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Overview

The purpose of this lesson is for students to develop content knowledge, using the internet and Google Sites, regarding the events of the American Revolution that happened in Boston, Massachusetts, in order to assess how they shaped the United States today.

The teacher will achieve the goal by having students independently research assigned topics and then have the students present their information to the class in the form of a website.

Learning Objective

Given access to the internet and a computer, learners will explain an event of the American Revolution occurring in Boston, Massachusetts, to complete a web page for presentation.

Teaching Standards

SS.5.1 2007 – HistoryStudents will describe the historical movements that influenced the development of the United States from pre-Columbian times up to 1800, with an emphasis on the American Revolution and the founding of the United States.

SS.5.2 2007 - Civics and GovernmentStudents will identify main components and characteristics of the United States government. They will identify and explain key ideas in government from the colonial and founding periods that continue to shape civic and political life.

Required Materials

Computer for each student Knowledge of Google Sites Gmail account for each student Paper Pencils Internet Smart Board or Projector Screen Dry Erase Board or Chalkboard Stop watch that includes seconds and minutes

Procedures

Day One1. The teacher will begin the lesson by introducing the project.2. The introduction to the project should include reading a section from the social studies

textbook or an article about the American Revolution. Students should already have a basic understanding of the American Revolution from 4th grade social studies. Review why the war was fought.

3. Have students volunteer to come up to the board and write down important events during the American Revolution. The events should include: The Boston Tea Party, The Boston Massacre, and The Battle of Lexington and Concord. If the students do not mention some of the events then write them on the board and ask if any of them know about the events.

4. Asks students if the events that happened during the American Revolution have made an impact on how the United States is today. They should give responses such as the Boston Tea Party was about taxes, and the United States still has taxes today.

5. The class should have a discussion about the events and several students should volunteer.

American Revolution: Boston, Massachusetts (Grade 5)

*This lesson plan requires 5 one-hour sessions*

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6. Once the class has had a discussion, pass out the project rubrics.7. Explain that they are going to be making an informational website about an event that

occurred during the American Revolution.8. Read through the rubric with the class. The parts of the projects should be explained

thoroughly. For example: when explaining the part about what role the event played in the American Revolution, describe how you would do that part. Tell the students that the part must have a picture as well as a one-paragraph description.

9. At this point, pause to make sure all of the students’ questions have been answered before moving on.

10. Pass out the worksheet that students will be filling out as they conduct their research.11. Explain that they will be writing down all of their information on the worksheet. The

worksheet should include the sections: event, date of event, how the event played a role in the American Revolution, summary of the event, how the event has shaped the Unite States today, and sketches of the photos that will be used to show the event when it occurred versus how the site of the event looks now. (Worksheet is at the end of the lesson plan. It can be altered for each individual teacher’s needs.) All information must be filled in before starting on the website. Remind students that in order for a web site to be credible it must have been recently updated and have an author(s).

12. Have students sign up for one of the three events. Be sure to only have about one third of the class sign up for each event.

13. Make sure each student has a computer that has access to the Internet.14. Give the students time to research information on their topics. Remind students to use

key words when conducting searches to find out about their topics and to write down the URLs from the websites that they find information.

Day Two15. Allow students to use this session as another day to conduct and finalize research.

Day Three16. Before class today, the teacher should make sure that all of the following tasks have been

completed.17. Go to Google Sites and select the blank template.18. Create a Home page.19. Create four tabs on the webpage.20. The first tab should have the title “One Person Involved in the Event”, the second tab

should have the title “ American Revolution”, the third tab should have the title “ Today”, and the fourth tab should have the title “ Photos”. When the students edit the template for their event they will be able to change the first tab to say the name of the person they chose.

21. Add in places that you would like for the students to include pictures. You can put in placeholder pictures to serve as a guide for where you want the student to insert pictures. There needs to be at least one picture on the home page and tabs 1-3. The fourth tab must have at least two pictures.

22. Publish the template, and then invite the students in the class to use it through their Gmail accounts.

23. That concludes the prep work that must be done before day three.

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24. Show the students the web site template that you have created. Explain what each tab should include. For example: The page about a person involved in the event needs to have at least one paragraph explaining the role of the person and a picture of the person.

25. Allow the students time to work on their websites. The teacher may want to walk around during this time, as students are more than likely going to have several questions.

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26. Allow students to have time working on and finalizing their websites.27. Once the students have completed their websites have them send the teacher the URL

link. The teacher should compile all of the URLs into a Microsoft Word Document for easy access during presentation day.

