AMERICAN REVOLUTION

1
AMERICAN REVOLUTION

• National Board Unit Plan
• Connie Lemon
• Sacramento State University
• EDTE 226
• June 26, 2007

2
Big Ideas

• Political conflict can lead to revolution
• Historical interpretation is influenced by ones
  perspective (Loyalists vs. Patriots or North vs.
  South)
• Compromise is an essential element in the
  creation of historical documents and the shaping
  of new governments
• Race and gender are two important elements in
  history and influence historical interpretation
• The role revolution plays in shaping new
  governments and influencing other nations to
  change their governments. (battles, success and
  failure/resources)
• Geography played an important role in the
  American Revolution

3
Differentiation

• Tiered Assignments/Homework (i.e. Journal
  Prompts-students have two choices to select from)
• Group Investigations
• Menu Model for Assessment/Assignments
• Independent Study
• Open-ended Activities (student choice on topic,
  group or individual exploration, choice on
  presentation)

4
How the Unit Relates to National Board Key
Elements

• The Unit is planned around needs of next year
  students-through student surveys, writing
  samples, parent feedback, and previous teacher
  and counselor interviews)
• The unit promotes students to value themselves
  and others. With a balance blend of individual,
  cooperative group, and student pairs. It also
  provides a variety of opportunities for students
  to develop and appreciate diverse backgrounds
  which is modeled in a caring classroom community
• In this unit I teach students that history is
  an interpretive enterprise and that analysis of
  history changes over time. That we live in a
  pluralistic society and that they need to
  understand that the American story is unfinished
  and that the ideals and aspirations have not been
  fully fulfilled

5
How the Unit Relates to National Board Key
Elements-Continued

• I employ a variety of strategies to help students
  understand key concepts issues, principles,
  through inquiry, differing interpretations and
  historical thinking. I use interdisciplinary
  practices through the use of literature that
  relates to the Revolutionary unit (My Brother Sam
  is Dead-Novel).
• In this unit I address the history of
  democratic institutions and how they have
  evolved, how they are organized, and how they
  have changed over time. In addition the
  understanding of taxation and our civic
  responsibility are embedded in the lessons.
  The lessons from this unit come from a variety of
  sources, resources, and through collaboration in
  the past and present. I have worked in a
  collaborative manner with a teaching partner who
  has been an invaluable resource and through the
  TAH (Teaching American History) grant program
  through U.C. Davis.