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Content Area: Social Studies
Index: 6.4B Grade 4 CPI 2
Standard: 6.4 - US & NJ History
Strand: B - State and Nation
Cumulative Progress Indicator: 2 - The student will discuss the reasons why revolutionary leaders, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Governor William Livingston fought for independence from England.
Grade: 4
Sample Activities:
· After researching some of the factors that led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence, invite students to role-play a debate between a patriot and a loyalist living just prior to the American Revolution. Encourage them to state reasons why or why not independence from Great Britain was a good idea.
· The class visits the historic Old Barracks Museum in Trenton. Students observe and participate in one of the tableaus that are regularly presented there for schoolchildren. Through the vivid performances of a recruiting officer, a hospital worker, a Loyalist, and a Loyalist prisoner’s wife, children see ordinary 18th century people in extraordinary circumstances. When a musket is fired, the smell and smoke evoke a battlefield. The three-sided bayonet gives a wound that will not easily heal, a straw mattress is scratchy, the blanket is torn. Questions such as the following present themselves to the students just as they presented themselves to the colonists: Loyalty to your king or loyalty to deeper principles? What are these principles? Law and order or suspension of law and order for the securing of “rights.” (In the post-visit classroom, point out that the answers lie in the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.) Students must decide whether to be part of the Continental Army or to be Tories loyal to the English crown. Present arguments for both sides to the students in advance of their visit. When the students arrive at the Old Barracks, they actually become part of the program. At that point, they must make a decision: to remain loyal to the king or to enlist in the Continental Army. By enlisting in the Continental Army, students make a conscious decision to support the principles espoused in the Declaration of Independence. Although the Constitution had not yet been written in 1777, many of the principles it would later contain are brought to light in the crisis of revolution. From the Loyalist point of view, the security of British common law and its espousal of free speech and choice provide a safer alternative than the insecurities of the “rebel” government. Students develop a new appreciation and understanding for the future Constitution and Bill of Rights. The Declaration of Independence is referenced several times, and students are challenged to understand the implications of the document from the point of view of its time. Jefferson’s comments about “foreign mercenaries,” for example, take on a new light when students are asked to consider how they would like foreign soldiers occupying their homes and learn “firsthand” what it was like.
· Discuss with students the concept of rights. What does it mean to them? Do they have rights within their own families? What rights do they not have in the family context? What rights do they have in school and in the community? Develop with students a list of responsibilities corresponding to each of the rights they have at home, in school, and in the community. Colonial Context. Explain the following points: King George III of England had dominion over the American colonies and levied a tax on sugar, stamps, and other essentials used by colonists. The colonists objected to what they considered unfair policies, including taxation and the quartering of troops in their homes. The colonial governments were not entirely democratic. Out of this context came the basic philosophy of the Bill of Rights. Students develop a questionnaire for colonists soliciting their reaction to the taxes and other unfair policies of the British crown.
· Develop a retrieval chart with students listing various abuses by the British government against the colonists. Ask students to suggest remedies for each abuse.
Kidspiration Activity:
· Brainstorm ideas in picture view · Go to writing view to organize ideas and add details · Use symbols and links to create concept maps that explore relationships in history · Use symbols and links to show relationships among groups. · Use SuperGrouper categories to sort ideas and arguments. · Create a similar activity using symbols and links or SuperGrouper activities |
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