ReportersfortheRevolution

Teacher/Librarians:BeckyLowe,KatherinePfeiffer,ErinRadway
Locationoflessons:Schoollibrary,librarylab,andclassroom
Duration:3weeks,4550minutesessionseachday,withadditionalworktimeintheclassrooms
Grade:5th
ContentArea:SocialStudies
Subject:AmericanRevolutionResearchUnit

TypeofSchedule:Flexible
CollaborationContinuum:Intensive

Overview
Ingroups,studentswillutilizethreepreselecteddatabasestoresearchtheroleofoneoftheinterest
groupsleadinguptotheRevolutionaryWar.Theywilllearnsearchtechniquestonarrowdownspecific
informationwhilelearningaboutthePatriots,theLoyalists,ortheBritishpointsofview.Studentswill
usetheresearchtocreateanewspaperexplainingtheirgroupsmotivationsanddisputingthereasonsof
theothergroups.Studentswillalsoshowtheyareethicallyusinginformationbycitingtheirsources
accordingtoMLAformattingstandards.

Followingtheresearchlessons,studentswillcreateamultimediapresentationtodemonstratealternative
choicesforaddressingaproblemfacingcolonistswithpossibleconsequencesanddescribeacourseof
action.Thiswillbeapresentationthatshouldusenolessthanthreedifferenttypesofmediatoprepare.
StudentsmaycreateaPowerPointpresentation,podcast,newscastvideo,orreenactmentvideo.

EssentialQuestions
WhatwerethedesiresoftheBritish/Patriots/Loyalists?
Whatreasons/evidencedideachgrouphavetobacktheirposition?
WhatarealternativechoicesforaddressingapreRevolutionproblem?

Objectives
1. StudentswillresearchachosenaspectoftheRevolutionaryWartodeterminevarying
viewpointsoftheBritish,thePatriots,andtheLoyalists.
2. Studentswillcompileresearchnotesintheirownwords.
3. Studentswillcollaborativelywriteanewspaperarticleshowingahistoricalperspectiveandthe
evidencethatbacksuptheirposition.
4. Studentswillsynthesizetheresearchgatheredtopresentamultimediapresentationsuggesting
alternativechoicestotheRevolutionaryWar.

