visual literacy unit on the american revolution by andrea...

Visual Literacy Unit on the American Revolution 1

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Visual Literacy Unit on the American Revolution

By

Andrea Fossum

July 25, 2012

Language and Literacy Development/ EDCI509

With Dr. Pratt

The University of Mary Washington


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Table of Contents

Virginia SOL's Covered in Unit…………………………………………………….…...…..3

Rationale for Unit………………………………………………………………………...….3

Teaching Goals………………………………………………………………………....……4

Student Outcomes……………………………………………………………………..….…5

Essential Questions………………………………………………………………….…..…..6

Essential Unit Vocabulary…………………………………………………………..……….7

Meta-Cognitive Strategies Embedded in Unit……………………………….……….…........7

Pre-Assessment with Rubric…………………………………………………………..……..8

Texts Used for the Unit………………………………………………………………….…...11

Lesson One (Events Leading Up to the Revolution)…………………………………….…..13

Lesson Two (Compare and Contrast the Viewpoints of the British and Colonists)…………16

Lesson Three (Paul Revere and 'The Shot Heard Round the World')………………………..18

Lesson Four (The Declaration of Independence)…………………………………….………21

Lesson Five (Printing the Declaration of Independence)……………………………….……23

Lesson Six (Thomas Jefferson)………………………………………………………..……..26

Lesson Seven (The Main Events of the Revolutionary War)………………………….……..28

Lesson Eight (Phillis Wheatley)………………………………………………….….………..31

Lesson Nine (Contributions of Benjamin Franklin and George Washington)……………..…33

Lesson Ten (Role Playing Key Players of the Revolutionary War)…………………………..36

Summative Assessment with Rubric………………………………………………………….39

Unit Calendar…………………………………………………………………………………43

References………………………………………………………………………………….…44


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Virginia SOL's Covered in Unit

Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s

USI.6 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the American

Revolution by:

a) Identifying the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the American Revolution;

b) Identifying how political ideas shaped the revolutionary movement in America and led to

the Declaration of Independence;

c) Describing key events and the roles of key individuals in the American Revolution, with

emphasis on George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick

Henry;

d) Explaining reasons why the colonies were able to defeat Great Britain.

Rationale for Unit

The purpose of the Visual Literacy Unit on the American Revolution is to introduce

students to the American Revolution while strengthening their literacy skills and meta-cognitive

abilities. The students will be able to identify the events that led to the Revolution as well as

rationalize why the events took place. The children will look at the Sugar Act, the Stamp Act,

the Townshend Acts, the Tea Act and the Intolerable Acts from both loyalist and patriot

viewpoints. The students will become familiar with the significant events of the Revolution and

understand the aspects that make the events important. They will also look at the contributions

of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and Phillis Wheatley

towards gaining American independence. The students will also study the Declaration of

Independence, its authors and the freedoms that it guarantees. It is imperative for students to


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learn about the history of their country's independence and the principles on which the United

Sates was founded.

While teaching the students about the Revolutionary War, they will be engaged in

multiple literacy activities to strengthen their reading, writing, speaking, viewing and listening

skills. The students will employ higher level thought while working through the lessons,

assignments and assessments. In addition, they will develop their meta-cognitive abilities to

predict what will happen in a text by looking at the title, pictures and time period in which it was

written; check for understanding while they are reading by questioning themselves; and check

for understanding after reading by summarizing key events from the text.

Teaching Goals

Teach the SOLs

Use role playing and compare/contrast activities to help students to look at life events

from different viewpoints, which will help them to be more tolerant, understanding and

compassionate.

Increase the students' working vocabulary by introducing them to new words and giving

them multiple exposures and opportunities to use the words.

Help the students to become better readers by giving them tools for increasing their

comprehension before, during and after reading.

Help the students to become better writers by giving them multiple, varied and authentic

opportunities to write.

Help the students become better speakers by giving them formal and informal speaking

opportunities.


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Help the students become better listeners by explicitly teaching them how to actively

listen to people as they speak or read aloud.

Help the students become better viewers by showing them how to set a purpose for

watching a film and by using viewing guides. In addition, teach students how to interpret

pictures, painting and cartoons using symbolism and other visual cues.

Teach students to monitor their own understanding through predicting what a text will be

about before reading, self-questioning, checking back if they don't understand, and

summarizing after reading.

Teach the students the importance of the printing press during the Revolution. Show

them how media has evolved.

Student Outcomes

The student will understand the frustration of the colonists who were controlled by a

country that was an ocean away.

The students will understand why the British had tightened the reins on the colonies prior

to the Revolutionary War.

The students will learn the events leading up to the Revolutionary War, including the

Sugar Act, the Stamp Act, the Townshend Acts, the Tea Act and the Intolerable Acts.

The students will be able to indentify, explain and sequence the key events of the

Revolutionary War. The key events include:

o The Boston Massacre

o The Boston Tea Party

o The First Continental Congress

o The battles of Lexington and Concord


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o The approval of the Declaration of Independence

o The battle of Saratoga

o The battle and surrender at Yorktown

o The signing of the Treaty of Paris

The students will be able to identify key individuals of the Revolutionary War including,

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Paul Revere and Phillis

Wheatley. They will also be able to explain how these individuals contributed to the

independence of the United States.

The students will learn to differentiate between primary source and secondary source

documents.

They will learn that even non-fiction texts can be biased.

Students will learn to look at events from multiple viewpoints as well as evaluate non-

fiction texts.

They will learn strategies for organizing and understanding non-fiction texts before,

during and after reading.

Students will learn how to interpret and understand paintings, pictures and cartoons by

looking at the setting, mood, characters, authors' viewpoints, time period in which it was

created and embedded symbolism.

Essential Questions

What events led up to the Revolutionary War?

