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Grade Level

Duration
Subject Area(s)
NCSS/MCPS
Standards

Title: Intro to the American Revolution


Author: Karissa Gordon
School: Lowell Elementary
5th
1 hour
Social Studies; meant to be used within an American
Revolution Unit.
Competency 4.1.1: Identify the political, religious, and
economic issues that brought about the Revolution.
Competency 4.3: Understand the significance of the
Declaration of Independence and the role of the people
and events associated with the drafting and signing of
it.
Competency 4.4.1: Explore the views, lives, and
impact of key individuals during this period.
Competency 5.1.1: Identify the major military battles,
turning points of the Revolutionary War.

Content Objectives/
Learning Targets

I can identify an issue that brought about the Revolution.


I can name a key individual associated with the
Declaration of Independence, and explain their
importance.
I can identify one turning point leading up to, or during
the American Revolution.

Primary Sources

Journals of the Continental Congress Petition to the


King; July 8, 1775
The Declaration of Independence
Common Sense by Thomas Paine
Portrait of King George III

Resources
-American Revolution powerpoint
-Projector/ability to project the powerpoint in class
Preparation
What does one need to do
prior to instruction?

Hook/Formative
assessment

Become familiar with the powerpoint (make


changes if necessary).
Become comfortable with knowledge of the
Revolutionary War, including the events that lead
to it.

-Show first slide on powerpoint


Give me a thumbs up if you have heard of the American
Revolution.
Turn to a neighbor and share with them one thing you
know, or think you know about the American Revolution.

This can be something you put in the k section of your


KWL chart.
-have volunteers share one fact they have of the A.R with
the class.
Instruction
Description of the
pedagogy, strategies,
possible modifications and
key skills or concepts
needed to be taught for all
students to be successful.

-Introduce lesson with the hook (previously stated)


-Continue throughout the powerpoint supplementing
information in the notes section with background
knowledge as well.
Slides 5, 9, 13, and 16 have specific questions to ask
students that have bolded font. Allow for a small
discussion to develop in response to any of these
questions if the class is interested and engaged.
Slide 8 includes an activity that gets students thinking
and active by having them imagine they are colonists.
Read the listed questions and call on a few students to
share their responses with the class. Conduct a think,
pair, share with students taking a minute to compose
their thoughts, sharing with a nearby peer, and then
sharing with the class via a Take a Stance activity.
o In the Take a Stance activity designate one area
of the classroom as completely loyal to Great
Britain, and another area as completely
patriotic (make sure these areas fall on a line
with each other). Explain that students must
situate themselves on this imaginary line based
on their opinions as a colonist. Call students up
individually or in groups to physically place
themselves on the line, and have them explain
their opinions. Students can be unsure, and
therefore fall along the line in the middle
somewhere. Students may also move
throughout the activity if they feel they are
being swayed. Allow students 10 minutes to
respectfully debate with one another, stepping
in whenever necessary. Relate the differing
opinions among student to the real colonists
who disagreed.
- Continue on with the powerpoint noting the activity and
discussion suggestions with slide 10. Here, the instructor
can have students conduct an analysis of the portrait of
King George III (What do you notice? Is he rich or poor?
How do you know? What is with his hair? Why isnt he
smiling? Etc.). This could transition nicely into a class
discussion of a dictator versus a democracy. What are the
similarities and differences?
- Slide 11 is a map of Paul Reveres ride and the battles of
Lexington and Concord. Have students calculate the
distance Revere rode using the scale on the map.

- Continue through powerpoint.


- During slide 14, potentially read an excerpt from the
Declaration as another method of keeping student
attention.
-Finish powerpoint, encouraging questions and discussion
along the way.
*Although lecture-based, this lesson is not intended to
be entirely teacher-centered. Encourage student input,
questions, and discussion throughout.
Modifications:
-Have students fill out a graphic organizer during the
powerpoint.
This could be differentiated by having more
advanced students fill out a complex organizer, and
less advanced students completing a more basic
organizer.
-Use the KWL charts first as a hook, and then as an
organizational method so students fill out a bit of the w
and l sections as the powerpoint progresses.
Key Concepts:
-The American Revolution was mainly between the
colonies and Great Britain, over control of America.
Before this, we were under the rule of King George III.
- This revolution spanned decades when the events
leading up to it are considered (1753-1783). It was very
complex.
- Many now famous people were very prominent figures
in the American Revolution (Benjamin Franklin, George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, etc.)
- Not all of the colonists wanted separation from the King.
There was a time when only about one third of them did.

