American Revolution(1775-1783)
Events, Home Front and Outcome
US History to 1865 (Fifth Grade)
One Week Unit Plan
Megan Paugh
American Revolution(1775-1783)
Events, Home Front and Outcome
US History to 1865 (Fifth Grade)
One Week Unit Plan
Megan Paugh
Table of Contents
Rationale and Demographics……………………………………………………………………...1
SOL Descriptions………………………………………………………………………………….3
Introduction Day Lesson Plan……………………………………………………………………..4
Second Day Abbreviated Lesson Plan………………………………………………………….....8
Third Day Abbreviated Lesson Plan……………………………………………………………..10
Fourth Day Abbreviated Lesson Plan………………………………………………………...….13
Fifth Day Abbreviated Lesson Plan…………………………………………………………...…15
Sixth Day Abbreviated Lesson Plan……………………………………………………………..19
Seventh Day- Unit Test…………………………………………………………………………..21
Subject Content Outline……………………………………………………………………….…22
Assessments……………………………………………………………………………………...33
Resources……………………………………………………………………………………...…35
Rationale
Learning American history is important to any student living in the United States to learn. Starting with the exploration of the Americas and continuing to current day. The American Revolution was where the United States of America began; gaining independence from Great Britain was just the beginning of this nation. Learning the events leading up to the war itself is just as important as learning what happened during the war. This unit will focus on the events during the war, on the home front and the outcomes that came out of the revolution. Focusing on the significant places where battles took place, the important people involved and important terms related to the revolution. The goals that were sought after in the revolution are what our nation lives by today, freedom, liberty and democracy.It is important to know and understand where the nation came from in order to understand the events that have happened and will happen.
Demographics
There are 24 students in this class, 15 girls and 9 boys. This school is in a predominantly white neighborhood, making the student breakdown: 16 white, 3 African American, 4 Asian and 1 Hispanic. There are three boys with Individualized Education Plans (IEP) for learning disabilities (2 white boys and one African American boy), there is one girl with an IEP for a speech impediment (1 Asian girl). There are two boys with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (2 white boys). There are 6 accelerated readers who reading at a seventh grade reading level or above (3 white girls, 1 African American boy, 1 Asian Girl and 1 Asian boy). The majority of the class, 11 students, is on a on grade level (fifth grade) reading level (5 white girls, 1 white boy, 1 African American girl, 1 African American boy, 1 Asian girl, and 1 Hispanic girl). The remaining students are below grade level reading either due to learning disabilities, speech impediments or other factors; this includes the 5 students with IEPs and two other students who are struggling with their reading (2 white girls).
The desk will be arranged in teams, there will be six groups of four desks. Desks will be rearranged for different activities but this will be the normal set up. The desks will be facing each other where students can still see the front of the class by turning their heads to the side. At the front of the classroom will be a SMART board and a white board. There will also be four computers that are for student use when permission is given.
SOL Description
I.Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s
USI.6The 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.
First Day: Introductory Lesson Plan
Rationale:
This introduction lesson will focus on the event that sparked the revolution, the Second Continental Congress and an overview of the unit. Common vocabulary will be discussed and noted so that students can reference it during the unit as needed. Students will explore the significance of this first event and how it played into some of the decisions the Second Continental Congress made.
Lesson Objectives:
- SWBAT identify the date and place the American Revolution began.
- SWBAT identify the event that sparked the American Revolution.
- SWBAT know and discuss common vocabulary from the video, class discussion and reading.
Instruction
Hook:
Now that we have learned about the events leading up to the Revolution, does anyone know what actually sparked the war? (Receive 3-5 answers from students to see if they come up with- the shot heard round the world). If you did not know it was an event that is now known as the shot that was heard round the world, this happened in Massachusetts and we are going to watch a simulation video about it. What do you think the saying, “the shot heard round the world” could mean since it is impossible for that to be a literal statement? (Receive 3-5 answers from students).