ContentStandards,CommonCoreStandards,AASLStandards,ISTEStandards
ContentStandardsU3.1CausesoftheAmericanRevolution:Identifythemajorpolitical,
economic,andideologicalreasonsfortheAmericanRevolution
5U3.1.1DescribetheroleoftheFrenchandIndianWar,howBritishpolicytoward
thecoloniesinAmericachangedfrom1763to1775,andcolonialdissatisfactionwith
thenewpolicy.(NationalGeographyStandard13p.169C,E)
5U3.1.2DescribethecausesandeffectsofeventssuchastheStampAct,Boston
TeaParty,theIntolerableActs,andtheBostonMassacre.
5U3.1.3UsinganeventfromtheRevolutionaryera(e.g.,BostonTeaParty,
quarteringofsoldiers,writsofassistance,closingofcoloniallegislatures),explainhow
Britishandcolonialviewsonauthorityandtheuseofpowerwithoutauthoritydiffered
(viewsonrepresentativegovernment).
5U3.1.4DescribetheroleoftheFirstandSecondContinentalCongressinunifying
thecolonies(addressingtheIntolerableActs,declaringindependence,draftingthe
ArticlesofConfederation).
5U3.1.5UsetheDeclarationofIndependencetoexplainwhythecolonistswantedto
separatefromGreatBritainandwhytheybelievedtheyhadtherighttodoso.
5U3.1.6Identifytherolethatkeyindividualsplayedinleadingthecoloniststo
revolution,includingGeorgeWashington,ThomasJefferson,BenjaminFranklin,Patrick
Henry,SamuelAdams,JohnAdams,andThomasPaine.
5U3.1.7Describehowcolonialexperienceswithselfgovernment(e.g.,Mayflower
Compact,HouseofBurgessesandtownmeetings)andideasaboutgovernment(e.g.,
purposesofgovernmentsuchasprotectingindividualrightsandpromotingthecommon
good,naturalrights,limitedgovernment,representativegovernment)influencedthe
decisiontodeclareindependence.
5U3.1.8Identifyaproblemconfrontingpeopleinthecolonies,identifyalternative
choicesforaddressingtheproblemwithpossibleconsequences,anddescribethe
courseofactiontaken.
CommonCoreStandards
CCSS.RI.5.3Explaintherelationshipsorinteractionsbetweentwoormore
individuals,events,ideas,orconceptsinahistorical,scientific,ortechnicaltextbased
onspecificinformationinthetext.
CCSS.RI.5.4Determinethemeaningofgeneralacademicanddomainspecificwords
andphrasesinatextrelevanttoagrade5topicorsubjectarea.
CCSS.RI.5.5Analyzemultipleaccountsofthesameeventortopic,notingimportant
similaritiesanddifferencesinthepointofviewtheyrepresent.
CCSS.RI.5.7Drawoninformationfrommultipleprintordigitalsources,
demonstratingtheabilitytolocateananswertoaquestionquicklyortosolveaproblem
efficiently.
CCSSRI.5.9Integrateinformationfromseveraltextsonthesametopicinorderto
writeorspeakaboutthesubjectknowledgeably.
CCSS.W.5.2Writeinformative/explanatorytextstoexamineatopicandconveyideas
andinformationclearly.
CCSS.W.5.4Produceclearandcoherentwritinginwhichthedevelopmentand
organizationareappropriatetotask,purpose,andaudience.
CCSS.W.5.7Conductshortresearchprojectsthatuseseveralsourcestobuild
knowledgethroughinvestigationofdifferentaspectsofatopic.
CCSS.W.5.8Recallrelevantinformationfromexperiencesorgatherrelevant
informationfromprintanddigitalsourcessummarizeorparaphraseinformationinnotes
andfinishedwork,andprovidealistofsources.
CCSS.SL.5.1Engageeffectivelyinarangeofcollaborativediscussions(oneonone,
ingroups,andteacherled)withdiversepartnersongrade5topicsandtexts,building
onothersideasandexpressingtheirownclearly.
CCSS.SL.5.5Includemultimediacomponents(e.g.,graphics,sound)andvisual
displaysinpresentationswhenappropriatetoenhancethedevelopmentofmainideasor
themes.
AASLStandards
1.1.4Find,evaluate,andselectappropriatesourcestoanswerquestions.
1.1.5Evaluateinformationfoundinselectedsourcesonthebasisofaccuracy,validity,
appropriatenessforneeds,importanceandsocialandculturalcontext
1.1.6Read,view,andlistenforinformationpresentedinanyformat(e.g.,textual,visual,
media,digital)inordertomakeinferencesandgathermeaning
1.1.8Demonstratemasteryoftechnologytoolsforaccessinginformationandpursuing
inquiry
1.1.9Collaboratewithotherstobroadenanddeepenunderstanding
