The Declaration of Independence

by Brittany Kulp
I.

II.

Lesson plan overview and description

1. Expected duration: 2 class period (45-50 minutes)
2. Social sciences: Civics and Government, History
3. Concepts: This lesson aims to teach students the reason why the
Declaration of Independence was written by comparing major complaints
had by the colonists to unjust rules that in their own lives.
4. Vocabulary:
a. Independence: freedom from control or influence of another or
others
b. Grievance: an official statement of a complaint over something
believed to be wrong or unfair.
5. Skills: Build knowledge about the Declaration of Independence
6. Broad Goals of the Lesson: The purpose of this lesson is for students to
compare and contrast elements of a historical document, learn more
about the Declaration of Independence, and explore similarities and
differences
Content Outline
A. The Declaration of Independence
a. The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of
the American political tradition. It articulates the fundamental
ideas that form the American nation: All men are created free
and equal and possess the same inherent, natural rights. As a
practical matter, the Declaration of Independence announced to
the world the unanimous decision of the thirteen American
colonies to separate themselves from Great Britain.
b. The Declaration of Independence has five parts. They are the
Preamble, the Statement of Human Rights, Charges Against
Human Rights, Charges Against the King and Parliament, and
the Statement of Separation and Signatures
B. Grievances against the King
a. The Declaration had three parts: 1) The Preamble, which
explained the purpose of the Declaration 2) An outline which
explained the colonists views and ideas about government and
3) A list of grievances against the king and British Parliament.
The list of grievances, though not the most important part, was
the longest part of the Declaration of Independence. Among the
27 complaints listed in this section were that the King and
Parliament:

Refused to pass laws that were good for the people

Passed laws without the colonists approval

Taxed the colonists without their approval

III.

IV.

V.

Kept a British army in the colonies when there was no

war

Required the colonists to house British soldiers

Controlled the courts

Denied some people the right to a jury trial

Standards
1. PDE SAS Standards
a. 5.3.3.F. = 5. Civics and Government. 3. How Government Works. 3.
3rd Grade. Explain how an action may be just or unjust.
b. 8.3.3.D. = 8. History. 3. United States History. 3. 3 rd grade. Identify
and describe how conflict and cooperation among groups and
organizations have impacted the history and development of the
US.
2. PDE Common Core Not applicable
3. NCSS Themes and Subthemes
a. II.F. = II. Time, Continuity, and Change. F. Use knowledge of facts
and concepts drawn from history, along with elements of historical
inquiry to inform decision-making about, and action taking on public
issues.
b. VI.F. = VI. Power, Authority, and Governance. F. Identify and
describe factors that contribute to cooperation and cause disputes
within and among groups and nations.
c. X.B. = X. Civic Ideals and Practices. B. Identify examples of rights
and responsibilities of citizens.
Lesson Objectives
1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of actions and rules that are
unjust.
2. Students will identify the Declaration of Independence by exploring its list
of grievances
Teaching Procedures
1. Anticipatory Set/Introduction
a. Begin the class by telling students that there has been a change in
the school rules; it has been decided by the principal that the
school rules will go into effect tomorrow. Divide the class into
groups and give a copy of the new rules to each student to
reference while the teacher reads the rules aloud. After reading
them aloud to the students, give groups a few minutes to discuss
with their groups.
b. After students have had time to read and discuss the list, ask them
how they feel about the new rules. Discuss as a class or have a
recorder report from each group. Pose the question, What could
you do about these rules?(When the activity is complete, dont
2

