Teaching
American History
For All
A series of lessons incorporating literacy strategies for
Mt Diablo Unified School District
5th, 8th, and 11th grade teachers,
in partnership with
University Of California- Berkeley
History-Social Science Project
5th Grade Lesson: Causes of the American Revolution
“The Tea Act”
Kay Lunine, UCBH-SSP 5th Grade Teacher Leader
Lauren Weaver, MDUSD Grant Coordinator
Revised by Joe Martin, 5th Grade MDUSD Teacher, August 2012
Teaching American History for All
MDUSD/UCB H-SSP
5th Grade Lesson: Causes of the American Revolution “The Tea Act”
Developed by: Kay Lunine and Lauren Weaver
Revised by: Joe Martin
Teaching American History Grant Focus Question:
How did definitions of citizenship change from the 17th century to the 20th century?
5th Grade Yearlong Focus Question:
How did Americans change from being colonial subjects to American citizens?
Unit Focus Question:
How did British policies towards the thirteen colonies lead to the American War for
Independence?
Unit Working Thesis:
Anger over the British policies led most of the colonists to demand representation in
Parliament and protest what they thought of as unfair laws and taxation, which ultimately led
them to push for independence.
Lesson Focus Question/Writing Prompt:
What was the Tea Act and how did the colonists react to it?
Lesson Working Thesis:
Some colonists were so angry about the monopolization and unfair taxation of Tea Act
that they protested by boycotting tea and destroying it.
Reading Strategy:
Sentence Deconstruction Using: “The Boston Tea Party,” Textbook – Harcourt, The
United States: Making a New Nation. Unit 4, The American Revolution, pg. 336.
Writing Activities: 1. Identifying subject nouns and verb phrases. 2. Completing
comprehensions sentences. 3. Final writing prompt on the Tea Act
and the reaction of the colonists.
Suggested Amount of Time:
45 minutes
Textbook:
The United States: Making a New Nation, Reflection Series, Harcourt School Publishers, 2007,
p336
Lesson Plan Procedure:
 Introduction: Ask the students where they like to buy hamburgers. Ask them how they
would feel if the government ordered all restaurants that sell hamburgers to be closed
except for Burger King. So if they wanted a hamburger, they would have to get it from
Burger King .Connect this scenario to the Boston Tea Party. Show primary source
drawings included at the end of this lesson packet and discuss. Ask the students what they
think is happening in the drawing of the men destroying the tea. Then ask them why they
think that someone saved the bottle of tea that is in a museum from the original tea party
event.
 Brief review of British acts leading up to Boston Tea Party. (What have the British done
so far that has caused conflicts with the colonies? Why, after 150 years, are the colonists
becoming angry? THINK/PAIR/SHARE – have students write on back of reading page
what acts/ policies they know.
 Students share -teacher transcribes on transparency followed by a brief discussion to set
the stage.
 Reading Strategy: “The Boston Tea Party,” Textbook – Harcourt, The United States:
Making a New Nation. Unit 4, The American Revolution, pg. 336.
o Read passage as a class. (Teacher will read the paragraph, and students will
participate by saying the words out loud that the teacher leaves out as s/he is
reading the paragraph.)
o Vocabulary: using the first paragraph, students will read passage silently and
underline words they have questions about. Teacher will list and class will clarify
vocabulary.
o Teacher will demonstrate putting two lines under subject nouns and
underlining verb phrases for 2-3 sentences in 2nd copy of reading. Next 2
sentences will be shared practice and last 2 independent.
o Teacher will review the headers on sentence deconstruction sheet and then model
how to complete 1-2 sentences with subjects left out. Note implied subjects.
Students participate by doing 1-2 with teacher and by completing the remainder
with a partner.
o Review the completed sentences, look at actors and who did what.
 Revisit lesson focus question: What were the results of the Tea Act in the American
Colonies? (partner pair/share as oral practice before writing)
 Writing Activity: Using the sentence chart we completed, student will independently
complete the sentence starters.
 Class Discussion - Share answers with partner. Share out- present partner’s idea with the
sentence starter: My partner (give partner’s name) shared with me
that_________________________.
 Lesson Assessment: Have students write a paragraph independently to the prompt: What
was the Tea Act and how did the colonists react to it?
History-Social Science Content Standards:
5.5 Students explain the causes of the American Revolution
Historical and Social Sciences Analysis Skills:
Chronological and Spatial Thinking
1. Students place key events and people of the historical era they are studying in a
chronological sequence and within a spatial context; they interpret time lines.
Historical Interpretation
1. Students summarize the key events of the era they are studying and explain the
historical contexts of those events.
3.
Students identify and interpret the multiple causes and effects of historical events.
Reading/Language Arts Common Core Standards:
RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key
details; summarize the text.
RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text
relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
RF.5.3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. Use
combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology
(e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of
context.
RF.5.4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. Read grade-level text
with purpose and understanding.
W.5.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
L.5.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and
spelling when writing.
L.5.3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Name: ___________________________
Date: ____________________________
Source: “The Boston Tea Party,” Harcourt, The United States:
Making a New Nation. Unit 4, The American Revolution, page 336
Time: December 16, 1773
Place: Boston, Massachusetts
Directions: Draw two lines under the subject nouns and
underline the verb phrases.
