Designer:  Tina teNyenhuis

Publication Date:  November 8, 2005

Standard (Include analysis skills):  8.1.2 Analyze the philosophy of government expressed in the Declaration of Independence, with an emphasis on government as a means of securing individual rights (e.g., key phrases such as “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights”). 

1.  Key Concepts (CA. Concepts Collection II) / Vocabulary:   Rights, Equal, Independence, Declaration of Independence, Natural Rights/Natural Law, Republic, Democracy

Learning Outcome/ “Big Idea” / “Essential Learning” (Objective):  1 – Students will be able to identify and analyze the main ideals of the Declaration of Independence by creating an illustrated children’s version of the Declaration of Independence that a third grader could understand.   

EL/Inclusion Strategies:  Vocabulary Background Building, A copy of the Guide to Activity Notes 6 from History Alive! 8^th grade text, Rewritten Student Handout 6B from Lesson 6 History Alive!, Supplemental Instruction Materials including: ACCESS American History text

 Materials:

• History Alive!  The United States Through Industialism
• Copies of Guide to Activity Notes 6, pgs. 106 & 107 in Lesson Guide 1 (1 per student)
• Student Handout 6B, rewritten for EL (1 per student)

Opportunities to Learn/Perform (Procedure):

Preview Assignment:  Student’s will have done the “official” preview assignment for this History Alive! chapter in the previous lessons.  They would have also read History Alive! Ch.6 and Access American History pgs. 62-63.   For this lesson I will ask the students the following question as they come into class.  “Do you think all people are created equal? Why or Why not?  Explain in detail.”  This will help the students begin to think and discuss the topic for today’s lesson.

We will discuss this question as a whole class at the start of the period.

Multiple Intelligence Strategy

Strategy Writing for Understanding 

Procedures: 

1.     Introduce the activity.  History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism Lesson Guide 1, pg. 96.  Students will be looking at the Declaration of Independence and will be working with partners to create an illustrated children’s version of the Declaration of Independence that a third grader could understand.

2.     Introduce the Activity Notes.  Give students a copy of the Guide to Activity Notes 6.  Review the original wording of Excerpt 1 from the Declaration of Independence and then review and discuss the rephrased version.  Then have the students make a simple drawing to illustrate the excerpt.  See pg. 96 of Lesson Guide 1 for details.

3.     Repeat Step 2 for the remaining excerpts.  Go through the remaining excerpts with the students, allowing time for drawing after each one.  Make sure to check student’s drawings for understanding. 

4.     Distribute rewritten Student Handout 6B: Writing a Children’s Version of the Declaration of Independence and review the directions.  It has been broken down into 4 shorter segments to make the writing easier for the students.

Considerate Text

Textbook page numbers or handout:  ACCESS American History pgs. 62-63, History Alive! Guide to Activity Notes 6, Student Handout 6B:  Writing a Children’s Version of the Declaration of Independence

I can make this text more considerate by:  giving students the guide to the activity notes instead of making them come up with the wording on their own.  Also I will rewrite the Student Handout 6B to make is easier to understand and to include shorter segments for the students to follow.

Graphically-Organized Reading Notes

Matrix for rephrasing the key points from the Declaration of Independence – Guide to Activity Notes 6

Processing Assignment

There is no separate processing assignment for this lesson.  The Writing for Understanding activity functions as the Processing assignment.

Technology Component:  None

Resources (Indicate primary sources):  Declaration of Independence excerpts from the Guide to Activity Notes 6.

Multiple Intelligence Assessment

Question 1 Using the picture from pg.100 in the History Alive!  Lesson Guide 1 answer the following question.

• The picture suggests that the first draft was
  • a.     difficult to understand.
  • b.     the length of a book.
  • c.     revised (rewritten) several times.
  • d.     perfect as first written.
• Intelligence tapped:  Visual-Spatial

Question 2 Create and interpret a timeline of pre-Revolutionary events.  Be sure that you

• extend the timeline from 1770 to 1780.
• Place these six events in correct sequence along the timeline:
  • July 1775, Olive Branch Petition
  • June 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill
  • July 4, 1776, Declaration of Independence approved
  • March 1776, British abandon Boston
  • January 1776, Common Sense published
  • May 1775, Continental Army formed

·      Consider the timeline as you answer the four questions below it.

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Which came first, war of the Declaration of Independence?  Provide evidence for your answer.

            Intelligence tapped:  Logical-Mathematical

**Questions from History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism Lesson Guide 1, pgs. 100 & 101.

Reflection:             

1.                      What did student samples reveal?  Student samples of the activity notes showed that they were able to draw appropriate symbols/pictures for each of the excerpts.  In addition, after examining the student samples of the Declaration of Independence Children’s Books, it is evident that the majority of students understand the main ideas of the Declaration of Independence.  However, there were some students, especially with my ELD 1 & 2 class, that seemed confused by some of the excerpts.  This was obvious by the pictures they drew in the Children’s Books.

2.                      What do I need to model, change or adjust regarding criteria, assessment and opportunities to learn? 

The one thing that would really be helpful the next time I teach this lesson is to not have a substitute the day they start the Children’s Book!  I had to have a substitute the day the students started the writing part of the Children’s book.  Even though I explained the book the day before I think some of the students would have had an easier time had I been there. 

Writing a Children’s Version of the

Declaration of Independence

You and your partner will create an illustrated (pictures) children’s version of the Declaration of Independence that rephrases (rewords) key excerpts (parts) from the real document.  Your version should be written in simple, clear language that a third grader could read and understand.  It can be designed as a book using construction paper and should include:

1. A brief introduction explaining the events that led to the Declaration of Independence.  Use the following sentences to begin your introduction:  Once upon a time, a group of people left their homeland to live in a faraway land ruled by Britain.  The people were called colonists.  The colonists loved their new homeland, but many were unhappy with the British government.  They thought the king was a selfish, cruel ruler.  Eventually, the colonists became angry with the king and fought against him because… (Write your introduction on a piece of binder paper first!  You must show it to me before you include it in your book!)
2. The eight rephrased excerpts you completed on Activity Notes 6 and a colored illustration for each.  Each one should be on its own page.  This means you should have 8 pages for this section. 
3. Add details to make your children’s version of the Declaration of Independence artistic and visually appealing to a third grader.  For example, you could add decorated letters, additional visuals, and borders.
4. Include a cover for the book that has an appropriate title. 
5. Make sure your language is free of spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. 

***You will have a total of 10 pages for the book.  1- Title Page, 2- Introduction Page, 3-10 Rephrased Excerpts