Links to relevant web


sites

http://americanhistory.mrdonn.org/revolution.html
http://www.kidsdiscover.com/shop/issues/americanrevolution-for-kids/
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=332453
http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/tguide_1.html

Assessment
How will you know if the
students understand your
lesson and are capable of
demonstrating mastery?

Participation in class discussion and activities will be the


biggest indicator. If a student is asking thoughtful
questions, staying on-task during partnered times, and is
able to use previous information to answer questions
throughout the powerpoint.

Evaluation of Assessment
The student samples provided do not come directly from this lesson. This lesson is meant
as the first or second in a unit spanning over a week. The three samples are results of a lesson
given the day after this introductory powerpoint was used. Therefore the assessment process is
different that what is written on the lesson plan above.
The assessment process for this assignment was informal. Student work was used as a
formative assessment, and an organizational tool for the students as they continued on throughout
the unit. The storyboards themselves were an adequate tool for assessment, however I noticed that
the more pertinent data came from assessing the manner in which students worked on their
storyboards. Students were given time to research and fill in their storyboards in class, during
which Mr. Wood and I circulated throughout the room helping students individually if needed.
During this time, it was very easy to observe which students understood the content of their
chosen battle, and which did not. Generally, students who understood the content were able to
complete storyboards with a greater number of sections. Sometimes these students focused on the
writing element of the storyboards rather than the visual, and sometimes they completed both
sections evenly and with detail. The ease of providing detail was the biggest indicator to me
whether or not a student met the learning targets. I also noticed that some students were able to
verbally relate a substantial amount of detail when I asked them to, but had trouble filling out their
storyboards. This is an example of the storyboards being a potentially flawed means of assessing.
Mr. Wood and I did not initiate a pre or post test because we felt a more student-centered,
hands-on approach to this portion of the unit would be most beneficial to students. By allowing
them the choice of which battle to research, and then requiring them to find their own information
(using a variety of sources) we hoped that the information would be far more meaningful that if it
was simply given in lecture format.
Simply using the student samples, the learning targets dont appear to be fully met. But
using the discussions I had with these students during their research, and the amount of
information they collected (and stored in their folders at school) I would say that the learning
target (relating to standard NCSS 5.1.1 specifically) was definitely met.
We chose these three samples because we felt they represented the class fairly well. Two
students chose the more simple storyboard sheet and were able to complete it with both writing
and drawings, while the third student chose the longer storyboard and didnt get to the pictures. It
was rare that a student chose the longer storyboard and was able to complete it with detail in both
writing and drawings. And it was uncommon that the students who chose the storyboard with less
frames failed to complete it without drawings. From these examples and patterns, we can learn
that is an easy way for differentiated instruction (by varying the number of frames on the
storyboard, and amount of detail required) that allows students two options for expressing their
information. From the three samples specifically, we can see that students overall did well with

this activity. The storyboards helped organize the information they found, and because it allows
for writing and drawing students are able to use the method they are more comfortable with.

