Pathways for Learning: K-6

Transcription

1 Pathways for Learning: K-6

2 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 9. Describe the impact of the early European exploration and settlement on Native American cultures. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE I-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the lesson is to show students how animals and plants crossed the Atlantic Ocean, moving from one continent to another. This movement is what historians called the Columbian Exchange. The student should be aware of the Columbian Exchange s definition. The Columbian Exchange was the transporting of animals, plants, and people from one continent to another. For example, tomatoes were taken from the Western Hemisphere and bananas came from the Eastern Hemisphere. The Columbian Exchange, also known as the Great Exchange, originated when Christopher Columbus traded glass beads and small bells to the Taino Indians for cotton and green parrots. Exchanges in the early colonial days of the Americas have greatly influenced people s lives today. Students should be allowed the opportunity to use the library and the Internet to determine where horses, dogs, cattle, sheep, sugarcane, tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, melons, and grapes originated. IV. TIME ALLOTMENT 35 minutes Pathways for Learning: K-6 182

3 V. MATERIALS NEEDED American history textbook Library resources Internet (if available) Blank world map VI. ACTIVITY 1. Have students research and make a list of the plants and animals transported from the Eastern to the Western Hemisphere. 2. Have students research and make a similar list of plants and animals transported from the Western to the Eastern Hemisphere. 3. Distribute copies of a blank world map to each student. Instruct students to draw arrows on the map to indicate the route animals and plants traveled across the Atlantic Ocean. 4. Have students conduct research to identify crops and animals in Alabama or in their communities that are results of the Columbian Exchange. (Student drawings and/or magazine cut-outs representing their findings could be displayed on poster board.) VII. RESOURCES Boehm, Richard, Claudia Hoone, Thomas McGowan, Mabel McKinney- Browning, Ofelia Miramontes, and Priscilla Porter. Early United States. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, Pathways for Learning: K-6 183

4 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 12. Explain the causes and effects of the French and Indian War. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE I-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of this activity is to provide students with an understanding of what caused the Indians to become allies of the French. The students will also learn the effects that took place after the war which angered the colonists. A time line should be drawn on the chalkboard/overhead with dates Prior to the activity, discuss how the war began. In 1753 the French began building forts on lands claimed by Britain. The British colonists saw this as an attack and fighting consequently followed. The French and British had Indian allies (friends in war). The French, along with their Indian allies, were stronger than the British colonists and their Indian allies. The British government sent its army to help the colonists. IV. TIME ALLOTMENT One or two class periods (30 minutes each) V. MATERIALS NEEDED American history textbook FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR (See handout and key provided.) Pathways for Learning: K-6 184

5 VI. ACTIVITY 1. Divide the class into small groups of students and instruct each group to designate one student as a recorder. 2. Distribute one copy of the blank FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR cause/effect handout to each group. (Additional copies should be available.) 3. Instruct students to read carefully to identify causes of the French and Indian War and record them on the handout. Make students aware that additional legs/lines can be drawn on the cause/effect handout if needed. 4. Have students identify effects the French and Indian War had on the British colonists and record them on the handout. (More lines can be added if needed.) 5. Conclude the activity by verifying the causes and effects of the war. Name the causes and effects aloud and have students check them off on their handouts. (The group with the most effects could be the Group of the Day or Group of the Week.) VII. RESOURCES Boehm, Richard, Claudia Hoone, Thomas McGowan, Mabel McKinney- Browning, Ofelia Miramontes, and Priscilla Porter. Early United States. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, Pathways for Learning: K-6 185

6 FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR Social Studies-5 th Cause Effect Pathways for Learning: K-6 186

7 FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR Key Social Studies-5 th Cause Effect Pathways for Learning: K-6 187

8 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 14. Demonstrate an understanding of representative government in Colonial America. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE II-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the activity is to give students an opportunity to conduct a business meeting effectively. Prior to the activity, students should be provided with necessary information regarding the First Continental Congress and the Second Continental Congress. Students should also know how to conduct a business meeting based on Robert s Rules of Order. In order for this activity to be successful, students should be able to answer the following questions: (Answer key provided.) 1. Why were the committees of correspondence established? 2. When and where did the first meeting of the Continental Congress take place? 3. Who were some of the most influential members? 4. Were women present? Why or why not? 5. What was the purpose of the first meeting? 6. What was the outcome of the first meeting? 7. What colonies were represented at the first meeting? 8. Was there a need for a second meeting? 9. Why was a second meeting called? 10. When and where did the second meeting take place? 11. What was the outcome of the second meeting? Pathways for Learning: K-6 188

