Balanced Literacy List 1

Balanced Literacy List American Revolutionary War Chris Small

EDU 742 Study Skills & Content Area Literacy Instruction for All Dr. Holman June 11, 2011

Balanced Literacy List 2 Topic Choice During the last few weeks, my third grade students have been learning about the Revolutionary War. This was a topic that the students wanted to learn more about after our units on the United States Regions. During our topic on the Northeast Region, we were learning about some of the historical features that included the Revolutionary War. The students asked many who, what, where, when, and why questions, and were even further impressed that New Hampshire was not always a state, and were even more impressed that New Hampshire is represented by one of the stripes on the United States flag. Naturally, I decided to do an entire unit on this with my students. Since I never have done this before, I had no idea how long this would take, and the direction that this would take our class toward. Furthermore, I knew my students had very little background knowledge on this topic, so I decided that started with the causes of the Revolutionary War would be our starting point.

Fiction Books Boston Tea Party Edwards, P. (2001). Boston Tea Party. New York: Putnam. This is a simply written picture book that provides a basic understanding for some of the causes of the Revolutionary War from the colonists and from the mices point of view. This story prologues some of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War that include the unfair taxes that were imposed on the colonists by King George III, a basic reasoning behind the Boston Tea Party, and the events of the Boston Tea Party itself. The fictional portion of this story is partially portrayed by mice colonists who give explanations and reasons on each page.

Balanced Literacy List 3 Revolutionary War on Wednesday Osborne, M. (2000). Revolutionary War on Wednesday. New York: Random House. This is a historical fiction story about two children who go back in time during some of the important events of the Revolutionary War. It gives the perspective through a childs eyes that include George Washingtons crossing of the Delaware River and the reasons for the colonists in wanting their independence from England. Although many of the events are accurate, it does include a fictional plot in how Jack and Annie play an important role in helping George Washington in the Revolutionary War. The age appropriateness is 9 through 12. Non-Fiction Books Saving the Liberty Bell McDonald, M. (2005). Saving the Liberty Bell. New York: Simon & Schuster. This is a non-fiction picture book told from an eleven year olds point of view about how his father and himself were able to successfully save the Liberty Bell from the Redcoats. It explains how the British were looting towns and cities for metallic objects so they could melt them down for making more weapons. The boy and his father smuggle the bell out of town with a wagon knowing that there would be severe consequences if their discovery was known by the Redcoats. During the story they encounter many close calls from the Redcoats, but were able to save the bell and bring it safely to George Washingtons army. The age appropriateness is 4 through 8. Let It Begin Here!: Lexington and Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution Fradin, D. (2005). Let It Begin Here!: Lexington and Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution This is a non-fiction picture book that gives an accurate and historic account of the events leading up to the Battle of Lexington and Concord as well as a detailed description of the events that occurred during both battles. It starts with Paul Revere finding out about the Redcoats plot to capture John Hancock and Samuel Adams in Lexington. Knowing that they must be warned as well as the colonists, Revere and two other riders head to Hancock and Adamss headquarters. Once warned, they continue to Concord to warn the colonists that the Redcoats are coming. The story continues with the colonists anticipation of the Redcoats arrival to the eventual Shot heard round the world in Lexington. Once the eight-minute battle is over, the Redcoats head to Concord to destroy the colonists military supplies. There they encounter thousands of angry colonists and eventually retreat back toward Boston. On their way back, guerilla warfare ensues as the Redcoats desperately flee for their lives. Limping back to Boston,

