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Curated OER
Declare the Causes: The Declaration of Independence
Students study the Declaration of Independence and the process our founding fathers went through to get it written and signed. They analyze other similar historical documents and draft and present their own declarations.
National Constitution Center
Fourth of July (Grades 3-5)
Bring history to life for your young scholars with a Fourth of July lesson series. After a class reading of the Declaration of Independence, students translate this pivotal document into layman's terms before working in small...
Curated OER
Historical Background Leading to the Declaration of Independence
Students examine why, when our Fathers, signed the Declaration of Independence they were placing in jeopardy their freedom, property and lives.
Judicial Branch of California
Understanding the Declaration of Independence
Help pupils actively read the Declaration of Independence with a variety of activities in the resource. They storyboard and participate in a skit, an activity where they translate the Declaration of Independence, and respond to...
Curated OER
The Declaration of Independence
Students empathize with the colonists. In this lesson on the Declaration of Independence, students collaborate to problem solve a school dilemma that enables them to understand the issues and difficulties that occurred in the creation of...
Curated OER
Lesson: Allison Smith: What Are You Fighting For?
Trench art is a nontraditional art form created by soldiers in trenches during wartime. Artist Allison Smith connects her art to the American Revolution and the question: "What are you fighting for?" Kids examine her art, how it connects...
Curated OER
The Declaration of Independence
Fifth graders participate in a discussion about the Declaration of Independence. In this Declaration of Independence lesson, 5th graders write imaginary stories in the voice of a member of the committee at Independence hall....
Curated OER
What Are Our Common Values?
Students make a poster. In this values lesson plan, students read the Preamble to the Constitution and discuss the core democratic values that are found there and in the Declaration of Independence. Students are each assigned a core...
Curated OER
Building A Nation
Students build their own nation in groups where they create a name, flag, declaration of independence, form of government, mathematical layout, and more. In this nation lesson plan, students also provide a scale drawing of their nation...
Curated OER
Declaring Freedom
Ninth graders study the sections of the Declaration of Independence. For this American Government lesson, 9th graders participate in a weekly discussion board. Students create a multimedia project to demonstrate their applied...
Curated OER
Grievances Against the British Monarchy
Students review George Washington's reasons for not wanting to be viewed as a monarch. They review the Declaration of Independence and identify five grievances the United States had against the British monarchy. In groups, students...
Carolina K-12
Constitutional Period Parade
What a unique and creative way for class members to summarize what they have learned about the United States Constitution! Here you will find project guidelines for learners to work independently on designing a float to represent a topic...
Curated OER
Colonial America and Revolution
Fourth graders explore U.S. history by creating a timeline of the Colonial era. In this American Revolution lesson, 4th graders identify and discuss the conflicts that led to the revolution and list ways people deal with conflicts....
Curated OER
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
Fifth graders read a rewritten version of the Declaration of Independence, create a set of pictures illustrating the Preamble of the Constitution and create a version of the Declaration of Independence in the form of a song, a poem,...
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin, Elder Statesman
Ben Franklin was the only American to sign The Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Alliance with France, the Treaty of Paris, and the US Constitution. An interesting resource explores his role in the latter by comparing the US...
Curated OER
A Wolf by the Ear
Young scholars examine Thomas Jefferson's complex and contradictory relationship with slavery.
Curated OER
American Revolution
High schoolers review the events leading to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Using the internet, they examine many different political cartoons from the time period and discuss the political atmosphere. In...
Curated OER
Statue of Liberty
Learners discuss aspects of the Statue of Liberty and create their own personalized statue. Students use symbols to represent themselves in their own drawings of the Statue of Liberty.
Curated OER
Preserving Democracy
Students read excerpts of the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution. Using the documents, they identify the ideas of how the government should be run. In groups, they develop a skit that encourages people to be...
Curated OER
Statue of Liberty
Students make their own Statue of Liberty. In this Statue of Liberty lesson plan, students research the symbol of the United States, create a KWL chart for it, and cut and paste their own Statue of Liberty.
Curated OER
Understanding Freedom: Catching "The Spirit of '76"
Sixth graders complete activities about colonial history through an examination of art from the American Revolution period. For this history and art lesson, 6th graders define an iconic image, sing the song 'Yankee Doodle,' and analyze...
Curated OER
Symbols of America
Students learn about and discuss the important symbols that represent America. In this symbols lesson plan, students cut out pictures of the bald eagle, American flag, Liberty Bell, and more. They color them when they have them cut out.
Curated OER
A Dictionary of Democracy
Students create dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy, using events and biographies from both their state's history and U.S. history.