Declaring Independence



|Lesson Synopsis: |

In this lesson, students take a closer look at actions that have become routine such as reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the Star Spangled Banner. The lesson provides a brief overview of the documents that led the United States as it became a free and independent nation (Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights ) and focuses on the Declaration of Independence.

TEKS:

|5.15 |Government. The student understands important ideas in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.|

| |The student is expected to: |

|5.15A |Identify the key elements and the purposes, and explain the importance of the Declaration of Independence. |

|5.17 |Citizenship. The student understands important symbols, customs, celebrations, and landmarks that represent American beliefs and |

| |principles and contribute to our national identity. The student is expected to: |

|5.17A |Explain various patriotic symbols, including Uncle Sam, and political symbols such as the donkey and elephant. |

|5.17B |Sing or recite The Star-Spangled Banner and explain its history. |

|5.17C |Recite and explain the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance |

|5.17D |Describe the origins and significance of national celebrations such as Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Constitution Day, |

| |Columbus Day, and Veterans Day. |

Social Studies Skills TEKS:

|5.24 |Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid |

| |sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to: |

|5.24B |Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main |

| |idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions. |

|5.25 |Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to: |

|5.25D |Create written and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers, outlines, and bibliographies. |

|Getting Ready for Instruction |

|Performance Indicator(s): |

• As a colonist, write a letter to King George explaining why you and the members of your colony are demanding freedom. Justify your explanation with three reasons. (5.15A; 5.24B; 5.25D) [pic] 4K; 5F

|Key Understandings and Guiding Questions: |

• Diferentes puntos de vista en asuntos políticos, económicos y sociales pueden llevar a conflictos.

— ¿Cómo los diferentes puntos de vista entre Inglaterra y las colonias británicas llevaron a conflictos?

— ¿Qué acciones tomaron los colonos para resolver los asuntos?

|Vocabulary of Instruction: |

• libertad

• independencia

• declaración

• agravio

• bienestar

|Materials: |

• Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.

Attachments:

• Teacher Resource: Pledge of Allegience (optional, 1 to display)

• Handout: Star Spangled Banner Lyrics (optional, 1 per student and 1 to display/project)

• Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: American Symbols (optional)

• Handout: Declaration of Independence (1 per student and 1 for Teacher)

• Handout: Grievances (1 per student and 1 for Teacher)

|Resources and References: |

• None identified

|Advance Preparation: |

1. Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson. In order to complete the letter to King George and the collage performance indicators, students need to understand the Declaration of Independence.

2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.

3. Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.

4. Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines.

5. Prepare materials and handouts as needed.

|Background Information: |

|Students in Texas schools say the Pledge of Allegiance every day. They also hear the Star Spangled Banner sung at various times, but many have not really |

|considered the meaning of the words. |

| |

|The Celebrate Freedom Act passed by the Texas Legislature requires that students understand three of our founding documents: the Declaration of Independence, the |

|Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence was written as an open letter to explain the colonists’ position on the purpose of |

|government, to list grievances against the King, and to garner sympathy and support for these ideas from fellow colonists and from the world community. The U.S. |

|Constitution was intended to unite the colonies, define and limit the powers of the government, and establish a framework for the government of the United States. |

|The Bill of Rights delineates individual rights that are fully protected by law and ensure individual human rights protections. |

|Getting Ready for Instruction Supplemental Planning Document |

Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.

|Instructional Procedures |

|Instructional Procedures |Notes for Teacher |

|ENGAGE – American Routines |NOTE: 1 Day = 30 or 50 minutes |

| |Suggested Day 1 – 15 minutes |

|Conduct a discussion with students using questions such as the following: |Materials: |

|What routines do you have at home? Encourage students to share. (bedtime procedures could include: wash|Recording of the Star-spangled Banner (with or without |

|up, lay out clothes for the morning, read, get tucked in) |voices) |

|What routines do we have at school? Encourage students to share. (Answers should include such things | |

|as: start the day in assembly, walk on the right side of the hallway, put our coats up, listen to the |Attachments: |

|announcements, say the Pledge of Allegiance) |Teacher Resource: Pledge of Allegience (optional, 1 to |

| |display) |

|Project the Pledge of Allegiance and discuss the meaning of the words with the students. (If desired, |Handout: Lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner (optional, 1 |

|use the Handout: Pledge of Allegience) |per student and 1 to display/project) |

| |Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: American Symbols |

|Students stand and say the Pledge of Allegiance. It is one of the routines we have at school. | |

| | |

|Then, ask students: | |

|What song is sung or played at most professional sports events and when the U.S. team wins a gold medal| |

|at the Olympics? (Star Spangled Banner) This is another routine. We are used to doing these things. | |