9 IV. TIME ALLOTMENT Two class periods (30 minutes each) V. MATERIALS NEEDED Robert s Rules of Order American history textbook VI. ACTIVITY 1. Arrange the classroom to reflect a business meeting setting. A table with two chairs should be placed at the front of the classroom. 2. Designate a student to chair the meeting and another student to serve as a recorder. These students should be seated at the table. The remaining students should be seated facing the chairperson and recorder. 3. Direct the chairperson to call the meeting to order. The recorder should call the roll (names of all thirteen colonies). (Note: Georgia was not represented at the first meeting.) 4. Direct the chairperson to state the purpose of the meeting and open the session for fellow students to decide what actions should be taken against the British government. 5. Instruct students to agree upon the specific actions to be taken. 6. Instruct the recorder to write the factual actions agreed upon by the members of the First Continental Congress. (Examples: Stop all trade with Britain, immediately stop imports) 7. Direct the recorder to read the actions aloud before the session. Pathways for Learning: K-6 189

10 8. Direct the chairperson to stand and state, If the demands for colonial rights are not met, we will meet again in May 1775 to decide what course of action to take next. 9. Have the chairperson adjourn the meeting. Extension Activity: The meeting of the Second Continental Congress can be modeled in the same manner. VII. RESOURCES Boehm, Richard, Claudia Hoone, Thomas McGowan, Mabel McKinney- Browning, Ofelia Miramontes. America s Story. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, Pathways for Learning: K-6 190

11 Answer Key Social Studies-5 th 1. The committees of correspondence were set up to share information about resistance to the British. 2. The first meeting of the Continental Congress took place in September 1774, at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 3. Some of the most influential members were Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, John Adams, and Samuel Adams. 4. There were no women present at the meeting. At this particular time in history women were not allowed to participate in government affairs. 5. The purpose of the first meeting was for the delegates to write a petition to send to King George III asking for repeal of the Intolerable Acts. 6. The outcome of the meeting of the First Continental Congress was to stop trade with Britain. The delegates also asked the colonists to gather minutemen to defend the cities. 7. All of the colonies except Georgia were represented at the meeting. 8. There was a need for a second meeting. 9. The second meeting was called to decide how to respond to the fighting at Lexington and Concord. 10. The second meeting took place in May 1775 at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 11. The outcome of the second meeting of the Continental Congress was the creation of an official military force, the Continental Army. The Congress appointed Virginia delegate George Washington to command the army. Pathways for Learning: K-6 191

12 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 16. Investigate the role of law in Colonial America by translating and interpreting primary and secondary sources. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE II-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the lesson is to give students the opportunity to role-play the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Prior to this activity, students should know what is meant by primary and secondary sources. The handout of the Declaration of Independence should be copied on parchment paper to make it look authentic. Students should be given an opportunity to examine the Declaration of Independence with emphasis placed on the statement of basic human rights, 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. Discuss with the class the explanation of the expression Place your John Hancock here. Pathways for Learning: K-6 192

13 IV. TIME ALLOTMENT 30 minutes V. MATERIALS NEEDED Illustration of John Trumbull s painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (found in most American history textbooks) THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (See handout provided.) Quill pen Table (covered with a cloth) and one chair American history textbook containing a copy of the Declaration of Independence VI. ACTIVITY 1. Direct students to observe the illustration of John Trumbull s painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. 2. Observe that some members are seated and others are standing. Also notice the arrangement of the room. 3. Identify the gentleman seated at the table positioned at the front of the room (John Hancock) and also the five gentlemen who are standing before him (Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson). 4. Tell what might be the role of the man standing next to the gentleman seated at the head table (possibly a secretary). 5. Designate a student to portray John Hancock and five other students to portray Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman, and Thomas Jefferson. Have other students portray delegates representing all thirteen colonies. Pathways for Learning: K-6 193