What government philosophies were represented in the Declaration of Independence?


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What role did George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, Paul Revere and

Phillis Wheatley play in the Revolutionary war? Who were some other key players, and

what did they do?

What were the key events of the Revolutionary War? Why were they important?

How were the revolutionaries able to win the war against the more powerful British?

Essential Unit Vocabulary

1. Democracy

2. Tariff

3. Loyalist

4. Treason

5. Boycott

6. Patriot

7. Minuteman

8. Revolution

9. Allegiance

10. Declaration

11. Encroach

12. Regiment

13. Treaty

14. Liberty

Meta-cognitive Strategies Embedded in Unit

1. Predicting

2. Questioning or Checking Back

3. Summarizing


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Pre-Assessment


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Category 3 2 1 0

Question 1 The student

accurately

determined what

the people in the

painting are doing

and gave 2 or more

supporting details.

The student

accurately

determined what

the people in the

painting are doing

and gave 1 or more

supporting details.

The student

accurately

determined what the

people in the

painting are doing

but gave no

supporting details.

The student did not

determine what the

people in the painting

are doing.


correctly named 3

or more people in

the painting.

The student

correctly named 2

or more people in

the painting.

The student

correctly named 1 or

more people in the

painting

The student could not

name any of the

people in the

painting.


identified 3 or

more specific

details they would

like to learn about

the painting.

The student

identified 2 specific

details they would

like to learn about

the painting.

The student

identified 1 specific

detail they would

like to learn about

the painting.

The student did not

identify any details

they would like to

learn about the

painting.


identified 5 precise

events that led up

to the Revolution.

The student

identified 3-4

precise events that

led up to the

Revolution.

The student

identified 1-2

precise events that

led up to the

Revolution.

The student identified

none of the events

that led up to the

Revolution.


identified 3 or

more things they

want to learn about

with regard to the

origin of the

Revolution.

The student

identified 2 things

they want to learn

about with regard

to the origin of the

Revolution.

The student

identified 1thing

they want to learn

about with regard to

the origin of the

Revolution.

The student did not

identify anything

that they want to

learn about with

regard to the origin of

the Revolution.


identified and

explained 5-8

significant events

of the Revolution.

The student

identified and

explained 3-7

significant events

of the Revolution.

The student

identified and

explained 1-2

significant events of

the Revolution.

The student could not

identify any of the

significant events of

the Revolution.


identified 3 or

more things they

want to learn about

the primary events

of the Revolution.

The student

identified 2 things

they want to learn

about the primary

events of the

Revolution.

The student

identified 1 thing

they want to learn

about the primary

events of the

Revolution.

The student did not

identify anything

they want to learn

about the primary

events of the

Revolution.

Vocabulary

Use

The student used10

or more unit

vocabulary words.

The student used 4-

9 vocabulary

words.

The student used 1-3

vocabulary words.

The student did not

use any of the unit

vocabulary words.


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Texts used for the Unit

Comic

Parisi, M.. George Washington Comic. Retrieved on July 28, 2012 from

http://www.offthemark.com/cartoons/george+washington/pg/2/.

Political Cartoons

Darley, Matthew. (1777). Poor old England endeavoring to reclaim his wicked American

children. Darley. London, England. Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a35347/.

The Providential Detection. Retrieved on July 28, 2012 from

http://www.people.vcu.edu/~djbromle/portrait04/steve/portraitpropaganda.htm

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57052320@N05/5265242910/.

Graphic Novels

Benjamin Franklin Graphic Biography. (2008). Saddleback Educational Publishing, Inc. Irvine

CA. Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from

http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=4847.

George Washington Graphic Biography. (2008). Saddleback Educational Publishing, Inc. Irvine,



Mack, S. (1994). Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels: A History in Comics

of the American Revolution. NBM Publishing. New York, NY.

Thomas Jefferson Graphic Biography. (2008). Saddleback Educational Publishing, Inc. Irvine,



http://www.offthemark.com/cartoons/george+washington/pg/2/


http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a35347/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/57052320@N05/5265242910/

http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=4847




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Films

Camello, Jeffery. (2010). Liberty! The American Revolution. Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=American_Revolutionary_War&video

_id=18 6349.

Shields, Robin. 2005. Publishing the Declaration of Independence (Library of Congress)

Retrieved July 25, 2012. http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3709.

Picture Book

Lasky, Kathryn. (2005). A Voice of Her Own: A Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet.

Candlewick Press. Somerville, Massachusetts.

Longfellow, H. W. (1996). Paul Revere's Ride. Puffins Books. London, England.

Primary Source Documents

Declaration of Independence. (July 4, 1776).

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/declaration/pdf/final.pdf

Eyewitness Accounts of the 'Boston Massacre'. A History Wiz Primary Source. Retrieved on

July 28, 2012 from http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/eyewit-boston.htm.

Wheatley, Phillis (1773). On Virtue, On being brought from Africa to America, & On

Imagination. Anthology of American Literature. 9th

ed. Vol. 1. George McMichael,

James S. Leonard, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, David Bradley, Dana D. Nelson, and Joseph

Csicsila eds. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. 526-532. Print.

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=American_Revolutionary_War&video_id=186349


http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3709


http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/eyewit-boston.htm


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Lesson One- Events Leading Up to the Revolution

Literacy Focus: Viewing

Video: Liberty! The American Revolution

Objective: The students will be able to identify and define the key events leading up to the

American Revolution and become familiar with the vocabulary for the unit.

Vocabulary Focus: Introduce unit vocabulary words.

