This collection looks at the founding of our country by looking at primary documents and other sources with the big idea of how people drive change.

This collection is designed to be used in conjunction with lessons that give background information on each of the topics included and is not meant to replace already existing curriculum.  As each topic is approached during instruction, this collection will be used to enhance understanding of background knowledge and each resource will be gone over or at least talked about as we learn.  The collection is also designed to be used for an end of unit project in which students will use the resources in order to tell the story of how the United States was formed.  This will be an engaging and effective way to gauge whether students have learned the content while also allowing them to explore some of the artifacts on a deeper level and use critical thinking to put them together to tell a story.

Big Ideas:

- Time, Continuity and Change

- Individuals, Groups and Institutions

- Civic Ideals and Practices

Essential Questions:

- What drives change?

- What part do individuals play in effecting change?

- What principles drove the creation of the United States?

- What part did people play in the creation of the United States?

Learning Goals:

- I can identify and sequence historical eras and identify the characteristics of transitions between eras, being sure to make connections to past and present.

- I can examine the past by investigating sources and artifacts that illustrate key periods.

- I can describe, explain, compare, and analyze how the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of the Earth's surface.

- I can synthesize resources in order to create a cohesive and chronological picture of a time period.

Previous Learning:

Prior to using this collection, students will have been taught about colonization so that they have the background knowledge of the time period.

Lesson Plan

Lesson 1 - Protests       (1-2 Class Periods)

The first lesson will begin with an anticipatory set looking at a picture of the Boston Massacre.  Students will be asked:

1. What do you see?

2. What do you think about that?

3. What does it make you wonder?

We will go over the different perspectives of the students and discuss.  Students will then be given a lesson on the issues that were being protested by the colonists making sure to reference the resources as we get to them.  Students will read two articles, "The Worst Parade to Ever Hit the Streets of Boston," and "A History of America's Ever-Shifting Stance on Tariffs."  The first article gives a good glance at how how the tensions were between people with opposing viewpoints.  This can be used to link the time period with today showing that even in the 1750's, there were people with different ideas and beliefs within the country and tension between those people.  The second article takes a look at idea of tariffs and the history of the United States' stance on tariffs showing that ideas change and also linking the time period to something of more relevance to the students.

Lesson 2 - The Declaration of Independence       (3-4 Class Periods)

The second lesson will start with a painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.   Students will be asked: 

1. What's going on?

2. What do you see that makes you say that?

We will then look at a photo of Thomas Jefferson and the desk in which he wrote the Declaration of Independence and then read an article titled, "History was Writ on This Desk belonging to Thomas Jefferson."  This article tells the story of the desk through the writing of the Declaration of Independence and other instances.  There is also an article titled "The Laptops That Powered the American Revolution."  This article talks about how the founding fathers used letter writing (the tool they had at the time) to effect change.

Students will begin the next class by watching two videos.  The first video is a reading of the Preamble to the Declaration read by descendants of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.  The second video is a clip about the Declaration of Independence from "America: The Story of Us."  We will then look at a bandana of the Declaration of Independence and students will be asked to find symbols in the bandana around the words of the Declaration.  

We will then look at the wording of the Declaration.  You may cover the wording of the Declaration as you see fit.  I use a translation assignment to cover the wording and the different sections of the document.  

We will end this lesson by reading an article, "Copy of Declaration of Independence, Hidden Behind Wall Paper During the Civil War, Resurfaces in Texas."  This article tells the story of an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, originally belonging to James Madison, was found.  The purpose of this source is to show students that history is not a finished product.  We are constantly finding new things and getting more information about our history.

Lesson 3: Revolution    (1-2 Class Periods)

The third lesson will focus on the Revolutionary War.  This lesson will start by reading "Artifacts Show the Sometimes-Violent Nature of American Democracy."  This article talks about the history of the violence that has followed the push for extensions of democracy in the United States.  A photo of John Adams will be shown when he is mentioned in the article.

Students will then be shown a picture that comes from Lexington, the site of the first battle of the Revolutionary War.  This photograph will be used to jump start the lecture on the Revolutionary War.  A PowerPoint will be used to go over the major events of the Revolutionary War.  The artifacts in this collection will be mentioned and talked about where appropriate during the lesson.

Lesson 4: The Articles of Confederation    (1 Class Period)

The 4th lesson will be on the Articles of Confederation.  The Articles of Confederation was the document that set up the original government of the United States, following the Revolutionary War.  The lesson starts by looking at a commemorative stamp for the Articles of Confederation.  Students will be asked the following questions as they look at the stamp:

1. What do you see?

2. What do you think about that?

3. What does it make you wonder?

Students will then be shown a video about the strengths and weaknesses of The Articles of Confederation.  We will then go over a short lesson about the history of the Articles of Confederation and the strengths and weaknesses of the document.  

Lesson 5: The Constitution     (3-4 Class Periods)

Students will be shown a drawing of George Washington and will be asked the following questions:

1. What do you think you know about this topic?

2. What questions or puzzles do you have?

3. What does the topic make you want to explore?

Students will be introduced to the Constitution Stamp and the License Plates spelling out the Preamble.

The next part of the lesson will be going through a collection titled, "Creation and Compromise: The U.S. Constitution."  The is a lesson created by the National Museum of American History concerning the Constitutional Convention and the debates and solutions that led to the creation of the Constitution.

The next day will begin by reading a Letter from George Washington concerning the Constitution that he wrote on November 30, 1785.  This will be an opener to go with a lesson about symbols in paintings.  In this lesson we will look at the Landsdowne painting of George Washington.  We will use a collection created by Ashley Naranjo of the Smithsonian that looks at finding symbols in this painting.

We will end the unit by reading a few articles about how our government was shaped after the Constitution was written.  The Constitution was an open ended document that allowed for some interpretation so George Washington had to create some things that were not spelled out in the original document.

Final Project:

As a final project for this unit.  Students will be asked to look back at the collection and choose at least one resource for each topic.  Students will be given a "Diving Deeper" worksheet to use to look more closely at the resources that they chose.  Students will then be tasked with telling the story of the creation of our country using the resources that they chose.

#civicdiscourse