Lauren Clarke
20 September 2012
EPSY 582L-256
Interdisciplinary Lesson Plan #1
Unit
•
The Causes of the American Revolution (Grade 4)
Title of Lesson #1:
•
Taxation and Acts on the Colonists
Overview
•
Students will demonstrate their understanding of how Great Britain treated the colonists
after the French and Indian War. They will understand the Sugar Act, the Currency Act,
the Stamp Act, the Quartering Act, and the Townsend Revenue Act and how these acts
affected the colonists. Students will create an electronic poster on Nanoogo to
demonstrate their understanding one act. Suggested time allowance: two 40 minute
lessons
Standards
•
•
•
NYS SS.1.2:
o Important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York
State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of
people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives.
Common Core Standards:
o Reading Standards for Informational Text K-5
§ Standard 2: Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is
supported by key details; summarize the text.
§ Standard 3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical,
scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on
specific information in the text.
NYS Art Standard 1: Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
o Visual Arts 1. Students will make works of art that explore different kinds of
subject matter, topics, themes, and metaphors. Students will understand and use
sensory elements, organizational principles, and expressive images to
communicate their own ideas in works of art. Students will use a variety of art
materials, processes, mediums, and techniques, and use appropriate technologies
for creating and exhibiting visual art works.
Essential Unit Question
•
•
What events led to the American Revolution?
How did the acts and taxes placed on the colonists by the British Parliament make the
colonists feel?
•
How did the colonists react to the way the British Parliament treated them?
Resources/Materials for This Lesson
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
candy (Hershey’s Kisses)
colonist taxation checklist
“Acts on the Colonists” literature
computers
printer
class list checklist
Designing a Poster Student Checklist
rubric
Exit Cards
Activities/Procedures
Day 1:
1. The teacher will activate prior knowledge by discussing with students how the French
and Indian War ended. The teacher will have students Think-Pair-Share about how the
British victory putting them in debt could have led to tension between the British and the
colonists.
a. The teacher will ask the following questions:
i. “How did the French and Indian War end?”
ii. “What effect did this ending have on the British?”
iii. “What effect did this ending have on the colonists?”
2. The teacher will give each student ten pieces of wrapped candy (Hershey’s Kisses). He or
she will tell the students they cannot eat the candy until the activity is complete. He or
she will randomly select one student to be the King of England, one student to represent
parliament, and one student to be the tax collector. The rest of the students are colonists.
Students must pay the tax collector one piece of candy for each of the following items
they possess.
a. t-shirts
b. jeans
c. glasses
d. jewelry
e. sneakers
f. socks
3. After the tax collector collects the candy from the colonists, as a class determine how
much candy 10%, 50%, and 40% are. Distribute 10% of the candy to the tax collector,
50% of the candy to the representative of Parliament, and the remaining 40% of the
candy to the King of England.
4. The teacher will explain to the students that the candy represents the taxes the colonists
had to pay to the British parliament. Discuss how the students feel and relate their
feelings to how the colonists felt when they were taxed by the British parliament.
a. The teacher will ask the following questions:
i. “Do you think the candy was distributed fairly? Why or why not?
ii. “Colonists, how did you feel when you had to give your candy to the tax
collector?”
iii. “British, how did you feel when you received the candy from the
colonists?”
iv. “How do these feelings relate to the feelings the actual colonists and
British were feeling when the taxation occurred?”
Day 2:
5. The teacher will provide students with the literature “Acts on the Colonists” which they
will read as a class.
6. Students will be divided into pairs and each pair will choose one of the following acts
placed on the colonists by the British parliament.
a. The Sugar Act
b. The Currency Act
c. The Stamp Act
d. The Quartering Act
e. The Townsend Revenue Act
7. Pairs will use the “Acts on a Colonist” worksheet and computer search engines to gather
information and create an electronic poster on Nanoogo that would have been posted by
the British to enforce their chosen act on the colonists.
8. Students will each complete the “Designing a Poster Student Checklist” self-regulation
worksheet.
9. Pairs will present their posters to the class explaining what the act was and why they
chose the phrases and clipart they used.
a. All pairs who chose the Sugar Act will present after one another, followed by all
pairs who chose the Currency Act, etc.
10. The teacher will lead a discussion after each set of presentations for each act to check for
understanding about the specific act presented and clarify information if needed.
a. The teacher will ask the following questions to the pairs of presenters for each act:
i. “Why did the British place this act on the colonists?”
ii. “What effect did this act have on the colonists?”
iii. “What effect did this act have on the British?”
11. Students will then complete the Exit Card.
Differentiation
•
•
Content
o This lesson is differentiated by the content since pairs of students choose which of
the 5 provided acts placed on the colonists by the British Parliament they would
like to create an electronic poster for based on their interest.
Process
o This lesson is differentiated by the process based on readiness since I would
provide lower achieving students with a variety of internet clipart images and
resources so they do not have to search for these items themselves. I would also
provide lower achieving students with a template on Nanoogo to help scaffold the
poster creation process.
Evaluation/Assessment
•
•
•
•
The teacher will make observations as the students Think-Pair-Share, complete the
taxation role play activity, and have discussions. The teacher will record observations of
student understanding on his or her class list observation chart in the form of a check
plus, check, or check minus.
A rubric will be used for the electronic poster product and presentation that will be
graded for each student individually.
Students will each complete the “Designing a Poster Student Checklist” self-regulation
worksheet to self-asses their learning.
Students will complete and hand in Exit Cards.
Vocabulary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
parliament
colonist
tax
The Sugar Act
The Currency Act
The Stamp Act
The Quartering Act
The Townsend Revenue Act
Name: _______________________________________
Role: Colonist
Directions: Place a check next to each of the following
items you possess. Give one piece of candy to the tax
collector for each of these items.
t-shirt
jeans
glasses
jewelry
sneakers
socks
Name: ________________________________
Acts on the Colonists
The Sugar Act
The Currency Act
• placed a tax on all molasses
(sugar), coffee, and other
products that were imported
into the colonies in large
amounts
• prohibits the colonists from
issuing any legal tender paper
money
• already existing paper money is
to be taken by taxes
The Stamp Act
• required tax stamps to be
purchased and placed on all
printed materials including
newspapers, legal documents,
college diplomas, almanacs,
playing cards, and dice
The Quartering Act
• required any colony where
troops were stationed to
provide them with living
quarters and certain supplies
The Townsend Revenue Act
• placed a tax on colonials goods
that were exported or sent to
England including, glass, lead,
paints, paper, and tea
Unit: The Causes of the American Revolution
Teacher Checklist: Taxation and Acts on the Colonists
Each student will receive a check plus if he or she went beyond expectations, a check if he or
she met the expectations, and a check minus if he or she did not meet the expectations.
Student
[Student 1]
[Student 2]
[Student 3]
[Student 4]
[Student 5]
[Student 6]
…
… … … … … Think-PairShare
Taxation Role
Play Activity
Taxation Role
Play Activity
Discussion
Comments
References:
(1998) The History Place. Retrieved from http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/
rev-prel.htm
(2012). Simulation: The King's Candy Retrieved from http://www.teachercreated.com
/lessons/400
American Revolution Timeline. Retrieved from http://fpg.d127.org/aalderson/amerevolution.htm
The Mountain City Elementary Corner. Retrieved from http://www.mce.k12tn.net/