Materials:

1. Computer with internet access hooked to a projector.

2. Viewing guide for each child.

3. Frayer vocabulary poster for each pair of students.

4. American Revolution Word Wall in classroom.

5. Access to the cartoon 'The Reconciliation'.

6. For each child, a graphic organizer for the events leading up to the Revolution assessment.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will begin by asking the students if the know how the United States became a

free country. After a brief discussion, the teacher will introduce the unit. Then, she will read the

unit vocabulary words to the class. The class will define each word with the teacher's help.

Next, the students will be paired randomly,

and each pair will choose a vocabulary word

from a bucket. They will create a Frayer

poster for their word, which is shown here.

They can use books on the Revolutionary

War provided by the teacher if they need


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help. Once they have created their poster, they will present it to the class and hang it on the

American Revolution word wall. Those students who finish early can read one of the books that

the teacher has provided on the Revolutionary War.

Next, the teacher will ask the students how Americans gained independence and freedom

from Great Britain. She will then show the children the cartoon, 'The Reconciliation.' After

giving the students a few moments to study the picture, she will ask them what the cartoon

means. She will point out symbols and words that give clues to the cartoon's meaning. Next, the

class will watch the short video 'Liberty! The American Revolution'. Before the video begins,

the teacher will pass out a viewing guide to each student. The viewing guide will include the

following questions:

1. What is the title of the video?

2. What were the key events that caused the Revolutionary War?

3. What is a minuteman?

4. What is a commander in chief?

5. What is a patriot?

6. What is a loyalist?

After viewing the video, the students will share their answers with their neighbor. Then,

the students will find new partners and share their answers again. The teacher will ensure that all

of the students have answers to all of their questions. The class will come together and have a

short discussion about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War.


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Assessment:

The students will complete a graphic organizer about the five most important events

leading up to the American Revolution. The graphic organizer, which is adapted from one found

in the Virginia SOL Curriculum framework will look like the one below:

Act

Description of

Act

Reason for

Act

Patriot

Response

Loyalist

Response

Sugar Act

(1764)

Stamp Act

(1765)

Townshend Acts

(1767)

Tea Act

(1773)

Intolerable Acts

(1774)

Reflection:

This lesson gives students multiple opportunities to perform at the higher level of

Bloom's Taxonomy. First, they are engaged in analyzing and interpreting a political cartoon by

looking at the symbolism, setting, characters and word choice. The students are also checking

back to make sure that they understood the video and the questions on the viewing guide by

meeting with classmates to discuss answers. The students are also beginning to see the different

views held by the colonists and those held by the British. They are looking at this important

event through different lenses.


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Lesson Two- Compare and Contrast the Viewpoints of the British and Colonists

Literacy focus: Speaking

Primary Source Doc.: Eyewitness Accounts of the Boston Massacre & Political Cartoon: 'Poor

old England endeavoring to reclaim his wicked American children,' by M. Darley.

Objective: The students will understand the differing viewpoints of the British and the colonists

surrounding the Boston Massacre.

Vocabulary Focus: Patriot & Loyalist

Materials:

1. A computer with internet access for each pair of students.

2. Eyewitness accounts from the Boston Massacre from:


Lesson Overview:

The teacher will begin by showing the students the political cartoon, 'Poor old England

endeavoring to reclaim his wicked American children,' by M. Darley. She will give the students

a few minutes to look at the cartoon, and then ask them "Who do you think is represented in this

cartoon?" She will teach the children how to look at the symbolism, characters, setting, time

period and word choice in order to predict what is happening in a picture. She will explain that

pictures are to be read and interpreted just like text. Together, they will identify the main idea

of the picture to be the struggle between England and the Colonies. Then, the teacher will give

the students some background information about the Boston Massacre.

Next, the teacher will have the students draw numbers from a bowl. Their number will

either be a 1, which means that they will be defending the loyalists or a 2, which means they will

be defending the patriots. The loyalists will read Captain Thomas Preston's review of the Boston




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Massacre, and the patriots will read the review from an anonymous author. Before they begin

reading, the teacher will explain that they will be participating in an informal debate about who

was at fault for the Boston Massacre. The advocates of the loyalists are the "supporters" and the

advocates for the patriots will be the "opposers."

After reading, the groups will meet and select a spokesperson. Then, for fifteen minutes

the groups will write down four or five arguments that support their view. The teacher will

closely monitor to ensure all students are participating in the discussion. Next, the teacher will

ask the "supporters" to make an opening statement. Then, the "opposers" make a statement and

the volley continues until all points have been covered. The teacher will debrief the students by

reviewing the major components of the debate and viewpoints of the patriots and loyalists. She

will also reassure the students that this exercise was a mock debate and that the arguments that

were made did not come from the students but from the primary source documents they had read.

Assessment:

The students will complete a Venn diagram, where one circle represents the views of the

patriots and the other circle represents the views of the loyalists. They will also write a sentence

using the word patriot and one using the word loyalist in their vocabulary notebook.

Reflection:

The students are gaining a deeper understanding of the words 'patriot' and 'loyalist' by

defending their positions. They are also learning to look at events from different perspectives.

In order to participate in the debate, the students had to use the meta-cognitive ability to question

their understanding of the material so their defense would be sound.


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Lesson 3: Paul Revere and 'The Shot Heard Round the World'

Literacy Focus: Listening and predicting

Picture Book: Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow

Objectives: The students will understand the contributions of Paul Revere to the American

Revolution and be able to identify the beginning point in the Revolutionary War.

Vocabulary Focus: Revolution, boycott & tariff

Materials:

1. The book Paul Revere's Ride by Longfellow

2. 'The Bloody Massacre' by Paul Revere

3. A graphic organizer for each child

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will open by asking the children what events led up to the Revolutionary

War. After their prior knowledge has been activated, she will show the students the painting,

'The Bloody Massacre' by Paul Revere and ask them to infer what is happening in the painting.