*watch video*
(Have discussion about the video- what students thought, why they think this sparked the war, and what this would mean for American and for Britain?) After this discussion, the unit packets would be handed out that includes the time line of the revolution, map of the colonies so students can see and label significant battles, any worksheets that will be completed throughout the unit, and a vocabulary list of important terms and space for them to add words they want to remember.
Informing Learner of Objective: how is this being done visually?
The objectives will be posted every day on the SMART board when the students come back from lunch. at the beginning of Social Studies time after. The video will be shown on the overhead protector, the packets will be handed out and the initial vocabulary covered for the first day will be on the board to be discussed, written and copied down.
Connecting to Prior Learning:
Thinking back to our last unit which was focused on all the events leading up to the American Revolution, can you all name the different events that sparked American interest in becoming a free nation? (Write answers on the board and expect to get these answers [using didactic questions to get the answers needed in necessary]: The Sugar Act, The Quartering Act, The Stamp Act, The Boston Massacre, The Tea Act, The Boston Tea Party and The Intolerable Acts). Relating all of these things to the taxation that Britain was putting on the Americans and discussing how Americans felt like Britain had no right to tax them on these goods. Also discussing how the Boston Massacre gave a feeling that Britain was not going to let America gain independence without a fight. Then ending with the question of what was the final straw to the Americans and made the Congress seriously think about fighting for independence. This would lead into our introduction activity of the Shot Heard Round the World.
Instructional Activities: (Interdisciplinary- Social Studies and Reading)
Social Studies portion of the lesson plan
1. To begin the unit I will start a discussion feeding off the last lesson of the events leading up to the revolution unit. I will ask the students if they know what particular event sparked the revolution and give them the opportunity to give some answers. Then explaining the event of “the shot heard round the world” and discussing what a saying like this could mean, we would watch the video, After the video we would have a class discussion of what the students thought of the video clip, why they think this particular event sparked the way and what this would then mean for both the colonies and Britain. I will use a participation chart throughout the unit, and at the end of each day each student will receive either a check or left blank depending on if they participated in the class discussions. This activity will tell the students when the American Revolution actually began and what event sparked it to occur.
2. Once the unit packets are handed out to the class, everyone will be instructed to turn to their map page and as a class we will locate Massachusetts and label it and also label Lexington and Concord. After the map is labeled, we will run through everything that is in the packet. The vocabulary list, important people and the important dates/battles will be filled out throughout the unit with the terms that are covered that day. The first day will be done in class and after that; these lists will become homework (for the night after it has been gone over in class). It will then be discussed as the review of the previous day and to make sure each student has the appropriate definition.
3. We will then talk about our class timeline that will be hanging in the back of the classroom and I will show them how we are going to use it. The years 1775, 1776, 1777, 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, 1782 and 1783 are spread out on a long sheet of paper which spans across the entire back wall. Throughout the unit we will place the important events on the timeline along with a description of what happened, where it happened and what important people were involved. I will already have the event names typed up on large pieces of paper. Whenever an important event comes up we will stop, talk about it- why is it significant, who is involved and where it happened. Then one student will place the event name on the timeline, another student will write the description of the event and a third student will write the important people involved. The timeline will remain on the wall until the day of the unit test. After the explanation of the timeline, for day one we will put the battles of Lexington and Concord on it and write the description of what happened in these places, what people were involved and the date on which it happened. The Second Continental Congress meeting in May of 1775 will also be put on the timeline along with who the important delegates were and why this meeting was so important.
Reading portion of the lesson plan
1. During reading each day of the unit, the reading and discussion will be focused on the American Revolution. Tying the unit into different subject areas will help students know and understand the material better. For the first day we will read page 156 out of the textbook. The reading will focus on the Second Continental Congress. Guided reading questions will be written on the board before students begin to read. I will explain each question then have students turn to the page in their textbook to read. The guided questions will include: 1. Where was the Second Continental Congress held? 2. When was it held? 3. Who was a part of this Congress? 4. What was the first step/decision the Congress made? As students read they will highlight or underline important parts of the reading and after everyone has read, students will pair up and talk about the four questions. Both students will write down their answers on separate sheets of paper to be turned it. Once everyone is finished discussing and writing, I will collect the assignment from every student and then we will have a class discussion about the reading. Going through each question and answering them to makes sure everyone one understands the importance of the Second Continental Congress.
