Mandy Havens
Topic: The Declaration of Independence
Class Description: This lesson is for an 11th grade United States History. The class lasts
for 50 minutes and there are around 25 students.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to identify who wrote the Declaration of Independence,
list whose ideas are part of the Declaration of Independence, and explain those
ideas that this document was based on.
2. The student will be able to summarize the main advantages and disadvantages of
independence for the colonies.
3. The student will be able to list five of the grievances the colonists had against
King George III and Great Britain.
4. The student will be able to understand and explain the impact of the Declaration
of Independence on America during the Revolution and later on in US history, by
using specific details of later uses of the Declaration of Independence.
SOLS
1. USI.6: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes and results of the
American Revolution by identifying the issues of dissatisfaction that led to the
American Revolution; identifying how political ideas shaped the revolutionary
movement in America and led to the Declaration of Independence, with emphasis
on the ideas of John Locke; and describing key events and the roles of key
individuals in the American Revolution, with emphasis on George Washington,
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Thomas Paine.
NCSS Curriculum Themes/Standards
1. Power, Authority, and Governance
2. Time Continuity and Change
Teaching Strategies:
Warm-up:
(10 minutes)
Review from previous lessons by explaining that after the Boston Tea Party in
1773, the Coercive Acts resulted in the Colonists organizing a Congress to address the
issues at hand with Great Britain. This First Continental Congress of 1774 petitioned the
King to redress grievances, which means to make right the wrongs towards the colonists,
but had no luck. The Second Continental Congress again tried to reason with the King
with the Olive Branch Petition. After this second attempt at working things out with
Britain failed, the Declaration of Independence was sent to the King. All of these actions
and events were responses of the Colonies to actions of Britain and vice versa.
Start PowerPoint (see attached PowerPoint) and give some of the advantages
(foreign aid, legitimacy, POWs not spies, no more King, and colonial unity) and
disadvantages (lose support for representation in Britain, leaders considered traitors to
Britain, poorly prepared to fight a war, and economic ties to Britain would be severed) of
declaring independence.
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Pose the following question to students:
 Thinking about these pros and cons, which was riskier? For the
colonists to try to petition the government of Britain more than they
already had to attempt to work out their differences? Or was it riskier
for them to break away from England and declare their own
independence?
Have students form a Likert scale by standing on the window side of the room if
they feel petitioning was riskier. If they feel independence was riskier they
should stand on the door side of the room. Students who feel more moderate can
stand in the middle, as well. Once everyone is where they feel they should be,
explain that the colonists probably had reservations about declaring independence.
This was technically treason and Civil War. Compare American Revolution to
American Civil War by likening the North to Britain and the South to the
Colonies. Both wars were instances of a section of a country breaking away from
another and fighting for independence. The difference is that the South lost and
the Colonies won.
Transition Statement:
The colonists and Thomas Jefferson had some ideas and writings that they based
the separation on to justify it. Ask students to have a seat.
Lecture:
Continue with PowerPoint, and use it to explain lecture topics.
(25 minutes)
1. Jefferson used the ideas of John Locke and Thomas Paine.
 Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness- basic rights
o Ask why students think property was changed to pursuit of happiness
 Consent of the governed- people allow government to exist
 Establish new government- if people deem the old one destructive
2. Accusations against King George III
 Refused self government in the colonies- colonies could not rule themselves
 Manipulated the court system- he took the judiciary into his hands
 Conspired with Native Americans- to hurt the colonies
 Mercantilism- trade with only Britain for Britain’s economic benefit
 Taxation without representation
 Impressments- British ships taking American sailors for their ships
 Military attacks on Americans- Boston Massacre, Lexington and Concord
 Refused offers of petition and peaceful resolution-wasn’t trying to work it out
o Ask if all these things are within the King’s power and right. Was he a
tyrant, or just enforcing the rules?