She will record their predictions on the board. Then, she will confirm that this is a painting of

the Bloody Massacre painted by Paul Revere. She will give the students a little background

knowledge on Paul Revere. Next, she will show the children the cover to the picture book, Paul

Revere's Ride by Longfellow. She will ask the children to predict what will happen in the story.

She will have the children record their predictions on a graphic organizer or listening guide.

Next, the teacher will review how to use a reading guide to check for understanding while

they are reading. The reading guide asks general questions about the main idea of the text, the

author's purpose for writing, the intended audience and the important terms. By taking time to

ask questions, the reader will increase his or her comprehension of text. The teacher will


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encourage the children to fill out their graphic organizers as she reads, specifically looking for

information that confirms or denies their predictions about the book and inferences about the

painting. The teacher will pause and model when necessary to scaffold the students' initial

attempt at using a reading guide. The reading guide will include the following questions:

1. What is the title of the book?

2. What is the genre of the book?

3. What is a minuteman?

4. What is treason?

5. Define a revolution.

6. What was Paul Revere's mission?

7. Was he successful? Why or why not?

8. What was the author's purpose for writing this book?

After giving the students a few minutes to complete their listening guide, the teacher will

have the children share their answers with two friends. Then the class will come together and

discuss their answers.

Assessment:

The children will write a paragraph about the single most important event leading up to

the American Revolution. They must defend their response with factual information. In their

vocabulary notebooks, each student will use the words revolution, tariff and boycott in a

sentence that they have created.

Reflection:

The students are continuing to develop the skills they need to analyze a piece of art. In

this case, the picture is 'The Bloody Massacre' by Paul Revere. The students can tell by the


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depiction of the individuals in the painting that Paul Revere was a patriot. The painting shows

the patriots appearing mauled and unarmed while the British attack relentlessly. In addition, the

students are sharpening their meta-cognitive ability to predict what will happen in a book by

looking at the front cover, the title and the first page of the book. They are also learning to check

for understanding while listening and reading by using a reading guide. The assessment engages

them in evaluating which event was the single most important event leading up to the

Revolution. They also must formulate a defense to support their opinion.


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Lesson 4: The Declaration of Independence

Literacy Focus: Reading

Primary Source Document: The Declaration of Independence

Objectives: The students will learn the key components of the Declaration of Independence and

explore how it relates to them today.

Vocabulary Focus: Liberty & treason

Materials:

1. A computer with internet access hooked to a projector.

2. 'Declaration of Independence: July 4th 1776,' painted by N. Currier.

1. The Declaration of Independence from http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-

bin/ampage?collId=rbc3&fileName=rbc00012004pe76546page.db&recNum=0.

3. A print copy of the Declaration of Independence for each child.

4. A reading guide for each child.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will begin by asking the children about the freedoms we enjoy in the United

States. She will then ask the students if they know where their freedoms originated. After a

brief brainstorming discussion, the teacher will show the children the painting, 'Declaration of

Independence: July 4th 1776,' by Currier. She will ask the students to infer what is happening in

the picture based on their prior knowledge. Next, she will show them the original document of

the Declaration of Independence on the overhead projector. She will explain that this is the

document that first outlined our independence in America. She will then read them the

Declaration of Independence and model how to check for understanding while reading a difficult

text. Next, she will pass out a reading guide for each child. Then, the children will read the

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-%09bin/ampage?collId=rbc3&fileName=rbc0001_2004pe76546page.db&recNum=0

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-%09bin/ampage?collId=rbc3&fileName=rbc0001_2004pe76546page.db&recNum=0


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Declaration on their own and fill out the reading guide as they read. The reading guide will

consist of the following questions:

1. What is the title of the document?

2. Who wrote the document?

3. Who is the document written for?

4. What are the key points covered?

5. What is this document guaranteeing?

After reading and filling out the reading guide, the children will share their answers with

two friends. Then the class will come together and discuss the answers. The teacher will outline

the key points, or liberties, that the document covers. Then, she will lead the class in an informal

discussion about liberty and democracy.

Assessment:

Each student will write a paragraph that pinpoints three liberties that the founding fathers

recorded that are especially important to them. The students will write sentences using the words

liberty and treaty in their vocabulary notebooks.

Reflection:

The students are continuing to develop their ability to interpret pictures by looking at the

characters and setting. They are also learning to pick apart difficult texts using strategies like

reading guides. They are developing the meta-cognitive ability to check for understanding as

they read and question what they don't understand.


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Lesson 5: Printing the Declaration of Independence

Literacy Focus: Viewing

Video: 'Publishing the Declaration of Independence' by Robin Shields

Objectives: The students will review the concepts presented in the Declaration of Independence

and learn about the importance of the printing press for the colonists.

Vocabulary Focus: Declaration & allegiance

Materials:

1. A computer with internet access linked to a projector.

2. The video 'Publishing the Declaration of Independence' by Robin Shields.

3. A viewing guide for each child.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will ask the children how information is transferred in our society. She will

record the answers on the board. She will then ask the children how information was transmitted

in the late 1700s during the time of the Revolutionary War. Next, she will ask the students if

they know how the Declaration of Independence was distributed. After a brief discussion, she

will introduce the viewing guide and show the video, 'Publishing the Declaration of

Independence.' The viewing guide will set a purpose for watching, and help the students to stay

on task. The questions on the viewing guide will include:

1. What is the title of the video?

2. What challenges did the Colonists face at the beginning of the Revolutionary War?

3. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

4. Why did they write the Declaration of Independence?

5. How was the Declaration of Independence distributed?


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6. How many newspapers published the Declaration of Independence?

