Declaration of Independence Treasure Box

In my treasure box for the Declaration of Independence is the following:

*A book called The Declaration of Independence (A True Book) by Elaine Landau.

*The resources found here:

     

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/declaration/pdf/comparisons.pdf

Making Comparisons – first and final drafts of DOI.

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/declaration/pdf/final.pdf

First printed version of DOI

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/newsevents/events/creatingus/pdf/writing.pdf

Picture of the authors writing DOI – lots of papers on the floor.

http://memory.loc.gov/mss/mgw/mgw4/037/0000/0020.jpg

Typed pic of DOI

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/gmd:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28g3300+np000009%29%29

 

Map of Colonies from 1755 showing British and French ownership

http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/amrev/shots/address.html

George III's reaction to the Declaration

I also added Photos of Independence Hall that I took this summer and a 13 Colonies map, as well as portraits of some of the signers.  

For the notebooking activity, I'll have the kids compare and contrast the language in the rough and final drafts of the Declaration and have them reflect on why they think certain words and phrases would have been changed.

Overwhlemed and frustrated.

This is going to be a vent, so if you're not in the mood to "listen" to it, feel free to click back out of my blog.  :) 

I am SO overwhelmed looking at this final project.  Having never done an interactive notebook before, I'm struggling with getting it started and adapting all my lessons from Social Studies to work with it.  Since it won't be colonial America in nature - I don't get to that on our curriculum until wayyyy after Thanksgiving, I need to do it on the Spanish Explorers.  That and my map skills unit are the only two units I am sure to finish in SS before T-giving.  Science takes up the bulk of content area time because of teaching the scientific method to the kids so they can do a science fair project due just after the Winter Break.

There are SO FEW primary sources I can find from that time period.  Most of the pictures I'm finding are interesting - but are secondary sources, having been painted in the 1800s.

The three primary source things we have to use are LOC, other online resources for Primary Sources, and Resources from PHMC and when I googled that, I got something about Health and Medicine.  I did find a letter translated to English that Columbus had written after finding "India."  However, the wording of it will be very hard for 4th graders to decipher.  Ten primary sources in three focus lessons will be a LOT to find for this unit - judging by what I'm able to find so far.

I found some pictures of tools that were used for navigation back in the 1400s but they aren't really primary sources because they are either reproductions or modern drawings showing what they looked like. 

I will figure it out, I'm sure, but right now I'm pulling my hair out.  Thanks for listening.  I hoped that putting it here some of you might be able to commiserate.  Anyone starting to plan this yet and feeling like me? 

How Historians Work

Historians and their work is honestly a topic I never considered too deeply until recently.  Now that I'm thinking of it, though - the amazing part is simply the sheer volume of the evidence they need to go through to make sense of the past.  If the rest of us want to research a topic, we need only to go to the library and read what historians have painstakingly put together from primary sources, sometimes in other languages or in writing that is nearly inscrutable.  Historians have a large and ever-changing job because they are always finding new pieces of writing, a new picture or painting, or new artifacts that have been in someone's family barn or attic for a hundred years.  Each of those things might add a new piece of information to what we "know" about the culture of those who lived long ago.  With each new piece of information comes a different puzzle piece, which requires the puzzle to be put together in a different way - perhaps pushing out another piece, perhaps adding to the size of the puzzle, or perhaps creating an entire new puzzle of its own.

Historians' work is essential because as we look back over the past, we can use the issues and solutions of long ago to assist us with the problems we face today. 

Military Aspects of Revolutionary War

Reading Wood's book, chapter 4, about the military aspects of the War was difficult. I fear I have been forever ruined for reading boring textbooks!  I found myself wanting to read Hakim or to go to the archives and piece things together for myself.  My mind kept drifting to Thomas McGuire's presentation a couple of weeks ago.  Honestly, I don't think I learned any more big concepts from Wood than I did from Mr. McGuire. 

One thing that surprised me greatly was how badly the colonists did in just about every battle.  I'm definitely more understanding now about how they felt by the time they arrived at Valley Forge in 1777.  It's amazing any of the soldiers stayed that long. 

Another thing that struck me was the characterization by Wood of the British on p. 78.  He states that they "never clearly understood what they were up against" with the Americans.  They didn't understand that this was a war about a principle, freedom, whereas most of the wars Britain had fought were financial in origin.  Wood describes there that the Americans did very little by way of large battles, but used their own strengths in small skirmishes, stealth, etc., using guerrilla war tactics.  The fact that we were on the other side of that "not understanding what we're up against" issue during the Vietnam War occurred to me as I was reading.

In contrast to the Wood book, the children's book, The American Revolution, was interesting.  I liked the fictional letters for many parts that reinforced the idea that there were REAL PEOPLE involved in the events of the Revolutionary War.  It was helpful, as well, in giving a brief biography of many of the people involved and how they were important to the American Colonies during the years of the Revolution. 

??? Thomas Harrison White ???

Sherri, Mary and I were partners at the National Park Service classroom activity today.  We saw a drawing of Bishop White's son, who looked sickly and whose portrait notes said he died in 1820.  We wondered what he died of, so I texted it to myself to look up later.  Yeah, I'm a geek like that...

Anyway, I found this PDF from NPS, which says on page 8 that he lived to 1859. 

I'm confused.  Anyone have any insight on this? 

Day 1 of Summer Institute

My mind is just spinning!  What cool stuff we got to see today at the Archives and "backstage" at the State Museum!  I could have spent days in those rooms, just looking around and imagining the people who used those donated items.

I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep before trying to learn more tomorrow!  I hope you all had a great time at dinner and the hotel.  I'm looking forward to spending more time talking with you in the morning.  

