Class Update: 10/12&10/15

On Friday, groups read documents written in response to the Second Continental Congress in May of 1775. The Congress met in Philadelphia, PA to discuss how they felt about being under the control of the King of England. The first document was the Olive Branch Petition (written by the Congress), which promoted a compromise of Loyalist and radical ideas. These people liked the king, and would not go to a war unless the king ignored the request for changes. "Common Sense", by Thomas Paine, was written to share his belief that the colonist should be free from England, as he did not like the monarch. "Plain Truth", by James Chalmers, was written in response to this pamphlet. Chalmers liked the current government, and did not want the colonists to develop new, radical ideas. These documents all played a role in the coming of American independence.

Today, the class presented their Revolutionary Replica projects. Each person made a life-size cutout of their assigned person, and explained why they were important to the American Revolution. Each cutout had a pocket with a small symbolic item. I made a replica of John Hancock, who promoted independence from Britain, and was a politician in Massachusetts. I was surprised to learn that women played an important role in the Revolution. I would have assumed their opinions would have been ignored. For example, Molly "Pitcher" helped soldiers during battles and even manned a cannon. It was interesting to learn about each Revolutionary figure.

Replica Project: John Hancock

Search Story

Class Update: 10/9 & 10/10

To begin class yesterday, we watched a TED video on the way the mind remembers events. The speaker gave the example of a murder case, in which witnesses claimed they could identify the murderer, though it was scientifically impossible to do so. This video gave us the background knowledge necessary to decide whether different primary source documents were reliable or not. We each read a primary source document about who fired the first shot at the Battle of Lexington and Concord - a British Regular or a colonist. In groups, we compared the key points of the documents, recording them in a chart. It is important to read these documents thoroughly to determine the point of view of the author and their motive.

Today, we summarized the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill, using an interactive map projected onto the whiteboard. The Battle of Lexington and Concord was fought by the militia against the Regulars, who were going to the ammunition store in Concord. The militia grew in size and was able to defeat the soldiers using hit and run tactics along with surprise attacks. The Battle of Bunker Hill occurred a few months after, but was technically a British victory. Using their strong navy, they were able to attack the militia, which was running out of ammunition. The soldiers charged up to their trenches. Though the militia lost one early battle, maybe these battles demonstrated how serious the colonists were about fighting for freedom, even against a trained army. Groups created Google Search Stories afterwards about the battles.

Civic Values VoiceThread

Class Update: 10/4 & 10/5

The class discovered the causes for the American Revolution during an EdCafe yesterday. We discussed events such as the Stamp Act, the Townshend Act and Boston Massacre, the Boston Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, and the First Continental Congress. Each discussion went smoothly, but they all made me wonder if Britain was justified in their actions. Maybe the British were truly trying to help the Americans with the taxes on paper goods and imported goods, because the British did not have unlimited funds either to protect Americans.

Today, the first part of class was spent reviewing the topics discussed during the EdCafe by taking notes. Afterwards, Mr. Boyle read a poem: "Paul Revere's Ride", by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The poem glorified Revere's contributions during the night when the British soldiers began to attack the colonists. We had to become historical detectives to find out which other people contributed to the events that night, creating a Shakespearean sonnet to record our findings. I had never learned that Revere was not the only person involved, and Longfellow's poem was mainly propaganda. I think Prescott, Dawes, and all the other riders deserve as much credit for spreading the news and risking their lives. It is interesting how historical information can be distorted over time. The class was ended by passing back tests and a project on replicas of historical figures.

Class Update: 10/2 & 10/3

This week, our class has transitioned into the American Revolution Unit. Yesterday, we were handed a reading on the French and Indian War. In groups, we read the handout, stopping occasionally to review with the class. We took notes on the reasons why farming colonists wanted to expand their land westward for their crops, and the opening battles. Our class headed to the library today in preparation for the EdCafe tomorrow. With two other students, we created Google Presentations on our EdCafe event. I found this especially helpful to review the key facts of the event. I was surprised to learn in the reading that the delegates at the Constitutional Convention considered living under the control of a British monarch to increase safety. I'm glad that idea was not selected!