7. What questions do you have after watching this video?

After watching the video, the teacher will give the students a few minutes to complete

their viewing guides. Then, she will have the students get into groups of three or four to discuss

their answers to the questions. Each group will select one pertinent question that they will pose

to the class. Their question will need to be a question that engages the class in higher level

thinking. Therefore, it cannot be a recall question. Once the groups are finished, the class will

come together to discuss the pertinent question that they created. Each group will have the

opportunity to lead the discussion by asking their question. The other students and teacher will

participate in a discussion about their question.

Assessment:

Each student will create a "Declaration of Independence" for the classroom or for their

home. They must include at least three elements from America's Declaration of Independence.

In addition, they must ensure that their freedoms do not infringe on others' freedoms. They will

also need to create a masthead to place at the top of their Declaration. It must in some way

symbolize their document. They also need to write sentences using the words declaration and

allegiance in their vocabulary notebook.

Reflection:

The students are continuing to develop self monitoring skills for comprehension. They

are learning to set a purpose for watching, and check for understanding while they watch. These

important meta-cognitive abilities will ensure that they take away the intended meanings of the

video. The students are also continuing to develop the meta-cognitive ability to question things

they do not understand effectively by creating and refining their questions in a small group


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setting. They are also applying what they are learning about the Declaration by creating their

own Declaration of Independence for the classroom or for home. They are also given the

opportunity to apply the knowledge they have been acquiring throughout the unit on symbolism

within pictures by creating their own masthead for their Declaration of Independence.


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Lesson 6: Thomas Jefferson

Literacy Focus: Writing

Political Cartoon: 'The Providential Detection'

Objectives: The students will explore democracy. They will also learn about Thomas Jefferson

and his vision for the United States.

Vocabulary Focus: Democracy

Materials:


2. 'The Providential Detection.'

3. Thomas Jefferson Graphic Biography (one copy for each child).

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will begin by asking the students what they know about democracy. Then,

the teacher will lead the students in filling out a semantic map for the word democracy. The

children will be encouraged to come up with the categories for the semantic map. However, if

they are unsuccessful, the teacher can use the following categories: examples, opposites,

attributes, synonyms & forms. Then, the students will fill in the categories as a class. The

children will copy down the semantic map for democracy into their vocabulary notebooks.

Next, the teacher will introduce Thomas Jefferson as a founding father who embraced

democracy. After giving the students some background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson, the

teacher will distribute a Thomas Jefferson Graphic Biography to each child. She will give the

students a few minutes to look at the cover and flip through the pages. Then, she will ask the

children to predict what will happen in the story. She will record their predictions on the board.

Then, the teacher will model how to read a graphic novel. She will show them that the pictures


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are just as important as the words. She will explain that they can use the same strategies that

they used to analyze and interpret the other pictures, cartoons and paintings introduced in

previous lessons for the pictures in the graphic novel. After modeling how to read the first few

pages, the students will read the rest of the book silently. After reading, they will write a five

sentence summary of the book. Then, the teacher will lead a short discussion regarding the

initial predictions.

Assessment:

The teacher will show the students 'The Providential Detection.' After a brief discussion

surrounding the symbolism within the cartoon, the teacher will tell the students that the character

in the cartoon is Thomas Jefferson. Then, she will direct the students to get out a piece of paper

and pencil for a quick-write. The students will write why they believe Thomas Jefferson is

depicted this way in the cartoon. They will be assessed on their creativity as well as their

appropriate integration of facts from the graphic novel into their writing.

Reflection:

During this lesson, the students engaged in higher level thinking when they made

connections to democracy by creating a semantic map. In addition, they are building their

comprehension skills by predicting what will happen in a book by looking at the cover and

flipping through the pictures. They are also learning to check their comprehension by

summarizing what they have read. In this way, they are learning to recall and pick out the most

important details. The students are also learning to independently analyze and interpret pictures

as well as write their opinions of why the author chose to portray Thomas Jefferson the way he

did.


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Lesson 7: The Main Events of the Revolutionary War

Literacy Focus: Reading

Graphic Novel: Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels: A History in Comics of the

American Revolution, by Sam Mack.

Objectives: The students will know and be able to sequence the main events of the

Revolutionary War.

Vocabulary Focus: Regiment, encroach, minuteman & treaty

Materials:


2. A copy of Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels: A History in Comics of

the American Revolution for each child.

1. Colored pencils.

2. Large construction paper.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will review the main events of the Revolutionary War, adding the Battles of

Lexington and Concord, the Battle of Saratoga, the Battle and Surrender at Yorktown and the

signing of the Treaty of Paris. She will show the students on the map where each of the battles

occurred and present some details about each battle. She will also explain the vocabulary words,

regiment, encroach, minuteman and treaty.

After giving the students some background knowledge, she will pass out the graphic

novel. She will ask the students to look at the cover, the title and flip through the book to look at

the pictures. Then she will ask them to predict what the book will be about. Next, she will tell

them to list the important events together with a brief description of the event as they read.


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While the students read, the teacher will circulate to ensure that each child is successfully

determining which events to write down.

When the students are finished they will meet in small groups of three or four to discuss

what events they listed. After meeting, each group will share which events they chose. As the

students share, the teacher will list the events on the board that she wants them to include on

their time order chart. The teacher will explain that a time order chart consists of a series of

boxes linked together with arrows. The events they should include are:

1. The Boston Massacre

2. The Boston Tea Party

3. The First Continental Congress

4. The Battles of Lexington and Concord

5. The approval of the Declaration of Independence

6. The Battle of Saratoga

7. The Battle and surrender at Yorktown

8. Signing of the Treaty of Paris

Assessment:

The students will place the events listed on the board into a time order chart. They will

also write a brief description of each event. They can use the list on the board but not their

books or notes. They should use colored pencils to illustrate their time order chart. They will

also write sentences using the words regiment, encroach, minuteman and treaty in a sentence.