In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave Britain’s
East India Company a monopoly on tea. A monopoly is
complete control of a good or service in an area, by either a
person or a group. As a result of this monopoly, only the East
India Company could legally sell tea to the colonies, and it could
sell tea for less than colonial merchants could. This meant that
colonial merchants could not make money in the tea trade. The
British government believed the colonists would choose to buy
the cheaper tea- and pay the tax on it. Instead, many colonists
decided to boycott tea.
Name: ___________________________
Date: ____________________________
TEACHER KEY
Source: “The Boston Tea Party,” Harcourt, The United States:
Making a New Nation. Unit 4, The American Revolution, page 336
Time: December 16, 1773
Place: Boston, Massachusetts
Directions: Draw two lines under the subject nouns and
underline the verb phrases.
In 1773, Parliament passed the Tea Act, which gave Britain’s
East India Company a monopoly on tea. A monopoly is
complete control of a good or service in an area, by either a
person or a group. As a result of this monopoly, only the East
India Company could legally sell tea to the colonies, and it could
sell tea for less than colonial merchants could. This meant that
colonial merchants could not make money in the tea trade. The
British government believed the colonists would choose to buy
the cheaper tea- and pay the tax on it. Instead, many colonists
decided to boycott tea.
NAME____________________________________
The Tea Act
Lesson question: What were the results in the colonies of the Tea Act?
Time
Who (subject)
marker/connector
In 1773,
Action
(verb phrase)
passed
Who, What, Where
which
gave
Britain’s East India Company a
monopoly on tea.
is
complete control of a good or
service in an area by a person or a
group.
tea in the colonies
As a result of this
monopoly,
could legally
sell
the Tea Act,
could sell tea
for less than colonial merchants
could.
meant
that colonial merchants could not
make money in the tea trade.
believed
The colonists would choose to
buy the cheaper tea -
and
pay
the tax on it.
Instead
decided
to boycott tea.
and
Questions or conclusions
Did the colonists react in a way different
from what the British expected?
WRITING ACTIVITY
Directions: Students will complete the sentences using their chart as needed.
FOCUS QUESTION: What were the results in the colonies of the Tea Act?
When Parliament passed the Tea Act, it gave ___________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
An East India Company monopoly on tea meant that___________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
As a result, colonial merchants could not________________________________________________________________
because___________________________________________________________________________________________
In the end, the colonists______________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now, choose the best analysis sentence to end the paragraph:
1. The Tea Act encouraged colonists to drink coffee.
2. The response to the Tea Act helped the colonists unite and organize themselves to
rebel against the British.
3. The response to the Tea Act was justified.
4. The colonists stopped drinking tea to protest the Tea Act.
TEACHER KEY
The Tea Act- Sentence Deconstruction Chart
What were the results in the colonies of the Tea Act?
Time
Who (subject)
marker/connector
In 1773,
Parliament
Action
(verb phrase)
passed
Who, What, Where
Questions or conclusions
the Tea Act,
which
(the Tea Act)
gave
Britain’s East India Company a
monopoly on tea.
Parliament is the British
government.
Who controls the East India
Company?
A monopoly
is
only the East
India Tea
company
could legally
sell
complete control of a good or
service in an area by a person or a
group.
tea in the colonies
it
(East India Tea
Company)
could sell tea
for less than colonial merchants
could.
This (monopoly)
meant
that colonial merchants could not
make money in the tea trade.
The British
government
believed
The colonists would choose to buy
the cheaper tea -
and
(colonists)
pay
the tax on it.
Instead
many colonists
decided
to boycott tea.
As a result of this
monopoly,
and
What happens when only one
company controls a good or service?
What does it mean that they could
“legally” sell tea?
Why were colonial merchants against
the monopoly?
WRITING ACTIVITY
Directions: Students will complete the sentences using their chart as needed.
FOCUS QUESTION: What were the results of the Tea Act?
When Parliament passed the Tea Act, it gave the East India Company a monopoly on tea.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
An East India Company monopoly on tea meant only it could legally sell tea
and it could sell tea for less that the colonial merchants. _________________________________________________
As a result, colonial merchants could not make money selling tea_________________________________________
because the East India Company could sell it for less._______________________________________________________
In the end, the colonists decided to boycott tea.____________________________________________________
TEACHER NOTES:
Now, choose the best analysis for the above paragraph:
1. The Tea Act encouraged colonists to drink coffee.
[There’s no evidential information to support this claim]
2. The boycott helped the colonists unite and organize themselves to rebel against the British act.
[Best choice; this answer details how the colonists’ reaction to the Tea Act established a united front against the British]
3. The choice to boycott tea was justified.
[Value judgment only; the claim needs to explain more. Ex: The response by the colonists to the Tea Act was justified and it
showed England that the colonists would stand together to rebel against acts or laws they thought were wrong.]
4. The colonists stopped drinking tea to protest the Tea Act.
[restatement of opening and concluding sentence. Students do this quite often. Students think that if they say the same thing in
a different way that is must be analysis]
Name:_________________________________
Date: _________________________________
Lesson Assessment
 Directions: On the lines below, write a paragraph
independently to the prompt: What was the Tea Act and how
did the colonists react to it?
_______________________________
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Boston Tea Party, engraving by W. D. Cooper. From The History of North
America (London, 1789): plate opposite page 58. Courtesy of the Rare
Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress.
The bottle reads: Tea that was gathered up on the shore of Dorchester Neck
in the morning after the destruction of the three cargos at Boston on
December 17, 1773.
Source: Massachusetts Historical Society.