3. Declaration’s effects
 Preserving freedom- reason for colonies to fight
 People who signed were traitors- this was treason
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4. Thomas Jefferson
 Home- Monticello
 Declaration image- original copy
 Rough Draft image- Jefferson’s rough draft
5. Independence Hall
 Painting- John Trumbull, 1817. On the back of the 2 dollar bill.
o Ask if this was painted by an American or British person. Talk about
divine light in paintings, the way people are standing gallantly, and
how everyone looks fully supportive.
 Today
 Liberty Bell- symbol if independence. According to tradition, it was rung on
July 8, 1776 to summon citizens for the reading of the Declaration.
 National Archives- D.C.
6. Results of the Declaration of Independence and application in America
 Contradictions- slaves and women.
o Ask what is fundamentally wrong with stating that “All men are
created equal.”
 Political participation= equality- many other people and advocates have used
this document for justification of their cause- suffrage, education.
 Social participation= liberty- civil rights and slavery
 Economic participation= pursuit of happiness- property rights, economy.
Closure/Summary:
Declaration of Independence Video Clip
(15 minutes)
 Show and explain the FQR chart (see attached FQR chart). F stands for facts,
Q stands for questions, and R stands for response. Model this strategy with
the short excerpt on the PowerPoint slide. Read the excerpt aloud, then
provide the fact, question and response as examples.
 Hand out FQR charts to students. Tell students they must construct 2 facts, 1
question and 1 response for the video clip they are about to see. Play video
clip, called “Writing the Declaration of Independence” (Discovery Channel
School (2005). Retrieved October 13, 2008, from Discovery Education:
http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/ ). Pause the video at 2 minutes to
let students write on their FQR charts.
 After giving students a couple of minutes to complete the charts at the end of
the video clip, ask for volunteers to tell what facts, questions, and responses
they came up with.
 Take up FQR charts.
Materials used in the lesson:
Computer, projector, Smart Board, PowerPoint, United Streaming “Writing the
Declaration of Independence” video, and FQR charts.
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Assessment of what students learned:
The FQR chart is an assessment of knowledge gained from the video clip, and can
assess their higher-order thinking by analyzing the questions and responses they came up
with. The Likert scale exercise will assess their evaluation of the advantages and
disadvantages of independence. A formal assessment will include multiple choice
questions, a chart to be filled in with advantages and disadvantages of independence, and
a short essay question. The following questions could be included on the formal
assessment:
 The following ideas are reflected in the Declaration of Independence:
unalienable rights, consent of the governed, and all men are created equal.
Who did these ideas originate with, and who used them to construct the
Declaration of Independence?
A) John Cabot (originated ideas) and Patrick Henry (wrote Declaration)
B) Christopher Columbus (originated ideas) and Richard Henry Lee (wrote
Declaration)
C) John Locke (originated ideas) and Thomas Jefferson (wrote Declaration)
D) John Locke (originated ideas) and Thomas Paine (wrote Declaration)
 Fill in the chart with Advantages and Disadvantages of Independence. Use
the chart and write a paragraph that concludes if you think that it was riskier
for colonists to remain loyal or declare independence.
 Pick two of the following groups and write a short essay (3 paragraphs) about
how and why they were able to use the Declaration of Independence to
support their cause. Describe their use of the founding document, and propose
other ways they could have used the ideas in the Declaration of Independence.
You may choose from abolitionists, disability advocates, women’s suffrage
supporters, civil rights advocates, or property rights advocates.
Accommodations for Special Needs:
Although the FQR chart is to be used by all students in the class, students with
disabilities will benefit from its emphasis on comprehension. The chart will help students
to gain some meaningful knowledge from the video and to think on a higher level, instead
of just watching it blankly. Students who need to may watch the video clip again in a
resource room and fill out the FQR chart with assistance. Students who need notes can
have a printed copy of the PowerPoint. Students with special needs may take the formal
assessment in an outside environment, such as a resource room. They may use a word
processor for the essay question and may have a bank of terms they can include in the
essay.
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