14 6. Have students position themselves exactly the way the members of the Second Continental Congress are positioned in the illustration. Place the table and chair at the front of the room. 7. Have the student portraying Thomas Jefferson read aloud the opening statement of the Declaration of Independence. 8. Have the student portraying John Hancock accept the document from Jefferson and proceed to sign his name (John Hancock) with a quill pen. Then have other students sign the name of the delegate they are portraying beside their respective colony/state. Extension Activity: Have students research the background of Independence Day and tell why it was called Independence Day. Also have students report what John Adams said in a letter written to his wife Abigail after John Hancock signed the document. Pathways for Learning: K-6 194

15 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Here is the complete text of the Declaration of Independence. The original spelling and capitalization have been retained. (Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776) The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariable the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the Pathways for Learning: K-6 195

16 establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. Pathways for Learning: K-6 196

17 He has kept among us in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of His Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. Pathways for Learning: K-6 197

18 He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attention to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. WE, THEREFORE, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT States may of right do. AND for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. Pathways for Learning: K-6 198

19 New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton. Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry. Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery. Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott. New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris. New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark. Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross. Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean. Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton. North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn. South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton. Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton. Source: The Pennsylvania Packet, July 8, Pathways for Learning: K-6 199

20 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 21. Describe efforts of groups in the American colonies to mobilize support for independence from England. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE III-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the lesson is to demonstrate the role of the Minutemen in the Revolutionary War by reading Henry W. Longfellow s famous poem The Ride of Paul Revere. Build background knowledge by providing information about the Minutemen and note that Paul Revere was a member of this group. IV. TIME ALLOTMENT 40 minutes V. MATERIALS NEEDED Copy of poem The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry W. Longfellow Pathways for Learning: K-6 200

21 VI. ACTIVITY 1. Divide the class in groups of four or five students and distribute copies of the poem to students. 2. Assign excerpts of the poem to each group of students. Have each group study its section and write questions and answers about that section of the poem, placing questions on one sheet of paper and answers on another. 3. Direct the groups to exchange their questions from the poem and continue the exchange until each group has answered all of the questions. 4. Return answers to original groups for corrections. VII. RESOURCES Pathways for Learning: K-6 201

22 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 21. Describe efforts of groups in the American colonies to mobilize support for independence from England. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE III-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the lesson is to research and reenact certain historical events related to the American colonies efforts to gain independence from England. Previous instruction should include the following concepts and contributions of famous people regarding the events preceding the American Revolution: Parliament levy repeal protest taxation effigy Vocabulary boycott women s rights Loyalists Stamp Act Townshend Acts Sons of Liberty Tea Act Boston Tea Party taxation without representation Famous People Patrick Henry George III John Adams Abigail Adams Benjamin Franklin Thomas Jefferson Richard Henry Lee Pathways for Learning: K-6 202

23 IV. TIME ALLOTMENT Three to four class periods V. MATERIALS NEEDED Props as determined by student groups Copies of the following quotes: Richard Henry Lee That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. Patrick Henry Gentlemen may cry peace, peace but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! Is life so dear or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death. John Adams Read excerpt from Abigail Adam s letter. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation. Pathways for Learning: K-6 203

24 VI. ACTIVITY 1. Divide the class into four groups of students to research and plan a reenactment of the following historical events: 1. Sons of Liberty (boys) -- to protest the Stamp Act -- include Patrick Henry 2. Daughters of Liberty (girls) -- to protest the Townshend Act -- demonstrate homemade fabrics and other goods 3. Boston Tea Party -- protesters may be disguised as Mohawk Indians 4. Second Continental Congress -- include both Loyalist and Patriot representatives; include quotes from resources 2. Invite four or five high school American history students to role-play members of Parliament and explain the following acts: 1. Stamp Act 2. Townshend Act 3. Tea Act Have high school students set classroom rules for the fifth-grade students. List rules on the board. Ask fifth-grade students what they think about the rules. (Fifth-grade students should feel as unfairly treated as the colonists who faced taxation without representation.) Encourage the high school students to discuss, vote, and implement the act/levy in a realistic manner. (Example: they might bring computergenerated labels depicting the queen s crown to represent the Stamps; Students could then be required to place these labels on each page of their classwork and homework for the next one to two days. Have group one, The Sons of Liberty, demonstrate their successful protest of the stamps resulting in the repeal of the Stamp Act.) Pathways for Learning: K-6 204