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Reflection:

Again, the students are practicing their predicting skills before they engage in reading. In

addition, they are practicing their summarizing skills by recording the most important events

from the graphic novel. They are engaging in higher level thought by selecting the most

important events instead of just listing them all.


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Lesson 8: Phillis Wheatley

Literacy Focus: Writing

Picture Book: A Voice of Her Own: A Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky.

Objectives: The students will be able to identify Phillis Wheatley, recognize her poetry and

understand her contributions to the American Revolution.

Vocabulary Focus: The students will incorporate unit vocabulary into their poems.

Materials:


2. The book A Voice of Her Own: A Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn

Lasky.

3. Copies of Phillis Wheatley's poems, On Virtue, On Being Brought From Africa To

America, and On Imagination.

4. Computer's for the children to type their final poems.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will begin by showing the students the cover of the book, A Voice of Her

Own: A Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet. She will ask the students to predict what the book

will be about. Then, the teacher will show them some of the pictures inside of the book and see

if they have additional predictions. Next, she will set a purpose for reading by asking the

children to identify the author's main purpose for writing. Then, she will read the book aloud to

the children. She will pause to ask questions as she reads to increase the students'

comprehension and to keep them engaged. After they read, the teacher will ask the students to

tell her what the author's main purpose for writing was. Next, she will ask the students what they

think Phillis Wheatley's main purpose for writing was.


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The teacher will then read Wheatley's poem, On Virtue, aloud. The teacher will model

how to understand the poem. She will emphasize the symbolism. She will explain that reading

poetry is a lot like reading a picture because you have to look deeply to find the true meaning.

After modeling, the teacher will break the students into four small groups. Three small groups

will read On Being Brought From Africa To America, and the other three will read On

Imagination. Then, they will discuss the symbolism within the poem and try to establish the

meaning of the poem. The teacher will move around the class ensuring that the students are on

the right track. When they are done discussing, each group will explain to the class what they

think the poem is saying.

Assessment:

The students can choose to work in pairs or individually to construct a poem about the

Revolutionary War. They need to include at least two of the unit vocabulary words in the poem.

They will be graded on their creativity, their ability to paint a picture with words and their

accuracy of the information surrounding the American Revolution.

Reflection:

The students are developing their meta-cognitive ability to predict what will happen in a

story and set a purpose for reading. The students are thinking at the higher levels of Bloom's

Taxonomy when they interpret Phillis Wheatley's poetry by making personal and historic

connections. They also will be engaged in higher level thought when they create a poem about

the Revolutionary War. In addition, the children have the option to work in pairs if they are not

comfortable writing poetry on their own.


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Lesson 9: Contributions of Benjamin Franklin & George Washington

Literacy Focus: Listening

Graphic Novel: Benjamin Franklin Graphic Biography & George Washington Graphic

Biography

Objectives: The students will learn about the contributions of George Washington and Benjamin

Franklin while working on their active listening skills.

Vocabulary Focus: The students will incorporate unit vocabulary into their assessment

assignment.

Materials:

1. One graphic novel for each child.

2. Paper and pencil for each child.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will begin by modeling how to actively listen. A pre-selected student will

read a short passage from the history text book to the teacher. The teacher will think aloud as

she actively listens to the student read, by making mental notes of important information

presented in the text. After the student reads, the teacher will model how to paraphrase the

passage by telling the students what she remembers. All of the students will write down the

points that the teacher recalls. When the teacher is done, the class will discuss points that the

teacher left out and decide why they were left out. Possibly, the omitted details were forgotten,

or maybe they just were not important. Next, the teacher will show the students how she

assesses her own listening skills by using a listening check list.

After modeling, the teacher will randomly pair the students and assign each student in the

pair one of the graphic novels. So one student will be reading the Benjamin Franklin Graphic


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Biography and the other will read George Washington Graphic Biography. The students will be

given the remainder of the class to read their graphic novel. They will finish what they do not

complete at home.

On the second day of the lesson, the students will get into their pairs. First, the students

who read Benjamin Franklin Graphic Biography will retell or summarize the book for their

partner, while the partner listens. After reading, the listener will retell the story back to the

reader, and the reader will write down the listener's summary. Next, they will discuss what

elements were omitted and the reasons they were left out. Then, the listener and the reader will

fill out a listening checklist for the listener. The written summary and both check lists will be

turned into the teacher. Finally, the partners will switch roles and cover George Washington

Graphic Biography in the same fashion. As the children work, the teacher will carefully monitor

their progress and assure that everyone has read and is on task.

Assessment:

In order to ensure that the children have learned about the important events surrounding

the lives of George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, the teacher will have the students list the

three most important things that they feel each of the individuals accomplished in their lifetimes

with a rationale. The students will record the information within a pre-made graphic organizer.

Reflection:

While the students are engaged in the lesson, they are working on their meta-cognitive

ability to summarize what they have read and what they hear. They are also learning how to

monitor their understanding of text that they are presented with. The students are engaged in

higher level thought by teaching their partner about either Ben Franklin or George Washington.

They are also analyzing the text when they summarize the information, including important


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events and leaving out more trivial ones. They are also required to evaluate which events in

Franklin and Washington's lives were most important. This will assess their knowledge of the

topic as well as allow them to think for themselves tapping into their prior knowledge and

cultural background.


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Lesson 10: Role Playing Key Players in the Revolutionary War

Literacy Focus: Speaking

Cartoon: 'George Washington Comic.'

Objectives: The students will more deeply understand the roles that Thomas Jefferson, George

Washington, Phillis Wheatley and Benjamin Franklin played in the United States fight for

independence.

Vocabulary Focus: The students will incorporate vocabulary into their interviews.

Materials:


2. 'The George Washington Comic.'