forget to let students know that these are not new school rules, just
part of this activity).
c. Explain to students that their feelings are similar to the feelings of
the colonists who lived under the unjust rule of the king.
2. Lesson Input
a. The teacher will read, For Life and Liberty: Causes and Effects of
the Declaration of Independence by Becky Levine. After, the
teacher will ask students to go back to their seats and discuss with
the person sitting next to them one thing from the book that they
thought was especially unfair.
b. Have students take out the new school rules and review. Ask
them to remember how they felt when they read the rules. How did
their feelings compare to those of the colonists? What were the
similarities? Differences? With whom could the principal be
compared?
c. Show the class a list of grievances listed in the Declaration of
Independence and pass out a copy of the graphic organizer for each
student. Make sure that the class knows that a grievance is an
official statement of a complaint over something believed to be
wrong or unfair. The teacher will direct the discussion by asking
students how they think life would be if we had to live under all of
these unfair conditions?
d. Have students choose the rule that best matches each grievance
and write it down in the appropriate column of the graphic
organizer. A chart with possible answers is attached. Make sure that
students understand that the kings treatment was considered
unjust and that through cooperation, the leaders were able to some
up with a solution to a problem by working together.
3. Guided Practice
a. The teacher will guide the students in writing down the rule that
matches the grievance in the graphic organizer.
b. For students who are struggling readers and/or English Language
Learners, pair them with another student for assistance.
c. Circulate the room to monitor students abilities in completing the
graphic organizers. If students have difficulty with this assignment,
model a sample entry on the white board.
d. Have students share their completed organizers with the class.
4. Independent Practice
Students will get into pairs of two or three to finish the graphic
organizer. When they are finished, students will hand in their
completed chart for a completion grade.
5. Differentiation
a. As students are completing the graphic organizers, work
individually with students who are having difficulty with this task.
b. For students who are struggling readers and/or ELLs, pair them with
another student for assistance
6. Closure
3

VI.

a. Review vocabulary presented in the lesson and reiterate the fact

that the Declaration of Independence was written as a result of the
colonists feeling that they were living under unjust rule. They
worked together and came up with a solution to the problem and
that the declaration of independence is an important symbol for our
countrys freedom.
Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources

Resource Title
or Website
Address

Houghton Mifflin
Social Studies,
Grade 3,
Teachers Edition,
2005. Chapter 4
Communities in
History

Influence:
Significant
Influence (SI)
or
Minor Influence
(MI) in
informing your
thinking,
decisions about
the lesson plan
MI

3+
Characteristics
suggesting that
the source is a
quality
resource,
reliable
material

Accessibility
Access for
teachers or
others

Overall Rating
and
Suggestions for
current, future
use of resource

Available in
schools

2/5 on content
related to the
declaration of
independence

Library
On the internet

5/5

4/5

For Life and

Liberty: Cause
and Effects of the
Declaration of
Independence by
Becky Levine

SI

Heritage.org

MI

VII.

VIII.

Breadth of
information
Additional
resources for
reference
including
related and
leveled texts
for
independent
reading
Grade level
text
Historically
accurate
Visually
appealing
Breadth of
information
Additional
resources for
reference
including
related and
leveled texts
for
independent
reading

Easy
On the
internet
.org website

Formative/Summative Assessment(s)
a. Students participation and discussion after the read aloud will provide
formative assessment for objective 1. The students ability to match
the rule to the grievance will provide formative assessment for
objective 1.
b. Students completion of the graphic organizer will provide summative
assessment for objective 2.
Technology/Materials/Equipment
a. Smart board/projector
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IX.

b. Projectable image of the Declaration of Independence/Grievance page

c. Graphic organizer, one per student
d. For Life and Liberty: Cause and Effects of the Declaration of
Independence by Becky Levine
e. New Class Rules, one per student
Reflection on Planning

Being that the declaration of independence is not typically covered in depth in the
early grades, it was difficult to come up with ideas that would teach about the
document itself and what it represents. I went in a different direction for this lesson
because even though its a concept for older learners, younger students can still
benefit from the life skills and critical thinking lessons that are connected to the
document. I decided to focus on having students practice decision making using
pros and cons lists as a way to see their thoughts, positive and negative, side by
side to help them in situations that may not always be favorable. When the leaders
decided to write the declaration, they had some pretty heavy decisions to make
because there would be both positive and negative repercussions for breaking ties
with Britain. Young children can always benefit from learning how to make wise,
sound decisions. In the future, I think I would want to incorporate more active
learning potentially with a readers theatre or a play where students would
throughout the course of a few weeks have lines that they are responsible for
reading as a group in front of an audience.