Comparison of Hakim/Wood books

The topic I chose was the Boston Tea Party, since I had just taught it to my students.  Wood's book gave a much more in-depth study of the situation surrounding it than the Hakim text had done.  I learned why the East India company was given the right to be the sole tea-sellers in the Colonies and how that added to the Colonists' fear of England's rule.

I think that Hakim's book serves a different purpose than Wood's.  Hakim's is more of an overview of important events and is designed to whet the appetite of reluctant or disinterested history students.  Wood's book is not nearly as entertaining, but seems to provide a deeper look into the situations that surrounded the big events in the American Revolution.

A History of Us - Joy Hakim

Where were the textbooks like this when I was a kid????  Joy Hakim isn't just jotting down cold dates and facts, but is telling a true story - which is what history is.  One part of history leads directly into the next and I don't remember thinking that history books ever told a story.  The three "firebrands" were pretty much losers before they did something great???  King George was likely a mental midget who became mentally ill as his reign went on?  Who knew???  I read the chapter called, "A Taxing King," to my 4th graders and by the time they got to the Boston Tea Party, they were chomping at the bit to find out what it was and why it was called the BTP.  These are the kids who asked me "Social Studies is boring; when do we do Science again?" a few months ago.   They didn't even complain a little when I told them they were to become citizens of the Colonies in 1774 just before the First Continental Congress and write a letter to their delegate, stating their opinion, backed up with three solid reasons, why they should either vote to separate from England or remain part of England.

I think that some people are more analytical and likely to appreciate facts and dates.  Others, like me, want to have the same facts and dates have some sort of emotional connection, a person we can cheer on or dislike.  I think that Hakim does a fabulous job of reaching both types of learners.  The little interesting factoids on the sides of the pages make it even more interesting to read. 

They were so interested that they came up with their own questions about what the people looked like whose names we were hearing.  We searched the LOC site to find more pictures from the time.  (I only wish they had archived the newspapers from that time electronically!)

I will be using this book as a resource for my kids every year.  This time period is exactly what we cover in 4th grade!

Teaching for Historical Literacy

What a great article about teaching history as a living, breathing thing!  I'm interested in finding a lot of picture and chapter books on a grade level of 3-5 so that I can use them with all my students!

I think the two articles use different terms but talk about many of the same things.  History needs to be made real for all students, whether left- or right-brained.  Using different types of activities, questions and sources will allow for all students to learn.  I was very much impressed to see the metacognitive skills applied to learning history.  We use those every day in Reading class and, speaking for myself, I'm getting comfortable enough with them to use them in the content areas, as well.  We have a goal to get our kids answering open-ended questions (like they will see on the PSSAs and 4Sight) in all content areas.  There have been workshops offered to help us to build good questions for each of the subject areas.  What I have not done is to focus an entire history unit on using primary and secondary sources and completely immersing the students in the topic.  I hope to be able to do that in the coming years.

If anyone knows of a resource out there that lists books (chapter and picture) for historical knowledge about the 13 Colonies and Pennsylvania history, which are also written for students age 8-11, I'd love to hear about it! 

Right Brain/Left Brain

I took the test for Right Brain/Left Brain functioning and it came up with the score of 47% left and 53% right.  After reading further about how the RB/LB people learn, I think that score is accurate for me.   I like to learn by reading, but take notes for it in a logical, orderly fashion.  Math is best learned by watching several of the same type of problem done and then trying it myself.  However, hearing something in a song will make me remember it forever, and writing it creatively will cement it in my mind, as well.

After reading the other two sections I chose:  Right Brain Learning and Left Brain Learning, I think I maybe intuitively provide for both types of learners in my classroom.  I actually give my kids an Intelligence Inventory to start the year and it gives me a really good idea of what types of activities will help my kids learn best.  For instance, we just finished a geometry unit in my 4th grade classroom.  After learning all the different concepts and vocabulary, we put it all together in a picture made by using different geometric shapes.  In addition, the students had to study their picture and write a paragraph "introducing" their figure to us and explaining how many angles, shapes, parallel lines, etc. were in it. The students truly enjoyed it, and I think that's because it brought together both types of learning - creative and analytical.

Historical Fiction

There is an amazing series of books that take the reader through the 1700s in various countries.  The history is accurate, even though the characters are mostly fictional.  They begin around 1745 in Scotland and follow the characters through the Revolutionary Period in the American Colonies.  I'm dying for the 8th one to come out - which hopefully will be around this time next year.  They start with a book called Outlander and are written by Diana Gabaldon.  Has anyone else read them? 

What a Week!

Today is the first day of our Easter break from school and I don't know about your students, but mine were NUTS all week!  Every 5 minutes, they were off-task and chatting again.    I was very thankful that it was only 3 days long.

First Post!

How original to call this the "first post," huh?

I was just added to this course on Tuesday of this week, so I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed at all of the "set up" things I need to do to get started by 3/30.  I've made good headway so far, so I hope to finish it on time.

Being reflective, I think, comes naturally to me.  I enjoy thinking about why people make the choices they do and why they behave in certain ways.  I include myself in "people" in that sentence.  It has been on my mind for some time that history and science have taken a back seat in my classroom for these last few years because of the emphasis on standardized testing in Reading and Math.  To be honest, the children in my school are often years behind where they "should" be because of various reasons that have little to do with their teachers and school.  Hence, we are skimping on the engaging studies that are the social sciences and physical sciences.

I hope that my time spent in this course will motivate me and give me time to actively prepare exciting lessons that transmit to my students the captivating conflicts that occurred in our country's history.  My goal is to help them to connect in a personal way to the people whose beliefs and actions secured America's freedom.