Language Arts: Week of January 20 - 23, Declaration of Independence

Date: January 19, 2009
Teacher: Ms. Gene
Grade/Subject: 6th Language Arts
Persuasion – Lesson 9, Declaration of Independence

Standards:
Interpret and synthesize information from a variety of sources.
Use specific strategies to clear up confusing parts of a text.
Respond to historically or culturally significant works of literature to develop an awareness of perspectives.

What we will learn (objectives):
To develop analytical and interpretive skills in reading historical documents
To apply the elements of reasoning to an argument
To explore new vocabulary words
To develop persuasive writing skills
Describe and list the sections of the Declaration of Independence and explain the basic purpose of each.
Give an example of a document that served as a precedent for the Declaration.
List and explain one or more of the colonists' complaints included in the Declaration.
Demonstrate an awareness of the Declaration of Independence as a historical process developed in protest of unfair conditions.


What we will read or study (content):
The Declaration of Independence
Elements of Reasoning handout
Standards of Reasoning handout
Language of Persuasion handout

How we will study it (process):

Thursday, January 15:
The general education teacher shared a background information packet with the students, to be completed by the end of the unit.

Tuesday, January 20:
The gifted ed teacher will complete Lesson 1 with the students, while the general ed teacher helps to facilitate the teams.

Lesson 1 Complaints, Complaints...
Discuss with students that you have overheard them, at times, make various complaints about the treatment of young people. Complaints not unlike those motivated the Founding Fathers at the time of the American Revolution. Give the students a short time in small groups to list complaints they have about the treatment of young people. The complaints should be of a general nature (for example: recess should be longer, fourth graders should be able to see PG videos, etc.). Collect the list. Choose complaints to share with the class, so you can guide the discussion to follow. Save the lists for future reference. There are moments when all of us are more eager to express what's wrong than we are to think critically about the problem and possible solutions. There is no reason to think people were any different in 1776. It's important to understand the complaints of the colonists as one step in a process involving careful deliberation and attempts to redress grievances. Ask questions to help your students consider their concerns in a deliberate way. WHO makes the rules they don't like, WHO decides if they are fair or not, HOW does one get them changed, WHAT does it mean to be independent from the rules, and finally, HOW does a group of people declare that they will no longer follow the rules?

Wednesday and Thursday, January 21 - 22
The gifted ed teacher will start Lesson 2 on the 21st and complete up through the 3rd questions. The general ed teacher will help facilitate the groups. The general ed teacher will complete Lesson 2, through the rest of the questions.

Lesson 2 So, What are You Going to Do About It?
Ask the students to imagine that, in hopes of effecting some changes, they are going to compose a document based on their complaints to be sent to the appropriate audience. As they begin to compose their document, they should consider the following questions. (Note to the teacher: The following questions correspond to the sections of the Declaration, as noted in parentheses, which will be discussed later. This discussion serves as a prewriting activity for the writing assignment.)
To whom would you send your complaints? Why? What reasons would you give for your decision to write out your complaints? (Preamble)

What makes you think your complaints are worthwhile? Aren't there good reasons why things are the way they are? Why should things as they are be changed? Would it be possible to summarize the thinking behind your desire for change in a single sentence? (statement of beliefs, or the thinking behind the complaints)

Is there anything in particular the reader should notice about your complaints? Is there anything you need to keep in mind to make sure your audience understands and appreciates your complaints? What kinds of events inspired your complaints? (the list of complaints)

Have you already tried to make any changes in the treatment of young people? In what way? (prior attempts to redress grievances)

Is it possible to say in a single sentence what it is you really want to happen? It would take time to change the system to accommodate all of your complaints. What should happen right away? (declaration of independence)

Who would be willing to sign his/her name to this list of complaints even if it were going to be seen and read by many people? (the signatures)

Friday, January 23:
The gifted ed teacher will lead the students in the game of SWAT! as a way to review their vocabulary words. Students will have 5 minutes to review the words, and the split into two teams and have to “swat” the word the teacher said the definition for. The team with the most points, “wins.”
Students will then take their spelling/vocab test. When completed, the students will continue work on their Declaration of Independence packet.


How we will know we learned something (product):
Literature Web
Vocabulary Web
Student Response journals

Who will score/grade what?:
To be determined

How will we differentiate content/process/product (if applicable):
Content: Declare the Causes lesson plan added to the W&M as a way for students to have a personal understanding of the document.

Process: n/a

Product: to be determined

Homework:
To be determined

What will we do at our next meeting?
Discuss the week of Jan 26 - 30 and how we will finish the Declaration lesson. Review of Thursday lesson did not go as well as planned; students did not seemed vested in answering the final 3 questions regarding What Are You Going to Do About It? When we continue the lesson during the following week, we will review the answers given and then continue. Students will become aware of how incomplete their own document is due to their own lack of interest.