| | |

|Provide the students a copy of the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner. (If desired, use the Handout: | |

|Lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner) | |

| | |

|Play the music to the song once and have the students read the lyrics while listening. | |

| | |

|Play the music again and have the students sing along. | |

|EXPLORE – Symbols of Freedom |Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 10 min. |

|Students think about the experience of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the Star Spangled |Materials |

|Banner and the meaning of the words. |Pictures of Independence Day celebrations |

| |Pictures of American symbols |

|Students discuss how the national anthem and pledge made them feel. (possible answers include: proud, | |

|like a part of a community) |Attachments |

| |Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: American Symbols (optional)|

|Show pictures of American symbols, including the American flag, Uncle Sam. (If desired, use the Teacher| |

|Resource: PowerPoint: American Symbols.) |Frayer Model: |

| | |

|Through class discussion where students share what they know about the symbols, students build the | |

|understanding that a symbol is something that stands for or suggests something else. In the case of | |

|American symbols, they represent ideas that Americans hold dear, things we believe in, including | |

|freedom (liberty). Include a brief discussion of Independence day, the 4th of July. | |

| | |

|Ask: | |

|What does the word Freedom mean to you? | |

|What does the word Independent mean to you? | |

| | |

|Create a class-sized version of a Frayer model organizer (or other organizer) and have students create | |

|their own versions of the organizer as well. | |

| | |

|Facilitate a discussion where students reach a basic consensus on the meanings of the terms. Add the | |

|words and definitions (in student terms) to the organizer. Some basic ideas are: | |

|Freedom: the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action | |

|Independence: freedom from outside control or support | |

| | |

|Continue the discussion to complete the organizer (Frayer model or other) for each term, adding | |

|characteristics of freedom and independence as well as examples and non-examples for each term. This | |

|process helps students build deeper understanding. | |

|EXPLAIN – American Routines |Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 5 min. |

|Provide students with the following sentence stems to complete: | |

|Patriotic symbols and traditions _______________. (represent important aspects of our national | |

|heritage) | |

|They help Americans _______________. (help us remember what is important, feel like a community) | |

|EXPLORE – Introduce the Declaration of Independence |Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 15 minutes |

|Introduce the study of the founding document using words such as: |Materials: |

|This week has been declared Celebrate Freedom Week. We are Celebrating America this week, celebrating |Declaration of Independence |

|the freedoms we enjoy as Americans. | |

|In the last unit we learned about the 13 English colonies: about how they developed, how closely they |Attachments: |

|were tied to their mother country Great Britain, and how the colonial system worked back in the 18th |Handout: Declaration of Independence (1 per student and 1|

|century. |for Teacher) |

|In this unit we are learning about the documents that framed our country and that clearly state our | |

|country’s beliefs. |Purpose: |

| |This section introduces students to the Declaration of |

|Access the zoomable copy of the Declaration from Colonial Williamsburg and spend a few moments focusing|Independence. |

|student attention on certain parts of the Declaration. (If desired, create student copies of the | |

|Declaration of Independence for students to study.) |TEKS: 5.15A; 5.15B; 5.15C; 5.17A; 5.17B; 5.24B; 5.24D; |

| |5:25A; 5.25D |

|Say: | |

|This is the document that was at the heart of the beginning of it all. | |

|On July 4th, Americans celebrate Independence Day. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved | |

|the Declaration of Independence. Declaring that the 13 colonies were a free and independent country – | |

|independent from England. Because of this document, the Declaration of Independence, we celebrate | |

|Independence Day on July 4 each year. | |

|Let’s read part of the Declaration of Independence. | |

| | |

|Distribute the Handout: Declaration of Independence, which contains an excerpt of the primary source | |

|document. | |

| | |

|Visit the Declaration of Independence on the Colonial Williamsburg site or the National Archives site | |

|to show students what the document looks like. | |

| | |

|Walk and Talk students through the writing and the language used, the script, the idea that it was | |

|hand-written by the delegates to the Continental Congress Thomas Jefferson), the idea and meaning of | |

|congress (for example: The document begins with “In Congress.” What is Congress? (allow students to | |

|respond) But there was no United States or United States government yet – there was no legislative | |

|branch, there was no Congress. The word actually means, from its Latin roots, “walk together.” These | |

|leaders had decided to head down this path, to “walk together,” committing treason to the British | |

|Crown, to accomplish something that was more important to them than their lives), and other | |

|information. | |

| | |

|Read aloud the first paragraph as students follow along. When finished, “translate” the paragraph into | |

|modern-day English with the help of students. | |

| | |

|Read aloud the first part of the second paragraph as students follow along. When finished, “translate” | |