Balanced Literacy List 4 the Redcoats and the colonists realize that a war has just begun. The age appropriateness is 7 through 11. Paul Reveres Ride Corey, S. (2000). Paul Reveres Ride. New York: Random House. This picture book provides a portrayal of Paul Reveres life prior, during, and after the Revolutionary War. First, it gives glimpses of Paul Reveres occupation as a silversmith, his loyalty to the Sons of Liberty, and the causes of the Revolutionary War. Next, it retells the events of the famous midnight ride including some tall tales during that ride that may be true or not true. The story ends with Paul Reveres life after the Revolutionary War including how Henry Longfellows poem revealed the importance of Paul Reveres midnight ride. The age appropriateness is 6 through 9. Multimedia April 19, 1775: Lexington and Concord Ancient Lights. (2001). April 19, 1775: Lexington and Concord. Retrieved from: http://www.discoveryeducation.com/. This 15 minute video gives a visual and accurate representation of the causes and events leading up to the Revolutionary War, as well as the Battles of Lexington and Concord. It begins with the colonists anger about the unfair taxes and the laws that English Parliament imposed on the colonies. This included using soldier force to rid of any colonist speaking against the king. From there, the video portrays the events of Paul Reveres historic ride and the Battles of Lexington and Concord. The detailed depictation gives students a visual and personal experience of what the colonists endured during the pre and beginning times of the Revolutionary War. After the video, the students are able to take a multiple choice quiz to check for understanding. Causes of the American Revolution Kadar, A. (2011). Causes of the American Revolution. Retrieved from: http://www.brainpop.com/. This five minute video provides a simplistic view of the causes of the Revolutionary War. It highlights some of the unfair taxes and acts that the colonists were forced to adhere. From there, the the Sons of Liberty was formed. They protested and boycotted many of the British goods. Eventually, it led to the Boston Tea Party and other intolerable acts that the king imposed on the colonists. In addition to the video, there are vocabulary words that compliment the video, activity pages, and a multiple choice quiz to check for understanding.

Balanced Literacy List 5 Hypermedia The Causes of the American Revolution Steele, J. (2010) The Causes of the American Revolution. Retrieved from: http://exchange.smarttech.com. This Smartboard lesson was developed by a teacher and downloaded on the Smart Exchange website for teacher use. I modified this Smartboard lesson in order for it to fit with my students. I cloned this lesson with the Boston Tea Party by Pamela Edwards due to the parallels between the two sources. This Smartboard lesson includes some of the acts that were imposed on the colonists, the Boston Tea Party, the Declaration of Independence, vocabulary activities, and multiple choice to check for understanding. 13 Colonies Smart Notebook Lesson. (2009). 13 Colonies. Retrieved from: http://exchange.smarttech.com. This Smartboard lesson exhibits background knowledge on the 13 colonies. This includes the colony map, matching the colony names to each colony, identifying the New England Colonies, Middle Colonies, and Southern Colonies, and matching the important Revolutionary War events to the correct colony. Website The American Revolution Logan, J. (2000). The American Revolution. Retrieved from: http://www.theamericanrevolution.org. This website provides detailed information about the major battles, commanders, implications, timeline, events, video clips, and significant people who had an impact with this war. For any student who is interested in a specific Revolutionary War topic, there are links that include an interactive time line, famous people, and video clips that portray the beginning steps and reasons for independence from England. Reflection This assignment gave me an opportunity to bring diversity with my resources. As indicated in my introduction, this was a topic that I have never taught before. Considering the majority of my students have no background

Balanced Literacy List 6 knowledge with colonial life, I knew that I had to start with the basics that included colonies, the basic causes, significant people, and the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. There was a fine line of overwhelming the students and maintaining their enthusiasm for the duration of this unit. I think I was able to find a wealth of information from various categories to bring this history to life for my students. The Smartboard is a vital tool because I will be able to project each of these sources (including the picture books and video clips) for large group instruction. When using our laptops, the students will be able to do individual research assignments when developing PowerPoint and Photo Story 3 presentations. I felt the website that I have chosen will be a great starting point for their research. From there, the students can use that information to execute additional searches on the Internet. The picture books Saving the Liberty Bell and Revolutionary War on Wednesday were chosen because I like to have stories that are at a childs perspective. It allows more of a personal connection for the students. Although many of my chosen resources do not span the entire Revolutionary War, I felt that providing a strong foundation for the prewar events and the early Revolutionary War events allows the students the opportunity in wanting to learn more about such an important part of our American history.