Dynamic Curriculum Project 2015
Topic & Grade Level: Patrick Henry (8th grade)
Objective: 1) Students will read informative texts and cite textual evidence.
2) Students will synthesize information across texts.
3) Students will make inferences based on information gained from the texts.
4) Students will write in response to the texts and support their thesis with evidence from
the texts.
Standards:
RI8.1 Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI8.2 Determine a central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text,
including its relationship to supporting ideas; provide an objective summary of the text.
RI8.6 Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how the author
acknowledges and responds to conflicting evidence or viewpoints.
W8.1 Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and
information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.
W8.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and
teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’
ideas and expressing their own clearly.
SL8.4 Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner
with relevant evidence, sound valid reasoning, and well-chosen details; use appropriate
eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
L8.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation,
and spelling when writing.
Materials: “Chains” by Paul Harvey (from Paul Harvey’s the Rest of the Story, pp. 20-21)
“Patrick Henry’s Wife” (excerpt by Gabe Mirkin from DrMirkin.com)
“Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death!” (from historyplace.com)
“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Audio from history.org
“19th Century Mental Health Care”
Lesson Plan by: Trish McCoy
Dynamic Curriculum Project 2015
Setting: Lesson begins as whole group, moves to small group and then to individual work.
Procedures/Questions: (Depending upon your class time allotment, this may be completed in one day
or on multiple days as mini-sessions.) For all questions, students should be able to cite textual
evidence.)
1) Distribute copies of “Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death!” and allow students to read it
silently.
2) Allow students to listen to the audio of the speech from history.org.
3) Discuss the speech, the background, the meaning, and the impact of the speech with the
students. (Allow students to Pair/Share or talk in groups to answer the questions before
calling on individuals or groups to answer questions aloud.)
A) To whom is Henry speaking and what is the occasion of the meeting? (Literal)
B) Based on what we know about history, what do we know happened following this
speech? Do you think that this speech impacted the resulting actions? (Recall)
C) What is Patrick Henry’s message? How does he feel about gaining freedom from
Great Britain? (Literal) Where in the speech do you find evidence to support this?
(Literal)
D) What words or phrases are particularly powerful in the speech? (Students should be
able to support their answers with textual evidence.) (Analysis and Evaluation)
E) How does Patrick Henry lead up to his last statement and how important is his last
statement? What does it mean? (Inference, Evaluation, Analysis)
4) Distribute copies of “Chains” by Paul Harvey and allow students time to read silently. (Allow
students to Pair/Share or talk in groups to answer the questions before calling on individuals
or groups to answer questions aloud.)
A) Discuss how this text relates to and impacts Henry’s speech. Does it give the reader a
different insight into Henry’s state of mind and what he said? (Evaluation, Inference,
Synthesis)
B) Instruct students to revisit the speech to find phrases or sentences which could be in
reference to his wife. (Analysis, Inference, Synthesis)
C) At this point, some students will begin to conclude that Patrick Henry was cruel to
keep his wife locked in the cellar.
D) Distribute copies of or project the excerpt from “19th Century Mental Health Care”
and allow students to read silently.
E) Which was more humane, keeping her in the cellar where he cared for her or
admitting her to a facility for treatment? (Synthesis, Analysis) Allow students to
discuss, but stress that they must pull evidence from the texts to support their
statements.
5) Distribute copies of “Patrick Henry’s Wife” and allow students to read it silently. (Allow
students to Pair/Share or talk in groups to answer the questions before calling on individuals
or groups to answer questions aloud.)
A) How does this text impact what we have read previously? (Analysis, Synthesis,
Inference)
B) Discuss irony and how it might apply to this situation.
Lesson Plan by: Trish McCoy
Dynamic Curriculum Project 2015
6) Have students reread back to Patrick Henry’s speech and discuss their new insights. (Allow
students to Pair/Share or talk in groups to answer the questions before calling on individuals
or groups to answer questions aloud.)
A) What kind of person can we infer that Henry was? What kind of husband was he?
(Inference)
B) How does his speech help us to characterize him? How does his treatment of his wife
characterize him? (Analysis)
C) What is in the speech that we can relate to his wife and their situation? (Evaluation)
D) What parts of the speech might have an underlying meaning? (Analysis, Inference)
Differentiation: To modify for lower reading levels, an audio recording of the articles could be used or
the texts could be read aloud.
Words that may prove difficult could be previewed with students prior to reading the texts.
Textual annotation would prove important for all students, but for students who are at lower reading
levels, a copy of the texts with some annotations or questions in the margin would prove helpful.
Assessment: After all discussions are complete, assign the following one or both of the following topics
for student response in the form of a paragraph or an essay, depending upon available time
and/or student needs.
A)In explanatory format, discuss Patrick Henry’s speech in terms of words/phrases that had
particularly strong impact and underlying meanings that might be gained after knowing about
his wife. Cite textual evidence to support your evaluation.
B)In argumentative format, decide whether Mrs. Henry was better off in the cellar with her
husband’s care of if she would have been better off in an institution. Cite evidence to support
your argument. Be sure to include a counterclaim and rebuttal.
Resources: “Chains” by Paul Harvey (from Paul Harvey’s the Rest of the Story, pp. 20-21)
“Patrick Henry’s Wife” (excerpt by Gabe Mirkin from DrMirkin.com)
http://drmirkin.com/histories-and-mysteries/patrick-henrys-wife.html
“Patrick Henry: Liberty or Death!” (from historyplace.com)
http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/henry.htm
“Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” Audio from history.org
http://www.history.org/almanack/life/politics/giveme.cfm
“19th Century Mental Health Care”
http://tmsredmentalhealthcare.d20blogs.org/
Lesson Plan by: Trish McCoy