Lesson Plan

Declaration of Independence

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This Declaration of Independence lesson plan also includes:

Scholars work in pairs to decide whether leaders wrote the Declaration of Independence for the rich and powerful or for every man. To draw their conclusion, pairs read excerpts from two historians and complete a graphic organizer citing textual evidence. They write the preamble in their own words then examine specific points of the source. A whole-class discussion closes the lesson with a reflection.  

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CCSS: Adaptable
Instructional Ideas
  • Save paper—make pairs one copy of the Historian's Interpretation worksheet to share
  • Recreate the graphic organizer on chart paper, fill it in as a class, writing responses in different color marker 
  • Post discussion questions on a classroom blog, direct pupils to answer each question and reply to at least one peer to keep the digital discussion going 
Classroom Considerations
  • Requires several copies
  • Participants should be familiar with the Declaration of Independence 
Pros
  • The lesson plan is written in detail 
  • Includes two levels of worksheets based on reading level 
Cons
  • None