why?

REVOLU

TION

Text 1: Franklin’s Snake

Literacy Approach: PredictionStudents will view Franklins divided snake published in

1754 during the French & Indian War for puzzlement.Questions will be solicited from students regarding the

imagePredictions will be made concerning what students

believe the image representsPredictions will include how students can find answers

to their questionsText concerning image will be read by students in

groups, and discussed in groups http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume5/november06/primsource.cfm

Connections will be made between this symbol and the American Revolution

Learning GoalsStudents learn the symbolic relevance of

Franklin’s Snake regarding unification of colonies during the French & Indian War

Students learn the specific meanings of the divided parts of the snake and the phrase “join or die”

Students learn the significance of a unification symbol in the colonies in the years leading to revolution after the French & Indian War.

Students begin to understand that tensions between England and the Colonies predate the Tea Acts.

Prediction RationalePrediction can focus the students’ study

toward key features of the text. When trying to prove their predictions

students will critically examine the symbol and compare it to assigned text in a more meaningful way.

When studying text and symbol students will make connections between what they learn and their predictions which supports contextual understanding.

Students can use image context and connections with further study of content texts.

Literacy Approach: KWLStudents will now be presented with a KWL worksheet

(http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11125303/kwl.pdf).

A brief explanation about the Proclamation of 1763 will be given to the class as a 2 min lecture.

Students will work in pairs to fill in the “know” section of worksheet, they will be able to use much of what they learned from their exploration of Franklin’s snake in the “Know” column.

Students will independently practice their predicting skills when writing in the “want to know” column, they will be instructed to focus on what they think they can learn from the upcoming video.

Royal Proclamation 1763

What I Learned ColumnStudents will compare the two prior columns

and check for accuracy of what they know and what they want to know.

We will discuss if what they “knew” changed as they watched the video.

Then will fill in the “what I learn” column individually

Learning GoalsStudents will practice how to make

predictions and connections with prior knowledge.

Students will understand how images and ideas of Colonial unity influenced colonial opinion about the proclamation line.

Students will begin to examine different points of view in regards to the proclamation line.

Students will understand causes and effects of the proclamation line.

KWL RationaleContinuing with the lessons theme regarding early influences

on the American Revolution, studying the proclamation line that occurs shortly after the French & Indian war highlights early tensions. I want to connect this knowledge with early sentiment for unity represented by Franklin’s Snake.

In regards to literacy, students will practice their cognitive skills of prediction, and connecting as well as see how different points in history can relate to a theme; such as how a sentiment of unity can influence opinions about fair treatment under authority.

KWL specifically focuses students on what they are looking for when engaging with the text and helps them organize the important points once they find them.

Proclamation Line Maps

Literacy Strategy: POV-LettersContinuing with our exploration of early tensions leading to

the American Revolution I will give students a new source that has outlined maps of the Proclamation line with supporting text.: http://www.virginiaplaces.org/settleland/proclamation.html

Students will be allowed to review and change their KWL worksheets as they engage with the text.

Students have already engaged with the content and vocabulary of the website so they will be instructed to jump right in and freely explore (Krashen, 2007)

Students will be instructed on the POV-letters that will be the final assessment of this lesson. So that they can prepare for that as they read and discover

Point of View -LettersStudents will now use the resources they have

compiled during the two prior activities and culminate their understanding by writing a point of view letter.

Students will choose a voice and a receiver. They will be asked to include at least three

historical references in their letters.

Learning GoalsStudents will continue to make historical

connections regarding the theme of the lesson. Students will practice critical reading and

comprehension skills as they prepare to write a letter from a point of view.

Students can work with partners to discuss their points of view to help them continue to discover new ways to look at the information provided in the texts of the lesson.

The idea that tensions began before the Royal Acts will be a continued theme.

POV RationalePoint of View Letters enhance students’ critical thinking,

reading and comprehension skills. It will take focus and the ability to synthesize the information that they have gathered throughout the lesson to create a competent version of a letter that could have been written.

Adding the free browsing of the website is a way to differentiate for ELL’s (Krashen, 2007) as they are allowed to seek out and use comprehensible input.

Writing to learn helps students to clarify their thoughts an make connections between knowledge they bring to class and what they learn there (Vacca, Vacca & Mraz, 2011).

Learning TheoryStudents focusing on the way they think and how

connections are made is a cognitive theory learning approach.

The prediction approach helps organize new information and makes connections to prior knowledge.

Writing to Learn increases comprehension and connection building.

Working in groups and discussing pieces of the lesson creates a collaborative environment with a low affective filter.

ConclusionStudents worked with a theme about the early

causes of the American Revolution.Students engaged with their textbook and three

additional supporting texts. (Image, Video, Text)Students worked with three different literacy

strategies: Predicting, KWL, & POV-letters.Students worked as a class, as small groups and

individually as they practiced the skills learned in successive parts of the lesson.

Rubric: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/11125303/Engaging%20Students-RUBRIC.docx

ReferencesVacca, R. T., Vacca, J.A., & Mraz, M. (2011).

Content Area Reading (p. 284). Boston: Pearson.

Krashen, S. (2007) Free Voluntary Web-Surfing. The International Journal of Foreign Language Teaching, 3(1).