grade5/Cant_Behave.html
This web site gives teachers some lesson ideas on how to
incorporate revolution economics into the unit they are teaching.
6.
Revolutionary Road Maps
http://www.bres.boothbay.k12.me.us/wq/nhicks/rd_map_student_page.htm
This web site gives teachers ideas of how to incorporate
map making into a Revolutionary War unit, by providing some samples along with
a scoring rubric.
RELEVANT INFORMATION, STUDENTS WILL VISIT THE FOLLOWING WEB SITES:
1. The History Place; American Revolution
http://webpdp.gator.com/v3/webpdp_v3_detect.php?yic=HIC_L90DT
Supplemental background information on the American Revolution
This web site provide students with chunks of
information on important topics that occurred within certain years during the
revolution
2. From Revolution to Reconstruction
Supplemental background information on
the American Revolution
This web site provides students with time-lines for
American History, American Government, and American literature from the time
period. It also contains original
documents that may be helpful.
3. Spy letters from the American Revolution
http://www.si.umich.edu/spies/
Original Documents
Actual letters and stories of the spying that took place
on both sides during the Revolution.
4. Virtual Marching Tours of
the American Revolution
http://www.ushistory.org/march/
Views of the actual battle fields
This web site provides students with a virtual of thirty
different battle fields. This helps
students construct their own battle fields.
5. Reference Resources: American
Revolution
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/American_Revolution.html
Supplemental resources for students
Provides students with important facts that they may not
have received or understood from using their textbooks. Great for additional information.
6. Songs from the American Revolution
http://users.erols.com/candidus/music.htm
The web site contains twelve songs, in there entirety, these songs provide students with background information on how each side felt during the Revolutionary War.