25 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 22. Describe the political and social differences among colonists in America. Patriots Loyalists II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE I-1 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of this activity is to make students aware that not all American colonists supported the idea of independence for the colonies. Prior to this lesson, students should be given a homework assignment to construct a puppet to represent a colonist. Build background knowledge by discussing in a whole class setting who the Patriots and Loyalists were. Patriot -- a colonist who was against British rule Loyalist -- a colonist who supported the British monarch and laws Discuss reasons why some Americans remained loyal to Britain. (Examples: military defense, economic trade, and ethnic heritage) Pathways for Learning: K-6 205

26 IV. TIME ALLOTMENT 30 minutes V. MATERIALS NEEDED American history textbook Student-made puppets (See directions provided.) VI. ACTIVITY 1. Divide the class into two large groups of students and one small group of students. The two large groups will represent the Patriots and Loyalists. The one small group will represent colonists who are undecided. 2. Ask groups to select whom they will represent. 3. Ask students to brainstorm advantages of their group. 4. Have each group role-play with puppets how they will persuade the undecided people to join their group. 5. Direct each undecided person to secretly vote on which group they chose. 6. Take a tally of the votes to determine which group gained more supporters. VII. RESOURCES Armento, Beverly, Gary Nash, Christopher Salter, and Karen Wixson. America Will Be. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, Pathways for Learning: K-6 206

27 HOW TO MAKE A PUPPET Social Studies-5 th 1. Use a clean white sock to make the hand puppet. 2. Place the sock over your hand. 3. Identify where the facial features should be painted on the sock. They are usually painted on the portion of the sock that covers the palm of your hand. 4. Remove the sock and begin to paint the facial features (eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and ears). 5. Attach yarn to the top of the sock to represent hair. 6. Other items may be added to make the puppet represent a colonist. (Example: appropriate hats) Pathways for Learning: K-6 207

28 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 23. Summarize major points in the Declaration of Independence. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE II-2 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the lesson is to allow students to examine why it was important for colonial leaders to explain their decision to break free from British rule, resulting in the Declaration of Independence, and to aid in comprehension of the document. Copies of the Declaration of Independence will be needed to distribute to students. Students should be reminded that this document is an example of a primary source. Also, examine the document in the reference section of an American history textbook to see how it is divided into sections/titles to make it easier to read. Students should be made aware that these titles are not in the original document. Students will need highlighters to indicate the divisions in the document. The document is divided into three parts; Statement of Rights, Charges Against the King, and A Statement of Independence. The vocabulary terms mentioned in this activity are: Revolution -- sudden, complete change of government Independence -- freedom to govern on one s own Allegiance -- loyalty Declaration -- official statement Students should be aware of who the writers were. It should be mentioned that Thomas Jefferson did most of the writing. Pathways for Learning: K-6 208

29 IV. TIME ALLOTMENT Two class periods (30 minutes each) V. MATERIALS NEEDED American history textbook containing the Declaration of Independence THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE (See handout provided.) Highlighters VI. ACTIVITY 1. Arrange students desks in a semicircle if possible. 2. Distribute copies of the Declaration of Independence and highlighters to students. 3. Call on volunteers to define revolution, independence, allegiance, and declaration. 4. Involve students in a class discussion on how these four specific terms relate to the document. 5. Guide students through the task of dividing the document into three sections (Statement of Rights, Charges Against the King, and Statement of Independence). Highlight each section. 6. Call on a volunteer to read the first sentence in the Statement of Rights. Point out that this statement is among the most famous in American history. Lead the class into a discussion about this famous statement. Pathways for Learning: K-6 209

30 7. Introduce the term grievance (complaints). Instruct students that the second section is the longest part of the Declaration and that in it Jefferson listed the colonists grievances, or complaints, about the unfair things the King and Parliament had done. 8. Direct students to take different statements from the second section of the Declaration and translate them into everyday terms. 9. State that in the last part of the Declaration, the writers declared that the colonies were free and independent states. Ask volunteers to express their feelings about the boldness of the writers. 10. Conclude the activity with a class discussion of Why you think the Declaration is still important today. VII. RESOURCES Boehm, Richard, Claudia Hoone, Thomas McGowan, Mabel McKinney- Browning, and Ofelia Miramontes. America s Story. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, Pathways for Learning: K-6 210