2. For the first day the vocabulary words that will be addressed are: minutemen, militia, Shot Heard Round the World, First Continental Congress, Second Continental Congress, Loyalists and Patriots. The important people that will be addressed are: Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and King George of Britain. The important dates/battles that will be address are: the battles of Lexington and Concord and April 19th, 1775. This activity will be done in six groups of four and each pair is given two terms or names and they will define them using what they learned in class that day and their textbooks. Five to Seven minutes will be allotted for them to come up with their definitions and then as a class we will go through each term and discuss and define them.
Differentiation of Instruction:
In this lesson I have used different methods if instruction, video simulation (the Shot Heard Round the World), small group work (defining terms and people), class discussion (about the video, about the definitions and the timeline), and a class activity (timeline)
Students of all levels and styles of learning are accommodated in this lesson by:
- Students can read in pairs or groups
- Students can learn from one another
- Students are hearing the lesson in the video and in discussion (auditory learners)
- Students are seeing the lesson through the video and seeing the timeline with events (visual learners)
- Students are writing information they have learned in their unit packet (linguistic learners)
- Students are learning from interacting with each other (intrapersonal learners)
Assessment/Evaluation:
I will use a class participation chart during the discussions for the day with columns for different assignments- one for the video discussion, one for the definition discussion and one for the timeline activity discussion (and which eight students helped in the writing of the events for the day)
Homework:
For homework, students will read “Petitioning the King” section on page 158 in their textbook. They will have a worksheet to complete in their packets (page 10) with the reading that will be handed in the next day for points.
Materials/Equipment:
For this lesson I will need:
- Computer
- Projector
- Textbook American History of our Nation: Beginnings Through 1877 pages 154-158
- Unit packets
- Event cards for timeline
Second Day: Abbreviated Lesson Plan
Objectives:
1. SWBAT identify on a map the locations of the early battles (New York, Bunker Hill near Boston, and Canada)
2. SWBAT know and discuss common vocabulary and people from the class discussion and reading.
3. SWBAT identify who wrote Common Sense and its significance in the American Revolution, specifically the creation of the Declaration of Independence and its encouragement to Americans to support the war efforts.
Activities:
First the homework from last night will be collected and set aside for grading. (The packet is turned in, in the morning so that the homework can be graded during lunch, then handed back after lunch because social studies is after lunch)
1. We will start today by going through a powerpoint of the early battles of the war. Students will take notes by filling out pages 11 and 12 in their unit packets. The powerpoint focuses on the first three battles or series of battles that helped push the Second Continental Congress to the decision they eventually made and the significance these battles had on the outlook of the war as a whole.
2. For today’s vocabulary we will define: Olive Branch Petition, Declaration of the Causes & Necessities of Taking Up Arms, parliament, blockade and mercenaries. The important people that will be discussed today are: Ethan Allen, General William Howe, Israel Putnam, Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold. The significant places that will be defined are: Fort Ticonderoga, Boston and Bunker Hill and Breed’s Hill. (The significant places will also be identified and located on each student’s map in their unit packet). This activity will be done in six groups of four and each pair is given two terms or names and they will define them using what they learned in class that day and their textbooks. Five to Seven minutes will be allotted for them to come up with their definitions and then as a class we will go through each term and discuss and define them.
3. The significant events that will be added to our timeline for today are the petitions and the King’s ignoring the colonies requests, the surprise attack on Fort Ticonderoga, the attacks near Boston at Bunker and Breed’s Hill and the invasion of Canada. One student will put the event where it belongs on the timeline, another student will write up the description of what happened (after the class discusses it) and a third student will write the significant people involved in the event. With four different events being put up, that means twelve students will be involved in these activity and the rest of the class will tell them where it needs to go and participate in the discussion of the details of the event and the important people involved.