1.2.1Displayinitiativeandengagementbyposingquestionsandinvestigatingthe
answersbeyondthecollectionofsuperficialfacts.
1.3.1Respectcopyright/intellectualpropertyrightsofcreatorsandproducers
1.3.3Followethicalandlegalguidelinesingatheringandusinginformation
1.3.5Useinformationtechnologyresponsibly
2.1.1Continueaninquirybasedresearchprocessbyapplyingcriticalthinkingskills
(analysis,synthesis,evaluation,organization)toinformationandknowledgeinorderto
constructnewunderstanding,drawconclusions,andcreatenewknowledge
2.1.6Usethewritingprocess,media,andvisualliteracyandtechnologyskillstocreate
productsthatexpressnewunderstandings
2.3.3Usevalidinformationandreasonedconclusionstomakeethicaldecisions
3.1.3Usewritingandspeakingskillstocommunicatenewunderstandingseffectively.
3.1.5Usetechnologyandotherinformationtoolstoorganizeanddisplayknowledge
andunderstandinginwaysthatotherscanview,use,andaccess
3.1.6Useinformationandtechnologyethicallyandresponsibly.
3.2.1Demonstrateleadershipandconfidencebypresentingideastoothersinboth
formalandinformalsituations
3.2.2Showsocialresponsibilitybyparticipatingactivelywithothersinlearning
situationsandbycontributingquestionsandideasduringgroupdiscussions
3.2.3Demonstrateteamworkbyworkingproductivelywithothers.
3.4.2Assessthequalityandeffectivenessofthelearningproduct
3.4.3Assessownabilitytoworkwithothersinagroupsettingbyevaluatingvaried
roles,leadershipanddemonstrationsofrespectforotherviewpoints
ISTEStandards
1.CreativityandInnovation:Studentsdemonstratecreativethinking,construct
knowledge,anddevelopinnovativeproductsandprocessesusingtechnology.Students:
a.applyexistingknowledgetogeneratenewideas,products,orprocesses.
b.createoriginalworksasameansofpersonalorgroupexpression.
d.identifytrendsandforecastpossibilities.
2.CommunicationandCollaboration:Studentsusedigitalmediaandenvironmentsto
communicateandworkcollaboratively,includingatadistance,tosupportindividual
learningandcontributetothelearningofothers.Students:
a.interact,collaborate,andpublishwithpeers,experts,orothersemployinga
varietyofdigitalenvironmentsandmedia.
b.communicateinformationandideaseffectivelytomultipleaudiencesusinga
varietyofmediaformats.
d.contributetoprojectteamstoproduceoriginalworksorsolveproblems.
3.ResearchandInformationFluency:Studentsapplydigitaltoolstogather,evaluate,
anduseinformation.Students:
a.planstrategiestoguideinquiry.
locate,organize,analyze,evaluate,synthesize,andethicallyuseinformationfrom
avarietyofsourcesandmedia.
b.evaluateandselectinformationsourcesanddigitaltoolsbasedonthe
appropriatenesstospecifictasks.
c.processdataandreportresults.
4.CriticalThinking,ProblemSolving,andDecisionMaking:Studentsusecritical
thinkingskillstoplanandconductresearch,manageprojects,solveproblems,and
makeinformeddecisionsusingappropriatedigitaltoolsandresources.Students:
a.identifyanddefineauthenticproblemsandsignificantquestionsfor
investigation.
b.planandmanageactivitiestodevelopasolutionorcompleteaproject
collectandanalyzedatatoidentifysolutionsand/ormakeinformeddecisions
c.usemultipleprocessesanddiverseperspectivestoexplorealternative
solutions.
5.Citizenship:Studentsunderstandhuman,cultural,andsocietalissuesrelatedto
technologyandpracticelegalandethicalbehavior.Students:
a.advocateandpracticesafe,legal,andresponsibleuseofinformation
technology.
b.exhibitapositiveattitudetowardusingtechnologythatsupports
collaboration,learning,andproductivity.
c.demonstratepersonalresponsibilityforlifelonglearning.
d.exhibitleadershipfordigitalcitizenship.
6.TechnologyOperationsandConcepts:Studentsdemonstrateasoundunderstanding
oftechnologyconcepts,systems,andoperations.Students:
a.understandandusetechnologysystems.
b.selectanduseapplicationseffectivelyandproductively.
c.troubleshootsystemsandapplications.
d.transfercurrentknowledgetolearningofnewtechnologies.