31 THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE Here is the complete text of the Declaration of Independence. The original spelling and capitalization have been retained. (Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776) The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 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. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariable the same Object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the Pathways for Learning: K-6 211

32 establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world. He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance. Pathways for Learning: K-6 212

33 He has kept among us in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offenses: For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of His Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. Pathways for Learning: K-6 213

34 He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions. In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people. Nor have We been wanting in attention to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends. WE, THEREFORE, the Representatives of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which INDEPENDENT States may of right do. AND for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. Pathways for Learning: K-6 214

35 New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton. Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry. Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery. Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott. New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris. New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark. Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross. Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean. Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton. North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn. South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton. Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton. Source: The Pennsylvania Packet, July 8, Pathways for Learning: K-6 215

36 I. COURSE OF STUDY CONTENT STANDARD 29. Explain major concepts of the United States Constitution. II. ALABAMA HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION EXAM (AHSGE) STANDARD AND OBJECTIVE II-2 III. OVERVIEW/PREPARATION The purpose of the lesson is to enable students to identify and explain the main points of the Constitution. Prior to this activity, the students should have knowledge that at the end of the Revolutionary War, the original thirteen colonies became the first thirteen states. The first official government was a plan called the Articles of Confederation. It was set up in The Articles of Confederation was not strong enough to support a growing nation. By 1787, Americans realized that a stronger central government was needed. It was decided by delegates from every state except Rhode Island that an entirely new constitution should be written. The following terms should be defined and discussed prior to this activity. Constitution -- plan of government Preamble -- introduction to the Constitution federal system -- sharing the authority to govern separation of powers -- division of the national government checks and balances -- a system in which each branch of government keeps the others from misusing its power. amendment -- a statement added to change the Constitution or make its meaning clearer ratification -- formal approval by states Pathways for Learning: K-6 216

37 IV. TIME ALLOTMENT One or two class periods (35 minutes each) V. MATERIALS NEEDED Copies of the Constitution -- one per student (See copy provided.) American history textbook containing the Constitution Highlighters VI. ACTIVITY 1. Distribute copies of the Constitution to the class and/or direct the students to open their textbooks to the pages containing the Constitution. 2. Read the Preamble aloud to the class. 3. Initiate a discussion of the Preamble in terms of such things as insuring domestic tranquility, or providing for the common defense. 4. Call on a volunteer to define separation of powers. 5. Instruct students to identify the three branches of government (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) by highlighting each branch on their copies of the Constitution. (Article I, Article II, and Article III) 6. Point out to the class that Article VII addresses ratification of the Constitution. 7. Call on a volunteer to explain the purpose of the Bill of Rights. 8. Instruct students to highlight the Bill of Rights on their copies of the Constitution. Pathways for Learning: K-6 217

38 9. Call on a volunteer to define the term amendment. 10. Instruct the class to count additional amendments to the Constitution (16) and to note that there are 26 amendments altogether. Extension Activity: Create a discussion in relation to the 13 th, 14 th, 15 th, and 19 th Amendments. VII. RESOURCES Boehm, Richard, Claudia Hoone, Thomas McGowan, Mabel McKinney- Browning, Ofelia Miramontes, and Priscilla Porter. Early United States. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, Pathways for Learning: K-6 218

39 THE U.S. CONSTITUTION Social Studies-5 th Here is the complete text of the U.S. Constitution. The original spelling and capitalization have been retained. We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common Defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this CONSTITUTION for the United States of America. Article I SECTION 1. All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives. SECTION 2. The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature. No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty-five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen. [Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.] The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each state shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Pathways for Learning: K-6 219

40 Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three. When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies. The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment. SECTION 3. The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote. Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one-third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies. No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen. The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided. The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States. Pathways for Learning: K-6 220

41 The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present. Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law. SECTION 4. The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Place of Chusing Senators. The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day. SECTION 5. Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide. Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behavior, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member. Each house shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal. Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting. Pathways for Learning: K-6 221