3. Slips of paper with the names George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley

and Benjamin Franklin written on them.

4. A bowl to put the papers in.

Lesson Overview:

The teacher will show the students 'The George Washington Comic.' After giving the

students a few moments to view the cartoon, she will ask them to interpret the comic's meaning.

After a short class discussion, the teacher will explain that people will always remember George

Washington for his famous line, "I can never tell a lie." The teacher will explain that they are

going to become one of the key players in the Revolutionary War. The students will try to think

like their historical figure thought, just like the cartoonist tried to think like George Washington.

Each student will draw a name from the bowl that will tell them which person they will

play. They will choose Paul Revere, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Phillis Wheatley or

Benjamin Franklin. Next, they will take some time to review the materials related to their


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characters. The teacher will set up a station for each individual including the books, cartoons

and pictures that they had used in previous lessons as well as a few extra resources. Then, each

student will think like their character and come up with two questions that their character would

want to ask the other four individuals. In total, they will compose eight different questions, two

per individual. They will write their final questions on the following graphic organizer provided

by the teacher. Then, they will circulate around the room and find the other characters to

interview. They will record the answers to the questions on the graphic organizer. They will be

encouraged to incorporate the unit vocabulary words into their questions and answers.

Assessment:

Each student will write four paragraphs summarizing the interviews that they conducted.

Each paragraph will paraphrase the questions and answers given by a character. The paragraphs

will be written from the perspective of the interviewer's character. So if a student chose to be

Paul Revere, their writing should mimic the writing of Paul Revere. The teacher will model how

to write a paragraph from another's perspective before the students begin.

Reflection:

The students continue to develop their meta-cognitive ability to write summaries. They

are also working on their communication skills by conducting multiple interviews. By role

playing their characters and engaging in dialogue with historical figures, the students are using

higher level thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy.


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Summative Assessment

The student will create a historic newspaper set in 1783 when the Treaty of Paris was

signed. The newspaper must include an article about the five major events leading up to the

Revolution, which include:

1. The Sugar Act

2. The Stamp Act

3. The Townshend Acts

4. The Tea Act

5. The Intolerable Acts

Each event must be described and a rationale must be written explaining how it led to the

Revolution. The paper must also contain an article explaining the major events of the battle,

which include:

1. The Boston Massacre

2. The Boston Tea Party

3. The First Continental Congress

4. The Battles of Lexington and Concord

5. The approval of the Declaration of Independence

6. The Battle of Saratoga

7. The Battle and Surrender at Yorktown

8. The signing of the Treaty of Paris

The events must appear in proper sequence. The students also must explain why the event was

critical in the war. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry

must be included in the first two articles. The students must write two additional articles about

two individuals who greatly impacted the United States' fight for independence. The student


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will include the individuals' major accomplishments and their contribution to the Revolution.

They can write about two of the following individuals:

1. Paul Revere

2. George Washington

3. Thomas Jefferson

4. Ben Franklin

5. Patrick Henry

6. Phillis Wheatley

7. Abigail Adams

8. Betsy Ross

9. James Armistead

10. Benedict Arnold

Throughout the newspaper articles the student must include the following unit vocabulary words:

1. Democracy

2. Tariff

3. Loyalist

4. Treason

5. Boycott

6. Patriot

7. Minuteman

8. Revolution

9. Allegiance

10. Declaration

11. Encroach

12. Regiment

13. Treaty

14. Liberty

The student must include at least two pictures. In addition, he or she will create a masthead for

their newspaper that exemplifies the symbolism of the time. The document must be created

using Microsoft Word. The students will be graded on their inclusion of all the information

listed above, creativity, organization, grammar and spelling.

Grading Scale:

47-48 = 98%-100%= A+

45-46 = 94%- 97% = A

44 = 90%-93% = A-

42-43 = 88%-89% = B+

41= 84%-87%= B

39-40 = 80%-83%= B-

38 = 78%-79% = C+

35-37 = 74%-77% = C

34 = 70%-73%= C-

33 = 68%-69%= D+

31-32 = 64%-67%= D

29-30 = 60%-63%= D-

˂28= ˂59%=F


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Revolutionary War Newspaper Rubric

Category 4 3 2 1 0

Article 1? Included all 5

significant

events leading

up to the

Revolution

with good

detail and a

rationale for

their

importance.

Included 4-5

significant

events leading

up to the

Revolution

with moderate

detail and

rationale for

their

importance.

Included 2-3

significant

events leading

up to the

Revolution

with moderate

detail and

rationale for

their

importance.

Included1-3

significant events

leading up to the

Revolution with

minimal detail

and rationale for

their importance.

Did not

include any

significant

events leading

up to the

Revolution.

Article 2 Included all 8

significant

events of the

Revolution

with good

detail and

rationales for

the events'

importance.

Included all 6-8

significant

events of the

Revolution

with moderate

detail and

rationales for

the events'

importance.

Included all 3-

5 significant

events of the

Revolution

with moderate

detail and

rationales for

the events'

importance.

Included all 1-3

significant events

of the Revolution

with minimal

detail and

rationales for the

events'

importance.

Did not

include any

significant

events of the

Revolution.

Including key

individuals

Included all 4

key individuals

in the first two

articles.

Included 3 key

individuals in

the first two

articles.

Included 2 key

individuals in

the first two

articles.

Included 1 key

individual in the

first two articles.

Did not

include any of

the key

individuals in

the first two

articles.

Article 3 The student

wrote about 4

or more

contributions

that the

individual

made to

society and

clearly stated

how they

influenced the

Revolution.

The student

wrote about 3-

4 contributions

that the

individual

made to society

and stated how

they influenced

the Revolution.

The student

wrote about1-

2 contributions

that the

individual

made to society

and stated how

they influenced

the Revolution.