Scenario
ThestudyoftheRevolutionaryWaranditscausesisoneoftherequiredunitsofstudyof5thgrade
SocialStudies.TheRevolutionaryWarunitfollowsunitsonthestudyofthefoundingofthecoloniesand
theFrenchandIndianWar.Throughthepreviousunits,studentshavepriorexperienceinexploring
differentpointsofview,astheyexploredbothsidesofthewar.

Theclassroomteacherapproachedthelibrarianstodetermineamoreengagingwaytolearncontent
regardingtheeventsthatledtotheRevolutionaryWar.Theresearchlibrariansuggestedstudentslearn
aboutthepreRevolutionaryWarwhilealsolearningaboutsearchingdatabases.Thelibrarianselectsall
printmaterialsontheRevolutionaryWarandpeopleduringitstime.Fictionalaccountsareincluded,
butnotedassuch.Theclassroomteacheralsoreadsselectionsfromthesetextsetstotheclassduring
classreadingtime.Thelibrarianselectstheresearchdatabaseswhiletheclassroomteacherteaches
minilessonsonwritingforanewspaperformathighlightingsomemajoreventsthatleduptothe
RevolutionaryWar.

AftergainingsomebackgroundknowledgeonpreRevolutionaryWarevents,theclassroomteacher
andtheresearchlibrarianpresenttheresearchtasktogetherinthelibrary.Allresearchsessionsare
conductedinthelibrarytoutilizeallformsofresources.

Thetechnologylibrarianandtheclassroomteacherinformthestudentsoftheiroptionsfortheirfinal
project.Studentgroupscreatetheirnewspapersandpresentationsbasedontheirresearch.Their
presentationsmaybepowerpoints,podcasts,newscastvideos,reenactments,orother
teacherapprovedpresentations.Thetechnologylibrarianhelpsstudentsinitiatetheirprojectwithalist
ofweb2.0optionsandtutorialsonhowtousedifferenttechnologytoolsinthelibrarycomputerlab.
Additionalworktimeontheseprojectsisdoneintheclassroomandathome.Savingworkusing
GoogleDriveisrequired.StudentswillbetaughttousethecollaborativetoolsGoogleDriveoffersin
thelibrarycomputerlab.

Studentswillcreateandsendinvitationsandpresenttothefourthgradeclassandparentsasthe
culminationoftheproject.

Assessment
Thereareavarietyofrubricsthatwillbeusedthroughoutthisproject.TheLibraryContextrubric
showshowinstructorswillassesstheprocessofresearch.TheCurriculumContentrubricsandthe
MultimediaPresentationRubricshowhowthestudentsaremasteringcriticalcurriculumcontentinthe
finalproducts.TheDailyReflectiveJournalincorporatessomeoftheselfquestioningaspectsofthe
project.

LibraryContext
Criteria Basic(1) Proficient(2) Exemplary(3)
Notesareinthe
studentsown
words.
Usedsomeinown
words,butcopied
most.
Mostlyusedtheir
ownwords.
Alwaysusedtheirown
words.
Information
gatheredfrom
morethantwo
sources.
Informationisonly
fromonesource.
Informationislocated
fromtwosources.
Informationislocated
frommorethantwo
sources.
Information
gatheredis
accurate
Manyinaccuraciesin
informationgathered.
Mostinformation
gatheredisaccurate
andfromcredible
sources.
Allinformationgathered
isaccurateandfrom
crediblesources.
Synthesizing
Information
Gathered
Theteamwrotean
accuratehistorically
researchedpiece,but
itisnotwrittenfroma
historicalperspective.
Theteampresented
accurateinformation
fromhistorical
research,butitisonly
somewhatconvincing
thatitwaswritten
fromthehistorical
timeperiod.
Theteamclearly
synthesizedthehistorical
researchintoa
newspaperarticlethat
resemblesonfromthe
historicaltimeperiod.
NewspaperFormat Littleevidenceof
modelnewspapers
usedwhencreatingthe
teamproduct.Many
editsandrevisionsare
necessarybefore
publication.
Someevidenceof
modelnewspapers
usedwhencreating
theteamproduct.
Editsandrevisions
arenecessarybefore
publication.
Theteamusedmodel
newspaperstoformat
theirnewspaper.The
endproductlooks
polishedandreadyfor
publication.
SourcesCited Onlysomesources
arecited.Reference
listisnotcomplete.
Sourcesarecited,but
notinthecontextof
MLAformatting.
Allsourcesarecited
accuratelyusingMLA
formatting.
Teamwork Theteamneeded
teacherintervention
morethantwiceeach
daytostayontask.
Theteamneeded
teacherintervention
onlyoncedailyto
stayontask.
Theteamneededno
teacherintervention
dailytokeeptheproject
moving.

