Format
1. The program begins with an introduction that builds background and activates students' prior knowledge about the American Revolution.
2. Next we clarify the three main positions held by those living in the colonies during the war - Patriot, Loyalist, and Undecided - and students match quotes with those who might have aligned themselves with each position.
3. Using reproduction objects and primary sources, students explore the unique perspectives and circumstances of 3 Connecticut residents (a young white woman from a Loyalist family, an enslaved man enlisted in the war, and an enslaved woman who escaped slavery to join the British).
3. We listen to music selections from the Revolutionary War, evaluate the lyrics, and discuss ways in which music could serve as propaganda for each side.
4. Synthesizing the material they learned in the program, students "choose a side" and sign a copy of an Oath of Allegiance for the side they might have joined.
5. The program concludes with a wrap-up and time for questions and answers.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
1. Examine different viewpoints that might have been held by American colonists at the time of the Revolutionary War and cite reasons why people would have supported different sides in the conflict.
2. Evaluate a variety of visual, written, and audio primary and secondary material to form an opinion about which side they might have supported during the American Revolution.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.L.4a -- Use context (e.g., cause/effect relationships and comparisons in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.1 -- Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.RI.7 -- Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.5.SL.2 -- Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6-8.RH.1 -- Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6-8.RH.2 -- Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6-8.RH.7 -- Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6.L.4a -- Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6.RI.1 -- Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6.RI.7 -- Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent understanding of a topic or issue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.6.SL.2 -- Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.7.L.4 -- Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 7 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.7.RI.1 -- Cite several pieces of textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.7.SL.2 -- Analyze the main ideas and supporting details presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how the ideas clarify a topic, text, or issue under study.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.8.L.4a -- Use context (e.g., the overall meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.8.RI.1 -- Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.8.RI.7 -- Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g., print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.8.SL.2 -- Analyze the purpose of information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and evaluate the motives (e.g., social, commercial, political) behind its presentation.
State Standards
Connecticut Elementary and Secondary Social Studies Standards
5.His.4.a Explain how political and economic beliefs shaped the perspectives held by Patriots and Loyalists leading to the American Revolution.
5.His.4.b Explain why members of the Northeastern Woodland Native American tribes and Black communities held conflicting views regarding support for the American Revolution.
5.His.6.a Describe how people's perspectives of the American Revolution are documented in historical records while noting representation of marginalized voices.
5.His.10.a Compare information provided by multiple historical sources about the people and events of the American Revolution.
5.Eco.1.a Compare the benefits and costs of governmental and individual choices leading to the American Revolution.
5.Civ.8.a Identify the civic virtues and democratic principles that contributed to the rejection of British parliamentary rule of the North American colonies.
5.Civ.14.a Illustrate how individuals and groups in the Revolutionary Era and today have and can effect change.
8.His.4.a Analyze factors that influenced perspectives about national identity both during and as a result of the American Revolution.
8.His.6.a Analyze the perspectives of both enslaved and free Black people through the historical sources they created.
8.His.10.a Describe how individual and group perspectives of the American Revolution are documented in historical records while identifying representation of marginalized voices.