Educator's Name:                               T. K Saul

School:                                                Clinton Junior High School

School District:                                  Clinton Public

Student Grade Level:                         8

Subject:                                               Social Studies

Title of Lesson Plan:                           Europeans Settle in America

Unit/Theme:                                       The American Revolution

Objectives:                                        

Students will be able to discuss the early battles of the American Revolutionary War, discuss the importance of the Declaration of Independence and the Battle of Saratoga, discuss which battles the Americans won in the West and at Sea, and explain how General Washington forced the British to surrender at Yorktown.

Instructional Format:          

Lecture; worksheets; notes.

Materials Needed:

Textbook

Notebooks

Pencils

MAGNOLIA

Internet access

Puzzle called "Life, Liberty, and Happiness"

Videotape of "The American Revolution" Volume IV (last 14 minutes)

Duration of Activity:                                  7 days

Activity:

Students take notes during lecture.  Students copy notes from chalkboard into notebook.  Students complete worksheets and puzzles pertaining to subject matter.  Students will review videotape and prepare for test. 

Explore Activity:

Allow each student access to MAGNOLIA.  Let students scroll down to Gale Group Discovering Collection.  Students type in "American Revolutionary War" under search.  Once there, let each student choose one of five articles to write about: "Dickinson, John (1732-1808)"; "Red Jacket (1758-1830)"; "George Washington (1732-1799)"; "Declaration of Independence (1754-1783)"; and "Aftermath of American Revolution Produces New Challenges for Native Americans." 

If some students opt for "Dickinson, John" article, allow those students to write a poem about Dickinson using information obtained from his biographical essay, his early life, his life's work, and the summary.  The poem must be typed using 12-point font Times New Roman script and double-spaced between two-four pages long. 

If some students choose to write about "Red Jacket, Discovering Multicultural America, Gale Research, 1996," students must write a summary of Red Jacket's experience, and answer the following question: "How can I be more tolerant of others?"  This paper must be typed using 12-point font Times New Roman Script and double-spaced between two-four pages long. 

If some students write about George Washington, their papers must reflect answers to the two following critical questions: "What led Washington to become President?" and "What does it mean to be democratic?"  The paper should be double-spaced typed using 12-point font Times New Roman Script, between two-four pages in length.

Students opting to write a personal essay about the Declaration of Independence must include how the Declaration of Independence dealt with issues of fairness, justice, and trust.  Students must also reflect in their essays some of the different kinds of human prejudice that went on between 1740-1800.  The essay must follow the same instructions mentioned above. 

Students must write a personal letter explaining the plight of Native Americans if they choose the article "Aftermath of American Revolution Produces New Challenges for Native Americans" by Discovering Multicultural America, Gale Research, 1996.  The personal letter must be written in first person and must follow the same writing style instructions listed for the four other projects.    

Formal Assessment:                          

Quizzes; chapter tests; check notebooks and homework.