Historical Thinking Skills
1. Understanding historical debate and controversy
2. Analysis of primary and secondary sources
3. Historical empathy: understanding that although the past tends to be viewed in terms of present values, a proper perception of the past requires a serious examination of values at that time.
Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks
MA Technology Literacy Standards
G3-5 3.2 Perform basic searches on databases to locate information
MA History and Social Science Curriculum Frameworks
3.5 Explain important political, economic, and military developments leading to and during the American Revolution.
4.15 Describe the diverse nature of the American people by identifying the distinctive contributions to American culture.
MA English and Language Arts Frameworks-Composition
20.1 Use a variety of forms or genres when writing for different purposes
24.2 Identify and apply steps in conducting and reporting research
To begin, we created a word splash on the board which listed any word or group of words that students thought pertained to the American Revolution. It was good to see what students retained of their 3rd grade content knowledge and gauge where they were. Surprisingly, many did retain great details. The one that most remembered was the fact that Paul Revere didn't shout, "The British are coming!" Students knew his words were, "The Regulars are out!" During centers the following Wednesday, we elaborated upon this activity by completing a word sort in small groups. Students sorted the words and created their own headings. Some headings and categories included: Important People, Objects, Places, Weapons, Events
We took advantage of our Read Aloud time by reading My Brother Sam is Dead by John and Christopher Collier. Students enjoyed listening every day, and looked forward to our class discussions afterward. We spent some time locating the setting of the book (Redding, Connecticut) on a map and doing a bit of research on the area. Class discussions both before and after finishing the novel included aspects of colonial life, determining which parts of this story were fact and which were fictitious, and imagining what life would have been like for any of the main characters during this time.
A great journal prompt came from a "teachable moment" in my classroom. After reading a chapter from My Brother Sam is Dead, one of my students posed the question, "What if the American Revolution never happened?" This turned into a great discussion of "what-ifs" from history. Students did a free write in their journal, chose one of the hypothetical scenarios, and wrote a paragraph with more details. Students worked in groups to taking turns writing their questions on chart paper and we shared them with each other as a class. I actually used my camera to make a video scrolling through the products and used a voice recorder to record students reading their lists, but I'm still trying to figure out how to sync them together to share with others.
I discovered the Liberty's Kids series from PBS and was able to share three episodes with my class. Fortunately, I found them as an instant watch on Netflix, which I was surprisingly able to access at school. I also found them available on the internet as well for free.
Next, students were able to participate in a wonderful opportunity with Mrs. White's 4th grade class and Mr. Doherty's 5th grade class. Mr. Joe Brown and his son came to our class as re-enactors from the Revolutionary War. In particular, they were from the Charlestown militia, who missed the Battle of Lexington by about 15 minutes. Students enjoyed the presentation and had many thoughtful questions to ask. Even when recounting the visit, students were able to remember important details days later.
Working in the computer lab on Wednesdays for 2 sessions, students worked in pairs to complete a research webquest using http://www.historyplace.com/. Students loved this interactive scavenger hunt, and had to share an additional revolutionary fact with the class for assessment purposes.
My class' next task was to craft a letter using 2 perspectives of the American Revolution. Some chose to write from their own perspectives back in history to people like George Washington, Paul Revere, and John Hancock. Others took one of these historical perspectives and wrote to themselves. A few even chose 2 historical figures and wrote back and forth to each other. Students really enjoyed this activity, especially since it integrated our recent writing unit on friendly letters. Students brainstormed perspectives first in their journal (Who is the writer? Who is the recipient? What things would the writer ask the recipient? What historical facts can the writer include in his letter to make it come alive?), wrote a rough draft, peer edit, conference with me, and finally copy their draft into a "neat sheet."
I was able to experiment with the little that I knew about Voicethread to create a great slideshow. Ideally, students would have read their letters in their own voices, but technology would not allow! I couldn't complete the voicethread in my class due to lack of materials. Glitch-no headphones or microphone to hook up to computer. Our technology department sent me a set but neither was adequate. I purchased a voice recorder and was able to record voices for our "What If" writing, but couldn't get it into Voicethread. For this one, I was lucky enough to have some help from an Emerging Technologies class I am taking...score on the working headset!
Finally for our culminating activity for this unit, my class participated with Mrs. White and Mr. Doherty's classes for an outdoor re-enactment of the events of April 19, 1775. The fourth grades lined up as the British Regulars since we outnumbered Mr. Doherty's militia men. Facing each other in row and column formation, the fifth graders read first hand personal accounts from both the colonists' and Regulars' viewpoints. We talked about the accuracy of the accounts and how they were similar and different. Students left with the understanding that no one really does know who fired the first shot of the war. We applied this understanding to the definition of "history"-truly it depends upon who's telling the story!!!
Materials Used
Secondary Sources Lighting Freedom's Flame, Massachusetts Historical Society (can also be used as a primary source depending on what the content is), Women in the Revolutionary War
Bibliography
Collier, Christopher and John. My Brother Sam is Dead (1985)
Crawford, Laura. The American Revolution A to Z (2009)
Fritz, Jean. Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? (1997)
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Paul Revere's Ride (1990)
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Paul Revere's Ride (1990)
Rinaldi, Ann. The Secret Life of Sarah Revere (2003)
Schanzer, Rosalyn. George vs. George: The Revolutionary War as Seen by Both Sides (2004)
Reflection
Overall, I'm really pleased with the amount of knowledge I have gained about the American Revolution since the summer. Knowing more about this topic has helped me gain a new level of confidence in teaching my students. Learning new technology was a challenge for me, but I'm walking away with some great resources and a new appreciation for these programs that I didn't even know existed. I admit I was anti-blog at the beginning, but I love the idea of a blog to showcase ideas and share knowledge with others!
