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I. Instructional Goal Students will use text evidence and drawing to explain why American independence was "Common Sense."
III. Essential Questions
Historical: How did Thomas Paine convince normal people to stop being afraid of the King?
Self: When does a rule become so "absurd" that it needs to be changed?
II. Vocabulary
Pamphlet: A short booklet used to spread ideas.
Absurd: Something ridiculous that makes no sense.
Independent: Being free to rule yourself.
The Reading: The Book That Went Viral - Thomas Paine Common Sense
The Reading: The Book That Went Viral - Thomas Paine Common Sense
The Situation: January 1776
The King had rejected the Olive Branch Petition. The colonists were angry, confused, and stuck. They were fighting a war, but they were still afraid to say the word "Independence." They needed a push.
Enter Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine was a regular guy—a recent immigrant from England who wasn't rich or famous. In January 1776, he published a small 47-page pamphlet called "Common Sense."
Why was it special?
Back then, most political books were written in fancy, confusing Latin or "Lawyer Speak" that only rich people could understand. Paine did something different. He wrote Common Sense in simple, angry, everyday language that farmers and shopkeepers could understand.
The Argument
He didn't talk about taxes or laws. He talked about logic.
He argued that Kings were a bad idea.
He argued that it was ridiculous for a tiny island (England) to rule a huge continent (America).
He told the colonists: "You aren't British anymore. You are Americans. It is time to grow up and move out."
The Result
It went viral. Over 500,000 copies were sold (that would be like selling 100 million books today). After reading it, people stopped asking "Should we fight?" and started saying "We need Independence NOW."
3:32-6:+
Why did Thomas Paine write "Common Sense"
Why is Sarah upset about the book?
MAP ANALYSIS SKILLS
Size: Compare the land sizes on the map. Why is it "absurd" (silly) for a tiny island to boss around a giant continent?
Distance: The map shows 3,000+ miles of ocean between them. Why does this huge gap make it hard for a King to rule America?
Skills based worksheet: Here are the key social studies skills students are using to complete this worksheet:
Citing Textual Evidence (Locating specific facts within a text)
Determining Author’s Purpose and Audience
Summarizing Central Ideas
Analyzing Primary Sources (Paraphrasing historical language)
Visualizing Information (Spatial reasoning and geographic comparison)
Making Text-to-Self Connections (Applying historical concepts to personal life)
Civic Critical Thinking (Evaluating the logic and fairness of rules)
The Book that changed all our lives!
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