Reflection
Drawing on my cooperating teachers comments, the observation form, and my own
judgment, I felt this lesson was one of my more successful ones during the last five weeks. In
preparation for this introductory lesson on the American Revolution, I looked at dozens of
educational websites for kids, primary sources, and different powerpoints that I found online. I
was originally hoping to find a good powerpoint for fifth grade so I could focus my time on
thinking of activities to incorporate. In the end, I decided to create my own because I was unable
to find one that fit my lessons needs. Because of this, I felt very confident in my background
knowledge of the American Revolution, and ended up being very proud of the powerpoint I
created. This confidence I felt from being well prepared was commented on in my observation
form as well. My partner observed how nicely my slides flowed from one to the next, and how
engaged they kept the students.
During the actual teaching of my lesson, I felt students were focused and engaged. At
times, I felt as if I was being too conversational when answering student questions or providing
answers. I gravitate towards a more conversational speaking style when Im teaching because I
want to make it as relatable and easy to understand as possible. Sometimes this is a strength for
me, and other times I feel it may distract from the content. In this lesson, both my advisor and
partner commented positively on my conversational tone. My advisor remarked that she noticed a
light bulb go off for some students after I gave an analogy using everyday objects, and she felt I
was able to keep more students attention due to my expressive way of teaching.
Although I was very happy with my personal portion of the lesson (the preparation and
executing) it definitely highlighted a couple of areas that I can improve in. The first being my time
management. What was originally planned as a 45-minute lesson ended up taking well over an
hour. The students were asking thoughtful questions and initiating very good class discussions, so
I didnt know when to move on. Should I move on with hands still waving in the air? Should I
allow for this tangent right now? These were some questions I had while teaching that
demonstrated clearly that this is an area I need to work on. Even though the students were
engaged, it took close to twice as long as I planned the lesson to take, and if I let all my lessons do
that, I would never get content covered in time.
Something else that I can work to improve that was evident in my lesson is how to give
constructive criticism to a student with the wrong answer. After asking a question and calling on a

volunteer for the answer, I didnt know how to handle that student giving me a wrong answer. I
had observed my cooperating teacher use a very blunt, sometimes harsh-sounding method of
constructive criticism because, when asked, she told me that students cant be thinking they have
the right answer when its totally wrong, so you have to let them know right away. But back to my
tendency to be more casual and conversational, being blunt to a student is not something Im
comfortable with yet. This lack of certainty was commented on by my advisor as well, as an area
that I could improve in.
Seeing how this is technically a lecture lesson, using primary source analysis was a
challenge at first. Unless I wanted to print out copies for every student of the Declaration of
Independence, I wasnt sure how to keep students engaged. In the end, I decided to use excerpts
from Common Sense, the Declaration of Independence, and have students analyze a portrait of
King George III. The analysis of this portrait in particular, was a section of the lesson I felt went
really well. Students not only were able to draw the conclusions and gather the information that I
wanted them to, but the discussion progressed and covered more than I had planned for. The whole
time however students were thinking deeply, working together to make predictions and give
answers, and were respectfully communicating with myself, and their peers. Both in the portrait
analysis activity and the Take a Stance activity, students were required to collaborate, respectfully
persuade and listen to opinions both similar and different than their own. Effectively and
respectfully communicating, and being introduced to ideas and beliefs that a student may not share
are both examples of how this lesson was content rich while still allowing students to experience a
social science.
It is very easy to imagine what other lesson plans could accompany this introductory one
because it is already part of an American Revolution unit Mr. Wood and I created. Progressing
from here, we had a lesson focusing on researching the battles of the Revolution (lesson
responsible for the student samples), a lesson on prominent people of the American Revolution,
and a lesson on daily life during the revolution (which we did not have time for), just to name a
few. Although Im glad we werent working with any sort of scripted curriculum so Mr. Wood and
I could have freedom with our lessons, I feel a textbook would be a great tool to base lesson plans
around. In regards to distinct social science disciplines, I remember learning about communism
from my textbook in eighth grade. But instead of leaving us with just the textbook information,
my teacher had us play Communism Monopoly. He devoted half a class for us to play the board
game Monopoly, playing as if in a communistic society so everything was shared equally. This is a
lesson I will never forget because of its creativity and how well it illustrated the economics of

communism. I recall another lesson where we gave classroom presentations about a prominent
world culture that required us learn a small bit of their written or spoken language. We first
completed worksheets from a textbook on each culture so we would all have some background
knowledge to draw on, but then we presented focusing on that cultures linguistics. These lessons
prove to me that using a textbook does not hinder creativity or access to social science disciplines.
As a final note, I want to remind you that the work samples provided are not directly from
my written lesson plan. They are from the lesson plan that followed, which is a part of the whole
American Revolution unit Mr. Wood and I taught. Some were not completed because we ran out
of time for research. I felt they were applicable to my lesson as well because we tried to make our
unit as cohesive as possible, so one lesson flowed into the next. Students were given an overview
of the revolution -including the battles fought- in my lesson, and then had to delve further into a
specific battle and research for themselves.

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