Summer SAVY, Session 1 Day 4, The Makings of America (3rd – 4th)
Today, we began by reviewing the material covered thus far. The students were allowed to demonstrate their memorization of the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. We have several who were able to memorize it already! I was so proud of them!
Then, we moved on to discussing Common Sense by Thomas Paine. We learned several interesting facts about him including that he died poor in New York and only six people attended his funeral. Several students expressed remorse for the lack of recognition he received at the end of his life. His work was so essential in motivating common people to fight for our independence.
We completed a reasoning exercise to help us analyze the decision to move forward with independence from Great Britian. The students began working through reading the Declaration of Independence.
Our essential questions for today were:
- What is the origin of a government’s authority or power?
- How do you determine authority vs. tyranny?
After that, we continued our study of the Biography Subjects, which will be presented during our Gallery of the Greats on Friday. Students continued to work in pairs and trios to gather information and research. Each small group will present on the following:
- A timeline of the important events in the person’s life.
- A paragraph discussing why this person was an important figure in the American Revolution and how the Revolution caused change in the person’s life.
- A visual representation of something important to the person’s life.
- Two quotes from primary sources written by or about the person.
The students are working diligently to learn more about these key figures of the Revolution, and I know they will be sharing excellent presentations tomorrow.
Finally, this evening, I would like for your student to complete the Exit Ticket for Day 4 if possible.
Think about life as a Revolutionary soldier. How do you think the soldiers’ lives were changed through their experiences? If you could talk to a soldier of the Continental Army, what would you ask him?
Thank you for sharing your students with me. I have enjoyed getting to know them very much.
Dr. Dunlap