Day Five28. Tell the class that they are going to be presenting their websites today. They are to walk

the class through their website and explain two of the food items that are on the menu. The students should not have a formal presentation prepared. The brief presentation should be about a minute to two minutes long. The presentation will help the students work on presentation skills. They should have learned basic presentation skills in third and fourth grade, but giving a quick reminder about what a good presentation should include could be helpful to the students.

29. A good presentation should include eye contact, no fidgeting or pacing, and a loud and clear voice so that the audience can hear what the speaker is saying.

30. The students will each give their presentations. The order that the students go in is up to the teacher. It could be random, alphabetical, or based on volunteers.

31. For each student, pull up their website when it is their turn. The student will tell the class about his/her event. If the teacher is using a smart board then the student can simply use the pen to click on each tab. If the teacher is using a projector screen the teacher will have to click on each tab when instructed to do so by the student.

32. The student will give about a one to two minute impromptu speech about their event. The teacher will signal when the student has met the minimum requirement of one minute. The teacher will signal again when the student has reached one minute and forty-five seconds to allow for the student to wrap up their presentation.

33. The teacher will start the stopwatch when the student begins and stop the stopwatch when the student ends their presentation. The time should be recorded on the rubric.

Assessment The teacher will assess the students based on a rubric that includes all of the key components necessary for the web site.The teacher may use the rubric that is provided or may create a new one that would better suit his/her grading criteria for the assignment.

References and

Reference

Images:http://www.wissar.org/

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/boston-tea-party.htm

http://www.blueinteractiveagency.com/seo-blog/googles-one-stop-shop-nonprofits-google-

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Materials sites.html

Indiana State Standards:https://learningconnection.doe.in.gov/Standards/Standards.aspx?st=&sub=9&gl=7&c=0&stid=0

Google Sites:https://sites.google.com/

Research Worksheet:

1. Circle the event that you will be researching:

The Boston Massacre The Boston Tea Party The Battle of Lexington and Concord

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2. What year did the event occur?

3. Summary of the event. This should be a minimum of four sentences and will be on the home page of your website.

4. One person involved in the event. Date of Birth: Why was this person important in your event?

Write a paragraph about the person’s involvement in your event. The paragraph must have five to six sentences.

5. What role did the event play in the American Revolution? This should be written in paragraph form. The paragraph must be a minimum of five sentences.

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6. How has your event shaped the United States today? You must make a connection between your event and the Constitution. This must be written in paragraph form. One paragraph for how it shaped the United States today and one paragraph for how your event connects to the Constitution. Each paragraph must be a minimum of five sentences. For example if you had the Intolerable Acts you could say that this event helped people to realize that they had a voice in what happens in the United States.

7. Sketch a picture of the place your event happened as it is today. Sketch a picture of the event, as it was when it occurred.

Project Rubric:

Event Name_________________________________________________ /2pts. Receive full credit if the website includes the event name on the home page Home Page:

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Date of the Event______________________________________ /1pt.Receive full credit if the correct date is given. Summary of the event__________________________________ /10pts. Receive full credit if it is four sentences and contains overall information about the event. Picture of the event____________________________________ /2pts. Receive full credit if a picture of the event is on the home page.

Person involved in the event: Paragraph explaining the role of a person in the event______ /10pts.Receive full credit if the paragraph is a minimum of five sentences and the information about the person is relevant and accurate. Picture of the person __________________________________ /2pts. Receive full credit if a picture of the person is on the person tab.

Role event played in the American Revolution: Paragraph explaining the importance of the event__________ /10pts.Receive full credit if the paragraph is a minimum of five sentences. Picture of the event____________________________________ /2pts. Receive full credit if a picture of the event is include on the role tab.

How the event has shaped the United States today:Paragraph on how the event shaped the United States_______ /10pts. Receive full credit if the paragraph clearly explains why the student thinks the event has shaped how the United States is today, and the paragraph is a minimum of five sentences. Paragraph on the event and its connection to the Constitution__ /10pts. Receive full credit if the paragraph is a minimum of five sentences and includes a relevant connection to the United States Constitution.

Photos now versus then_________________________________________ /4pts. Receive full credit if student includes one picture of how the event looked during the time of the American Revolution and one picture of how the site where the event took place now looks.

Reference Section______________________________________________ /5pts. Receive full credit if student has at least five resources (URL links).

Overall Appearance of the Website________________________________ /3pts.

Spelling and Grammar_________________________________________ /5pts.

Presentation_________________________________________________ /5pts.

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Receive full credit if you maintain eye contact, do not fidget, and speak clearly so that the audience can hear you.

Time ___________________________________________________________ /2pts. Receive full credit if student meets the minimum time requirement of one minute but does not exceed two and a half minutes.

Total_______________________________________________ /85pts.

Teacher Comments: