Hear the British Grenadiers		Hear Yankee Doodle

 

 

 

 

Rats!  You've just been grounded by your mother.  As you sit on your bed you think about how unfair this is. Your friends had dared you to rip up your report card after you saw the "D" in American History.  Why do I have to know all that stuff about those boring Patriots and Loyalists?  It all happened so long ago.   Who cares?  I hate being told what I have to do!  Still angry you fling your history book across the room.  To your surprise, it stops in mid-air, opens and you are suddenly magically transported out of your room.  Somewhat dazed you find yourself in what appears to be a very old newspaper office.  "Wonderful!" a voice bellows from behind the ancient press.  "You must be the new reporter.   There is much work to be done."   Staring into your eyes he says, "Will our newspaper encourage support for the King, or cry for revolution against him?"

  Drum brings you to the top of the page

Using the Reporter's Notebook, you and your team will need to gather information on one of the events leading to the War of Independence from England.  You will work together to design a Newspaper Poster for a classroom timeline that correctly states the Patriot AND Loyalist points of view. You will need to prepare persuasive arguments both Loyalist and Patriot. You will present your Newspaper to the class and members of the team will try to convince the audience to support their point of view.

• First, you will be assigned to a team. An event will be chosen by your teacher to research.

• Next print out a copy of the Reporter's Notebook Work Sheet.

• Your team will need to decide how to divide the research.

• Use the Internet and print resources provided to learn about your event. Take notes using your own words. Cite your references on the Works Cited sheet

• When your teacher has checked your facts, work together in creating a Newspaper Poster for the Class Timeline. Then you must prepare your arguments for the Loyalist and Patriot editorials.

• Sugar Act

• Stamp Act

• Townshend Acts

• Boston Massacre

• Tea Act and Boston Tea Party

• Coercive (Intolerable) Acts

• First Continental Congress

• Battle of Lexington and Concord

• Second Continental Congress

• Battle of Bunker/Breeds Hill

Each team will design a newspaper poster on one event for the timeline and present it to the class. The following Performance Task List may be used as an assessment tool.

Poster Task List

Essential Learnings:

• People can be persuaded to go to war or to refuse to go to war.
• Making a decision is a responsible process.
• Decisions have consequences.

Students will have a better understanding of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and the effect that strong opinions had on colonial society. Is it difficult to "take sides" when you don't know what the outcome will be. They will act on what they think is best for their country and be able to defend their position with factual and persuasive arguments. Many events leading to the Revolutionary War can be viewed from two different sides.
 

Updated April 21, 2003