Designer: M. Blickenstaff
Publication Date: 9/30/04
Standards:
- History Social-Sciecne:
- 8.1.2 Analyze the philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence (part 3: “For imposing taxes on us without our Consent.”
- 8.1.4 Describe the nation’s blend of civic republicanism, classic liberal principals, and English parliamentary traditions.
- Analysis Skills: Students explain how major events are related to one another in time. Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place. Students understand and distinguish cause, effect, and sequence and correlation in historical events, including the long- and short-term causal relations.
- English-Language Arts Standards: Listening and Speaking- 1.5 Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, appropriate and colorful modifiers and the active rather than passive voice on ways that enliven oral presentations. 1.7b Rearrange words and sentences to clarify meaning. Writing Strategies- Organization and Focus. 1.2 Establish coherence within and among paragraphs through effective transitions, parallel structures, and similar writing techniques.
Key concepts (CA. Concepts Collection II)/Vocabulary: Super Concept- Conflict, Rights. Thematic Concept- democracy. Vocabulary: independence, natural rights, republic, social contract, executive power, limited government, representation, self- government.
Learning Outcome/ “Big Idea”/ “Essential Learning” (Objective): Students will learn about the growing tensions between the colonists and Great Britain from 1763 to 1775. Students will be able to
- Empathize with how colonists felt when they were taxed without representation.
- Use a metaphor of students and a school principal to describe the strained relationship that developed between the colonies and Britain after the French and Indian War.
- Assume the roles of historical figures during a colonial town meeting and participate in a debate on independence.
- Write a dialogue between a Loyalist and a Patriot that includes the key arguments on colonial independence.
TCI Strategies: Preview. Experiential Exercise.
EL/Inclusion Strategies: Instructional Sequencing
Materials: Interactive notebooks, Student Handout 5 (From History Alive 8th Grade Curriculum Lesson Guide). Short Quiz (on any subject). “New Photocopying Rules” letter (included)
Opportunities to Learn/Perform (Procedure):
1. Preview
- Tell students that due to the ongoing budget problems the District is experiencing, the Principal has decided to make a new rule that will affect our class directly.
- Give students a copy of the Principal’s New Policy letter and read it along with the students. Be careful to maintain a neutral attitude.
- Invite Questions, Expect students to show concern and anger. Validate feelings but make it clear that you must carry out the policy.
- Explain to the class that today they will be taking a vocabulary quiz and that they must pay 10 cents for the copy. They may pay today with an IOU if they must.
- Ask for a student volunteer to collect $ and IOUs.
- Pass out the quiz to the students who paid. The last question on the quiz should make it clear to the students that the policy is a fake, designed to allow students to experience the injustice of “taxation without representation.”
- Have kids answer the following questions on the left side of their interactive notebooks:
- How did you feel when the Principal’s memorandum was read?
- What seemed unfair about it?
- Did you understand the Principal’s reasons? What were your feelings toward the Principal?
- What were the feelings toward the volunteer fee collector?
- How did you feel about my reaction?
- Why did some of you pay? Why did some of you not pay?
- Why did this activity provoke strong reactions?
2. Reading Notes
- Arrange students in pairs or groups of four and pass out Reading Notes 5, which will be glued or taped into the Interactive Student Notebooks.
- Explain that the reading notes challenge students to compare the building tensions between the colonists and Britain to a strained relationship between students and a school principal.
- Have groups read section 5.2 in the History Alive Textbooks and complete the corresponding notes in the “In History” part of the Reading Notes.
- Have groups share their answers to the class.
3. Experiential Exercise
- The students will assume the roles of Historical figures and re-create a colonial town meeting at which they will debate whether to declare independence from Britain.
- Randomly distribute the 36 descriptions of historical figures from Student Handout 5.
- Describe the materials the loyalists and Patriots must prepare for the town meeting:
- Nameplates- Must display the character’s name in large letters. Must contain a quotation that represents the character’s view on independence.
- Propaganda- Must communicate key beliefs held by the figure’s view of independence. Must list three to five of these beliefs or key ideas.
- Show students Examples.
- Direct students to work in teams to prepare for meeting. Loyalists, Patriots, and Neutralists assemble in groups in different areas of the classroom.
- Set up the classroom in a U configuration for the meeting.
- Conduct the meeting. Act as a moderator to allow Loyalists and Patriots make arguments for their cause. Ask Neutralists to ask follow up questions.
- Debrief the meeting:
- How did you feel during the town meeting?
- What were the key ideas voiced by Loyalists against independence?
- What were the key ideas voiced by patriots for independence?
- Why were some neutral?
- Whose arguments did you find most convincing?
4. Processing
- Have students complete the Processing assignment on page 31 of the Interactive Student Notebooks.
Technology Component: None.
Resources (Indicate primary sources): None
TCI Resources: History Alive Text. Interactive Student Notebooks. Lesson Guide 5.
Assessment:
1. Multiple Choice Test
- Ex. Question: Before 1763 the American Colonies had been?
- A) Ruled with a firm hand by Parliament.
- B) Left alone to govern themselves.
- C) Heavily taxed by the British Gov.
- D) Denied religious freedom by the King.
2. Project Transparency #5 and have students respond.
- In the space below, draw a head with a facial expression and a thought bubble for each of three colonists- a Patriot, a Loyalist, and a Neutralist. Make sure that
- Each person’s facial expression reflects how that colonist might have felt about what is happening in the image.
- Each thought bubble reflects what that colonist was likely to have thought about what is happening.
- Each thought bubble clearly explains why that colonist was likely to have reacted in this way.
Rubric: The bulleted points from Transparency #5
(This lesson comes from the 8th grade TCI curriculum Lesson #5. I have simply adapted it to fit my schedule and style.)
Reflection: What did student samples reveal?
Amazed at the different reactions from class to class. Some were livid others apathetic. I suspect my delivery had a lot to do with that. It helped to have administrators come into the class to back me up. Level of student engagement was definitely higher than average. Experiential Exercise worked for some better than others. In two periods (the ones with lower performing students) the exercise got a bit cumbersome. Next time a should find a way to shorten it. The lesson took three 83 minute class blocks to complete.
