LAP 1: History Unit
I.
Content: Describe what it is you will teach. What is the content?
This is the first lesson in the history unit “No Taxation without Representation”. In this unit,
students will explore some of the important events that led to the Revolutionary War. This lesson
will serve as an introduction to taxes on the colonies. Students will experience taxation within the
classroom prior to learning about the taxes that Great Britain imposed on the colonies. As a class,
the students will explore the meaning behind the phrase “No taxation without representation”
II.
Learning Goal(s): Describe what specifically students will know and be able to do after the
experience of this class.
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III.
Students will explore taxation and will begin to gain historic empathy for the colonist
Students will discuss and understand the different taxes that the colonist had to pay
(Stamp Act, Tea Act, Sugar Act, and Quartering Act)
Students will begin to discuss and analyze the phrase “No Taxation without
Representation”
Rationale: Explain how the content and learning goal(s) relate to your Curriculum Unit
Plan learning goals.
Taxation on the colonies caused the colonist to increasingly want to be free from the rule
of Great Britain and King George. It is important that the students fully understand what taxes
are, and begin to understand how the colonist felt about the taxation because this was the
beginning of the road to revolution. This would be the introduction of both of the essential
questions of our unit, “How did taxes influence the American Revolution?” and “Why do people
revolt?”
IV.
Assessment: Describe how you and your students will know they have reached your
learning goals.
Throughout the lesson, the students will be assessed informally. This assessment is important for
me to know how the students comprehend the material while I am still teaching it. At the end of
the lesson, the students will have a short formal assessment, which I will grade and look at prior
to the following lesson. This formal assessment will be an exit slip. For this exit slip, the students
will have a choice to answer a series of questions about their thoughts about taxation and how
they thought the colonists felt about it or they could get a little more creative and write a letter to
King George explaining why the taxes are unfair and to convince him to stop the taxes.
V.
Personalization: Describe how you will provide for individual student strengths and needs.
How will you and your lesson consider the needs of each student and scaffold learning?
Everyone will be able to participate and actively engage in the beginning of this lesson. The
simulation where the students pay taxes will introduce everyone to the same experience of taxes.
Thus, when we begin our discussion of taxes, all the students in the class will have an experience
to pull from, allowing everyone equal access in the conversation.
We will read from the text book, aloud with everyone following along. This allows readers of all
levels to understand what we are reading without the pressure of reading it alone. There will be
several times throughout this lesson that students will participate in turn and talks. Turn and talks
are effective because the students are able to think about their response and talk about it in a low
pressure environment before sharing with the whole class. Turn and talks also increase wait time,
so that students have more time to think about how they want to respond.
VI.
Activity description and agenda: Describe the activities that will help your students
understand the content of your class lesson by creating an agenda with time frames for your
class. Be prepared to explain why you think each activity will help students on the path
toward understanding.
Time
Teacher Activity
Student Activity
Reasoning
Morning
activity
happen
throughout
other
lessons.
Tax simulation
activity to take place
throughout the
morning while lessons
take place as normal.
Students will learn
in a hand on minds
on activity. Which
allows them to
understand taxes
and how it feels to
be required to pay
something.
0-10
minutes
Facilitate discussion
about the tax activity:
Did you like the taxes?
Would you want to
pay these taxes every
day? Which tax did
you dislike the most?
Where the taxes fair?
Students will be
introduced to the new
taxes upon entering the
classroom. The students
will have to pay a tax
for do everyday tasks,
such as sharpening
their pencil or going to
get a drink of water.
Everyone on the rug
And discuss the taxes
10-20
minutes
Write “No taxation
without
representation” on the
board.
Students participate in
turn and talk and whole
class discussion about
this phrase.
Students engage in
conversation with
their peers about a
new phrase and
come up with
possible meanings
(prior to learning
about how and
when it was used)
Use text book to
support discussion
Ensure that the taxes
are paid
“What does this
mean?”
20-35
minutes
Read the text book
pages 108-109
Students will learn
about the “No taxation
without representation”
phrase – and will be
able to see if their
original thoughts were
correct.
Everyone gets the
chance to share
their experience
about taxes.
Students get to hear
their classmates
opinion.
35-45
Chart the different
Students tell me what
taxes that the colonist to write on the chart
had to pay: What were paper
the taxes and draw
pictures next to the
descriptions.
Tea Act
Stamp Act
Quartering Act
Sugar Act
Creating a chart for
the students to refer
back to. To help
them remember the
specifics of each Act.
45-60
minutes
Assessment
Exit slip:
1) How did you
feel when you
had to pay taxes
in the
classroom?
2) If you were a
colonist would
you be happy
about the new
taxes? Why or
why not?
3) Would you pay
them or would
you want to
protest?
Students complete exit slip
OR write a letter to
King George explaining
why the taxes are
unfair.
(student choice)
VII.
List the Massachusetts Learning Standards this lesson addresses.
New England and Massachusetts:
3.5 Explain important political, economic, and military developments leading to and during the
American Revolution. (H, C)
a. the growth of towns and cities in Massachusetts before the Revolution
VII.
Reflection
a. In light of all areas of planning, but especially in terms of your stated purpose and learning
goals, in what ways was the activity(ies) successful? How do you know? In what ways was
it not successful? How might the activity be planned differently another time?
b. What did you learn from the experience of this lesson that will inform your next LAP?
I thought the tax simulation went very well! When I first introduced it the students were
excited and shocked! They had many questions about the taxes about if they could earn it back,
why these taxes were in place, and who got the taxes at the end? It was very fun for me to
explain. I really did not think it would change their behavior in the morning – but I was wrong.
There was a tax for calling out (1 Starburst) and I have never heard the room so quiet before.
NEVER. One student said she was holding herself and needed to go to the bathroom, but that was
not in the rules. She was upset that I made her go and she lost a starburst. This situation kind of
annoyed me, it’s was only one starburst (and you got it back in the end!). Because I did not think
the students would change their behavior, I had expected that more students would have lost more
taxes. There were actually several students who did not lose any taxes! I was worried about how
the students would think about the taxes and understand their effect on the colonist, since they did
not lose any taxes themselves – but this proved to be alright. The students were very engaged and
enthusiastic in the class discussion about the taxes. Most students thought they would still lose a
starburst for calling out, so it was a very peaceful and control discussion. Everyone understood
what a tax was and understood why someone might not want to pay them. We talked about the
connections to current taxes and why people might have to pay taxes.
After writing the phrase “No taxation without representation” on the board, we discussed this
concept which proved to be a little difficult to understand. All the students understood that the
colonist would say this phrase because they did not want to be taxed and the taxes were unfair.
The part about representation was a little more difficult for them. We talked about me being the
representative for the class when talking to Ms. Jordan about having no recess. Then we talked
about me calling some students in the class to ask them about the taxes before I made the taxes all
alone. A few of the high flyers were able to understand and explain it, but overall I think it will be
a concept I need to keep reinforcing throughout the unit.
In about the middle of the discussion students started getting off topic and starting asking
questions about things that do not have to do with taxes. Another MAT suggested that I have the
students write down all of their questions and comments about the American Revolution so that
we do not need to focus class time on it but I can answer the questions as they come up in our
learning. I think this is a great idea, and I plan to do with prior to my next lesson. Because the
students were so off task I was worried that they did not understand everything they could have
about the taxes. It seemed like the students thought they knew everything about taxes.