*This is my Demo Lesson for July 12th!

Title:

Declaration of Independence

Author:

Greg Keehn

Grade Band:

6-12

Estimated Lesson Time: Two 50 minute blocks

Overview:

Students need to read and analyze the language and arguments used in primary and secondary source documents. This lesson is meant to help students analyze and identify the claim or argument used by a secondary source writer on a particular topic. Furthermore, this lesson is designed to help students analyze and interpret the language writers use to make their arguments and to support their positions in primary sources as well. This lesson is a very effective tool for assisting students with deep reading and in helping students to understand the language and vocabulary used in a historic document like The Declaration ofIndependence. This lesson is also an effective tool for getting students to work cooperative when reading and analyzing text through utilizing chunking and deep reading strategies. Finally, this lesson allows students to practice paraphrasing primary sources, and it affords students an opportunity to do some basic reflective writing.

From Theory to Practice:

This lesson serves as a way to get students to interact with primary source and secondary source writing as a conduit to aid in critical thinking, deep reading, and paraphrasing. Students need to be able to identify the claims and evidence used in both primary and secondary source materials.

According to the Library of Congress, primary sources help to engage students by helping them to relate to events of the past in a personal way. The use of primary source documents like The Declaration of Independence encourage a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events. Likewise, primary sources are snap shots of history that give students a better picture of the situations that our ancestors faced. By using such sources, students learn make connections to a piece of history and to seek additional evidence through research. First-person accounts of events help make those events more real, fostering active reading and response. Using primary sources develops critical thinking skills by having students use prior knowledge and multiple primary sources to find patterns. Analyzing primary sources, encourage students to move from concrete observations and facts to questioning and making inferences about the materials. Writing about primary sources allows students to analyze and question an author’s bias, purpose, and point of view. All of which may challenge students’ existing beliefs and assumptions (http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/whyuse.html).

R. Fletcher and J.A. Portalupi (2001) believe that one of the main goals of writing instruction is the deepening of the connection between reading and writing by encouraging students to collaborate and share with one another when analyzing and writing. This lesson clearly asks students to do just that. Students will first read and then analyze two secondary sources about the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. Then students analyze and paraphrase the ideas contained the opening of the Declaration of Independence. Authors R.H. Shea, L. Scanlon, and R.D. Aufses, U.L. Scanlon, and U.R. Aufses (2012) of TheLanguage of Composition contend that close reading and paraphrasing lead to a better analysis of a writer’s “subject matter, occasion, audience, purpose, and persona”. In Teaching Argument Writing, G. Hillicks (2011) discusses the need for students to make claims, to support claims, and to develop warrants. This lesson use analysis, deep reading, paraphrasing, and writing to do just that.

References:

Bailyn, B. (1992). The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution. Harvard University Press.

Fletcher, R., & Portalupi, J. (2001). Writing workshop: The essential guide from the authors of craft lessons. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books,U.S.

Hillocks, G. (2011). Teaching argument writing, grades 6-12: Supporting claims with relevant evidence and clear reasoning. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann Educational Books.

Howard, R. M. (2009). Writing matters: A handbook for writing and research. United States: McGraw Hill Higher Education.

Library of Congress. (2016). Why Use Primary Sources? Retrieved July 05, 2016, from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/whyuse.html

Shea, R. H., Scanlon, L., Aufses, R. D., Shea, U. R. H., Scanlon, U. L., & Aufses, U. R. D. (2012). The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Stanford. (2012, August 21). Stanford history education group. Retrieved July 7, 2016, from http://sheg.stanford.edu/declaration-independence

Zinn, H. (1980). A People’s History of the United States, New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Driving Question for Lesson:

Why did the Founders write the Declaration of Independence?

Materials:

-Copy of Declaration of Independence

-Copies of Two Historians’ Interpretations

-Copies of Declaration Preamble

-Copies of Declaration of Independence Grievances

Objectives:

Students will deep read a primary source document.

Students will analyze and identify the claims and evidence used by secondary source authors.

Students will identify and analyze the claims in a historic document.

Students will practice paraphrasing.

Students use practice, paraphrase, and use difficult text-related vocabulary.

Students will take a position on a topic, and write about it.

Plan of Instruction:

1. Have Students Journal: What do you know about the Declaration of Independence? (3-5 minutes)

2. Have student share responses.

3. Have student watch video: “Americans Don't Know WHY We Celebrate the 4th of July or WHAT COUNTRY.”

4. Have student watch video: What you might not know about the Declaration of Independence." - Kenneth C. Davis

5. Introduction to main activities:

Ask students the following:

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence? The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by representatives from all 13 colonies on August 2,

1776.

What was the Declaration of Independence? A document used by the leaders to outline their reasons for declaring independence from England.

Did all colonists support independence? 1/3 supported independence, 1/3 remained, 1/3 did not care either way.

What motivated colonial leaders to write the Declaration? Historians have disagreed as to whether the colonial leaders were motivated by selfish or ideological reasons.

What would be some examples of ideological reasons?

(equality, freedom)

What would be some examples of selfish reasons?

(preserve the power and privilege of rich people)

Hand out Two Historians’ Interpretations and have students complete in pairs.

6. Have students share answers with the class. Students should understand that Bailyn argues that the Founders were motivated by ideological reasons and Zinn argues that the

founders were motivated by selfish reasons (i.e., power, money).

7. Hand out Declaration Preamble assignment and have students re-write in their own

words. (Depending on the reading level of your students, you might want to

give them the highly scaffolded version).

8. Discussion: Based on the words in the Preamble, do you think the

Declaration of Independence was written for selfish or ideological reasons?

(In other words, do you agree with Bailyn or Zinn?) Why?

9. Give or show students a copy of the complete Declaration of Independence as a reference.

10. Hand out Grievances activity and have students complete in pairs.

Explain to students that most of the Declaration of Independence is a list of

complaints against the King of England. The grievances on the student copy have been combined. Encourage student to look at the full text of the Declaration.

When students receive their grievances hand-outs, they should

- write O (for ONLY rich and powerful) if the grievance seems to be something that would affect only the rich and powerful.

- write A (for ALL the colonists) if the grievance seems to be something that would affect all the colonists.

- write “?” if they don’t know who would be affected,

11. Debrief: Whole class discusses the following:

- Do these grievances seem to be things that would upset rich

people or everyone?

-What information would you need to know to better answer that

question?

- Based on the grievances, which historian do you think has a better

argument (Bailyn or Zinn)? In other words, was the Declaration of

Independence written for selfish or ideological reasons?

- Grievances 23, 24, 27 have a different tone. How might that

support Zinn’s argument?

12. Have students write a reflection about whether they would have supported independence from Great Britain if they had lived in 1776? Why or why not?

13. Have student share their responses and share your response as well.

Other Resources:

The histories written by Bernard Bailyn and Howard Zinn should be used for this particular lesson; however, this lesson could be modified for any two historians with conflicting views.

Web Resources:

Google and Amazon are good places to find books for history readings.

Teacher Assessment/Reflection:

This is a good lesson to teach students deep reading, paraphrasing, and identifying claims with evidence. The lesson is also effective in helping students to form and to defend their positions on events and topics. This is lesson is also research-based endorsed by READI program and the Stanford History Education Group. The lesson is a great way to have students to interact with claims and evidence in primary and secondary sources.

Standards Covered English and Government: