PROJECT TEACH
-LESSON PLAN OUTLINETEACHER: Mike Woods
SCHOOL DISTRICT: Corry Area School District
LESSON SUBJECT: The Declaration of Independence
GRADE LEVEL: 9th
TEACHING TIME: One class period
LESSON OBJECTIVES
BIG IDEAS: The major goals of the Declaration of Independence. Significant ideas did the
Declaration of Independence illustrate that were later mirrored in the U.S. Constitution
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: What were the goals of the Declaration of Independence? What
significant ideas in the Declaration of Independence were later illustrated in the U.S. Constitution?
PA STATE STANDARDS: 5.1.9 E Analyze the basic documents shaping the United States of
America (Declaration of Independence)
STUDENTS WILL KNOW…
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO…
The major goals of the Declaration of
Independence
The philosophies of John Locke, the English Bill
of Rights, and other
Identify and then create a persuasive poster
illustrating a particular component of the
Declaration (i.e. a particular crime mentioned by
name in the Declaration)
Write a newspaper article detailing Tom
Jefferson and the major goals of the Declaration
of Independence
PROCEDURAL SUMMARY
MATERIALS: copies of the U.S. Constitution and copies of the Declaration of Independence,
computers with Microsoft Publisher, poster board, markers, rulers
ANTICIPATORY SET: Read a current news head line from the local paper. Discuss how starting a
new government would rate as far as importance in the news? Ask students to discuss news that
would be bigger in scope. (Point being it was a tremendously important news story) Explain to the
students that they will be pretending they are a reporter for the Boston Globe in July 1776 and have
been assigned the important job of writing an article on the Declaration and creating a poster to
accompany the article
ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE:
Review the Preamble of the Constitution, have students break down the goals of the Constitution
and write them on the board. Have students keep those in mind as the class breaks down Thomas
Jefferson’s Declaration.
PROCEDURE:
1. Anticipatory Set
2. Activating Prior Knowledge
3. Create a list of vocabulary words in the Declaration and explain meanings to increase
comprehension
4. Spirit read the Declaration of Independence
5. Have students identify the various components: (announcement of separation, philosophical
justification for separation, and offenses by the King as pragmatic justification for separation)
6. Students write news articles and create posters
7. Students present articles and posters
8. Closure Activity
CLOSURE ACTIVITY:
Have students create a comparison chart, comparing the goals of the preamble and the
statements in the Declaration that support those goals. Ask students: Does the Declaration
influence the Constitution and if so, how? What statements in the Declaration appear to emphasize
the goals stated in the Constitutional preamble.