|the paragraph into modern-day English with the help of students. | |

| | |

|Together read the bolded passage (required by state mandate) aloud. | |

|We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their| |

|Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of | |

|Happiness--That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just | |

|Powers from the Consent of the Governed. | |

| | |

|Repeat at least one more time. | |

|EXPLAIN – Pair – Share |Suggested Day 1 (cont’d) – 5 minutes |

|Students turn and talk to a partner about the meaning of the passage. | |

|ENGAGE – Annoying Situations |Suggested Day 2 – 5 minutes |

|Begin Day 2 by asking student volunteers to read the passage from the Declaration of Independence aloud| |

|to the class. | |

|EXPLORE – Grievances |Suggested Day 2 – 10 min. |

|Continue discussion of the Declaration with a look at the Grievances. |Materials: |

|Grievances are complaints. |Declaration of Independence |

|Could you imagine a situation where you were upset with someone and just listed the things that you | |

|were upset about? |Attachments: |

|What if you were being treated unfairly or you saw ways that your situation could be improved but those|Handout: Grievances (1 per student and 1 for Teacher) |

|in charge were not helping fix the situation? | |

|This is what the colonists were doing. They had a list of things they were upset about. The writers of |Purpose: The purpose of this section is to help students |

|the Declaration of Independence had several grievances against King George. |gain an understanding of the reasons the colonists wanted|

| |to declare independence from Great Britain. |

|Distribute the Handout: Grievances. | |

| |TEKS: 5.15A; 5.25A; 5.25B; 5.25C |

|Walk and Talk students through several of the grievances. (Note that all grievances from the | |

|Declaration are included, but only some are bolded and larger type. The bolded grievances may be easier| |

|for students to understand, but choose any grievances appropriate for the class.) | |

| | |

|EXPLAIN – Grievances |Suggested Day 2, (cont’d) – 5 minutes |

|Students use what they learned about the Declaration of Independence to complete the following sentence|Purpose: |

|stems: |Students understand the reasons the colonists wanted to |

|From the colonists’ point of view, King George III ___________. (had “changed the rules” on the |declare independence from Great Britain. |

|colonists, were treating the colonists unfairly, was taking advantage of the colonists, etc.) | |

|Therefore the colonists felt they were right to ______________. (break away from England, challenge the|TEKS: 5.15A; 5.25A; 5.25B; 5.25C |

|King’s right to govern the colonists, etc.) | |

|ELABORATE – My Grievances |Suggested Day 2, (cont’d) – 15 minutes |

|Students consider the possibility of different points of view regarding the events leading to the |Purpose: |

|American Revolution. Some examples are given below. Adjust, add, or subtract points as appropriate. |Students consider other points of view and add depth to |

|The colonies were originally started as a means for British companies to make a profit using newly |their understanding of the reasons the colonists wanted |

|found natural resources. Their purpose was to be a benefit to Britain. |to declare independence from Great Britain. |

|The colonists were living on British land | |

|The colonists were British subjects and, as such, subject to the king’s rule |TEKS: 5.15A; 5.25A; 5.25B; 5.25C |

|It was very expensive for Britain to protect the colonists so far from the British isles. | |

|It cost a great deal to send and keep soldiers in the colonies, and the colonists should pay what is | |

|cost Britain to provide that protection that benefitted them | |

|Britain had just been in a war with France, and the government of England, like any government, can tax| |

|its citizens to pay for the costs of keeping its citizens safe | |

|One benefit of Britain’s war with France was a treaty with France that would remove any threat from | |

|France as a result of competing claims by France and England. Colonists could now expand into land that| |

|had been under French control. | |

|The colonists wanted to be treated differently than other British subjects, with special privileges and| |

|different rules | |

| | |

|Facilitate a discussion where students use what they have learned about the Declarationof Independence | |

|and the grievances, as well as their thoughts on the King’s different perspective, to answer the | |

|guiding questions and support the Key Understanding. | |

|Different points of view on political, economic, and social issues may lead to conflict. | |

|How did the different points of view between England and the British colonies lead to conflict? | |

|What actions did the colonists take to resolve the issues? | |

|EVALUATE – Write a letter to King George |Suggested Day 2, (cont’d) – 15 minutes |

|As a colonist, write a letter to King George explaining why you and the members of your colony are |Purpose: The purpose of this lesson is for students to |

|demanding freedom. Justify your explanation with three reasons. (5.15A; 5.24B; 5.25D) [pic] 4K; 5F |gain an understanding of the reasons why the colonists |

| |wanted to declare independence from Great Britain. |

| | |

| |TEKS: 5.15A; 5.25A; 5.25B; 5.25C |

[pic][pic][pic]

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Characteristics

Definition

Freedom

Non-examples

Examples

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