CurriculumContentNewspaper
Criteria Basic(1) Proficient(2) Exemplary(3)
RoleandPosition
areclearlydefined
(i.e.,Patriot,
Loyalist,British
andfororagainst
American
Independence)
Itisunclearwhich
groupisrepresented
bythenewspaper.
Thegroupsposition
isinconsistentor
unclear.
Roleandpositionare
mostlyclear
throughout,although
theremaybesome
confusionorlackof
direction.
Roleandpositionare
clearlystatedand
reinforcedthroughout,
bothdirectlyand
indirectly.Newspaper
hasstrongunifying
themethroughposition.
Evidenceor
reasonsforposition
areclearly
described
Someattemptismade
toexplaintheposition
ofthegroupbutit
lacksdetailand
specifichistorical
events.
Historicaleventsare
citedasreasonsfor
thegroupsposition
butcouldbefurther
developedthrough
moreexplanationor
moreexamples.
Multiplehistoricalevents
areusedasreasonsfor
thegroupspositionand
explainedthoroughly,
providingacomplete
explanationofwhythe
groupfeltjustifiedinits
views.
Reasonsforthe
othergroups
actionsand
motivationsare
statedandrefuted
Reasonsbehindthe
othergroups(i.e.,
Loyalists,British,
Patriots)actionsare
unclear.Littleorno
attemptismadeto
explainwhythose
reasonsarenotvalid.
Reasonsbehindthe
othergroups(i.e.,
Loyalists,British,
Patriots)actionsare
given.Anattemptis
madetoexplainwhy
thosereasonsarenot
validbutmaynotbe
ontopicortarget.
Newspaperclearly
identifiesthereasons
behindtheothergroups
(i.e.,Loyalists,British,
Patriots)actionsand
explainswhythose
reasonsormotivations
arenotvalid.
Spelling,grammar,
andmechanicsare
presentandused
correctly.
5ormoreerrors.
Errorsimpede
understanding.
Theremaybe35
errors.Errorsmay
presentsome
problemswith
understanding.
Theremaybe12minor
errorsthatdonot
impedeunderstanding.
Overall,thenewspaper
iserrorfreeandready
forpublication.
RoughDraft Roughdraftispresent
butshowsnopeeror
selfrevision.
Roughdraftispresent
andshowslittlepeer
orselfrevision.
Roughdraftispresent
andshowsthoughtful
commentsandrevisions.
Revisionsrepresentboth
selfreflectionand
commentsfrompeers.

CurriculumContentMultimediaPresentation
Criteria Basic(1) Proficient(2) Exemplary(3)
Problemfacing
colonistsis
identified
Someattempthasbeen
madetoidentifya
problembutitisnot
clearhowthisaffects
colonists,thehistoryof
thisproblem,orwhy
thisisimportant.
Abriefoverviewofthe
problemisgiven,
althoughcausesorwhy
thisisimportantmaybe
lacking.
Problemisthoroughly
described,aswellasits
causesandhowitaffects
dailylifeinthecolonies.
Choices Someattemptismade
atdescribingcolonist
options.Optionsmay
belimitedto1choice
ordescriptionis
lacking.
23optionsfacing
colonistsaredescribed
briefly.
Manydifferentoptionsfor
colonistsaredescribed
andgivenathorough
explanation.
Consequences Consequencesare
lackingindescription
orscope
Afewconsequences
aredescribed.
Descriptionsmaybe
brief.
Manyconsequencesof
choicesaredescribed.
Descriptionsarethorough
andwellthoughtout.
CourseofAction Anattempttodescribe
theactionthesettlers
tookismadebutthe
actionorreasonsare
unclear.
Thecourseofaction
thesettlerstookis
described.Some
explanationoftheir
reasonsmaybegiven.
Thecourseofactionthe
settlerstookisclearly
described,asistheir
reasons.
Class
Presentation
Mostgroupmembers
participateintheclass
presentation.
Presentationlacks
visualand/oraudio
elementcannotbe
heard.
Everygroupmember
participatesintheclass
presentation,although
theremaybe
inequalitiesinthe
amountofparticipation.
Presentationincludesa
visualelement.Audio
element(ifapplicable)
ispresentbutmaybe
hardtohear.
Everygroupmember
participatesequallyinthe
classpresentation.
Presentationincludesa
visualelementandany
audioelementsareeasy
tohear.

MultimediaPresentation
Criteria Basic(1) Proficient(2) Exemplary(3)
Studentsusedigital
mediatowork
collaboratively.
Studentsuseonemethod
ofcollaborative
communicationoutside
ofclass.
Students
communicate
throughmorethan
onemethodof
communication
outsideofclass:
GoogleDrive+
email(forexample)
Studentsusemultiple
methodsof
communicationand
documentation:Google
Drive,Google
Hangouts,Email&
telephone,etc..
Studentscollaborative
builddocumentsand
constructivelyediteach
otherswork
Studentsuse
criticalthinking
Studentscompile
researcheddataina
logicalpresentation.
Studentsuse
multimediato
prepare
Studentsuseprint,web,
andvideoresourcesto
prepareandgivetheir
skillstoplanand
conductresearch
presentationwith
datacollected.Itis
evidentthatall
studentsare
involvedinthe
process.
presentation.Itwillbe
evidentthatallmembers
oftheteamwere
involvedinallprocesses
ofresearch,and
preparationofthefinal
product.
Students
demonstratea
sound
understandingof
technology.
Studentsareabletouse
thecomputerfor
researchandwritinga
newspaperarticle
Studentsareable
tousethe
computerfor
research,writinga
newspaperarticle,
creatinga
PowerPoint
presentationand
usingaweb2.0
tool.
Studentsareabletouse
thecomputer,video
camera,andother
technologytoolswhile
creatingtheirmultimedia
presentation,usingweb
2.0tools(suchasvideo
productionsand
podcasts).

DailyReflectiveJournal
TheDailyReflectiveJournal,tobecreatedandkeptasonedocumentineachstudentsGoogleDrive,
isabuildingblockandatooltohelpstudentsgatherandorganizeinformation,references,ideasand
othernotes.Itwillbemarkedattheendoftheunitascompleteorincomplete.

InstructionalPlan

Resources
InteractiveResourceURL:http://wsulis7320.weebly.com
Resourcesinstructorwilluse:
epsonprojector
textbook
textsetsuppliedbyclassroomlibraryandschoollibrary
examplesofnewspaperarticlesfromthetimeperiod(linksfoundontheweebly)

Directinstruction:Priortotheresearchlessons,theclassroomteacherwillusedirectinstructionto
introducestudentstoeventsleadinguptotheRevolutionaryWar,theformatofanewspaper,and
variouswritinglessons.Oncestudentshavegainedbackgroundknowledge,theresearchlibrarianwill
usedirectinstructiontoshowstudentshowtosearchinthreepredetermineddatabases,highlightingkey
searchtechniques.Theresearchlibrarianwillalsoprovidedirectinstructiononhowtosetupnotesusing
GoogleSpreadsheetandcitesourcesaccordingtoMLAformattingstandards.

Modelingandguidedpractice:Eachdaytheresearchlibrarianwillbeginthelibrarysessionwitha
minilessonhighlightinganimportantsearchingornotetakingskill.Thestudentswillthenpracticethat
skill(andthepreviousdaysskills)duringthelibraryresearchsession.Duringlibrarytimethetechnology
librarianwillmodelhowtousetheweb2.0toolsontheInternetandhowtouseprogramsavailablein
thelibrarycomputerlab.ThetechnologylibrarianwillmodelsafebehaviorusingtheInternetand
technology.Attheendofeachlibraryandlibrarylabsessionstudentswillcreateanexitslipthatwilllet
theresearchlibrarianorthetechnologylibrarianknowiftheyneedadditionalhelpwithaspecific
programorsearchmethod.Thiswillpromptthelibrariantoconductaminilessoninthenearfuture.

Independentpractice:Studentswillbeencouragedtoworkindependentlythroughouttheunittofind
resourcesandbackgroundinformationtocreatemorerobustprojects.Studentswillalsodividegroup
worksothateachstudentisresponsibleforworkingindependentlyonaportionoftheprojectbefore
bringingitbacktothegroupforreview.

Sharingandreflecting:Throughouttheentireproject,studentswillsharetheirworkwitheachother
andworkcollaborativelyintheirgroupsbyusingGoogleDrive.Studentswillpeerreviseeachothers
work.Studentswillkeepareflectivejournalontheresearchprocess,thegroupworkprocess,andtheir
individualeffortsonaGoogleDrivedocument.Thisreflectivejournalexitslipwillnotbesharedwiththe
group,buthelpsthemlearntogathertheirnotes,ideas,andthoughtsontheproject.

Onceallprojectsarecomplete,studentgroupswillsharetheirfinalproductswiththerestoftheclass
beforethefinalpresentationtothefourthgradeandparents.StudentswillalsocompleteaGoogle
Formevaluatingtheirteamworkasagroupandtheirindividualcontributiontothefinalprojects.