The student

wrote about how

the individual

influenced the

Revolution but

left out any other

contributions.

The student

did not write

an article

about a key

individual in

the

Revolution.

Article 4 The student

wrote about 4

or more

contributions

that the

individual

made to

society and

clearly stated

how they

The student

wrote about 3-

4 contributions

that the

individual

made to society

and stated how

they influenced

the Revolution.

The student

wrote about1-

2 contributions

that the

individual

made to society

and stated how

they influenced

the Revolution.

The student

wrote about how

the individual

influenced the

Revolution but

left out any other

contributions.

The student

did not write

an article

about a key

individual in

the

Revolution.


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influenced the

Revolution.

Unit

Vocabulary

The student

included all 14

unit vocabulary

words and used

them

accurately.

The student

included 10-14

unit vocabulary

words and used

most of them

accurately.

The student

included 5-10

unit vocabulary

words and used

some of them

accurately.

The student

included 1-5 unit

vocabulary

words and used a

few of them

accurately.

The student

did not include

any of the unit

vocabulary

words.

Masthead The student

created an

appropriate

masthead that

reflects the

times and used

multiple

symbolic

pictures.

The student

created an

appropriate

masthead that

reflects the

times and used

at least one

symbolic

picture.

The student

created an

appropriate

masthead but

did not use

symbolism.

The student

created a

masthead but it

does not use

symbolism or

make sense for

the time period.

The student

did not create a

masthead for

their

newspaper.

Pictures Included 4 or

more relevant

pictures.

Included 2-3

relevant

pictures.

Included 1-2

relevant picture

and some

irrelevant

pictures.

Included1-4

irrelevant

pictures.

Did not

include

pictures.

Organization The

assignment

showed

exceptional

organization.

The assignment

showed good

organization.

The assignment

showed some

organization.

The assignment

showed little

organization.

The

assignment

was

incomplete.

Creativity The

assignment

showed

exceptional

effort and

creativity.

The assignment

showed good

effort and

creativity.

The assignment

showed some

effort and

creativity.

The assignment

showed little

effort and

creativity.

The

assignment

was

incomplete.

Capitalization,

punctuation

and spelling

There were 0-

2

capitalization,

punctuation

and spelling

errors.

There were 3 to

5 capitalization,

punctuation and

spelling errors.

There were 6 to

10

capitalization,

punctuation

and spelling

errors.

There were more

than 10

capitalization,

punctuation and

spelling errors.

The

assignment

was

incomplete.

Sentence

structure and

grammar

There were 0-2

sentence

structure or

grammar

errors.

There were 3-5

sentence

structure or

grammar errors.

There were 6-

10 sentence

structure or

grammar

errors.

There were more

than 10 sentence

structure or

grammar errors.

The

assignment

was

incomplete.


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Unit Calendar (October 2012)

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SAT SUN

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Give American Revolution Pre-Assessment.

Watch, 'George Washington American Revolutionary'.

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Columbus Day

Lesson One (Events Leading Up to the Revolution)

Lesson Two (Differing Views of the Colonists and the British)

Lesson Three (Paul Revere and 'The Shot Heard Round the World')

Lesson Four (The Declaration of Independence)

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Lesson 5 (Printing the Declaration of Independence)

The students will finish up their Declarations of Independence.

Lesson 6 (Thomas Jefferson)

Lesson 7 (The Main Events of the Revolutionary War)

Play Revolutionary War Jeopardy on Smart Board

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Lesson 8 (Phillis Wheatley)

The students will complete poems and share them with class.

Lesson 9 (Benjamin Franklin & George Washington)

Lesson 10 (Role Playing Key Players of the Revolution)

Introduce final project, which they will work on over the weekend.

29 30 31

Students will work on final project.

Students will complete final project, which will be uploaded to class website.

Field trip to George Washington's birthplace.


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Resource

Benjamin Franklin Graphic Biography. (2008). Saddleback Educational Publishing, Inc. Irvine



Brenner, B. (1994). If you were there in 1776. Macmillan Books for Young Readers. New York.

NY.

Camello, Jeffery. (2010). Liberty! The American Revolution. Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from

http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?title=American_Revolutionary_War&video

_id=18 6349.

Coffin, I. (2012). George Washington Cartoon: Has to be a better way. Copyright IcoLogic, Inc.

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Washington-Cartoon-Has-To-Be-A-Better-Way.htm.

Colley, Thomas. (1782). The reconciliation between Britania and her daughter America. W.

Richardson. London, England. Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from

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http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/97515382/

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/91795009/

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/cph.3a35347/


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Declaration of Independence. (July 4, 1776).

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/declaration/pdf/final.pdf.

Eyewitness Accounts of the 'Boston Massacre'. A History Wiz Primary Source. Retrieved on

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George Washington Graphic Biography. (2008). Saddleback Educational Publishing, Inc. Irvine,



Lasky, Kathryn. (2005). A Voice of Her Own: A Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet.

Candlewick Press. Somerville, Massachusetts.

Longfellow, H. W. (1996). Paul Revere's Ride. Puffins Books. London, England.

Mack, S. (1994). Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels: A History in Comics

of the American Revolution. NBM Publishing. New York, NY.

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Revere, Paul. (1770). The bloody massacre perpetrated in King Street Boston on March 5th 1770

by a party of the 29th Regt. Retrieved on July 25, 2012 from

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Shields, Robin. 2005. Publishing the Declaration of Independence (Library of Congress)

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http://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3709


http://www.flickr.com/photos/57052320@N05/5265242910/


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Wheatley, Phillis (1773). On Virtue, On being brought from Africa to America, & On

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James S. Leonard, Shelley Fisher Fishkin, David Bradley, Dana D. Nelson, and Joseph

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