The Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is an important document in our nation's history. But, it's also a document that's filled with complex language and concepts that can be difficult to understand at first. One smart thing that historians do when they encounter difficult information is to try to find easier resources that help them understand the tricky document. Today, we'll explore the Declaration of Independence, using many resources that are available to anyone with access to a computer and the internet. As you explore each resource, consider what you are learning about the Declaration of Independence that you didn't know before.

1. Talk with your partner: What do you already know about the Declaration of Independence? Consider everything you learned at Independence Hall and at Constitution Center.

2. Read this article from Scholastic News about the Declaration of Independence. Stop along the way to talk with your partner about what you are learning. If you find something confusing and your partner can't help you, jot it down in your notebook.

3. Watch this BrainPop video about the Declaration of Independence. Log in using the password Katie puts on the board.

4. Read this version of the Declaration of Independence that is written in more friendly language. If you come to a tricky word, work through it with your partner, reading the sentences around it to try to make sense of the word.

Talk with your partner: What ideas do you have about the Declaration of Independence now? How did studying all these different texts help you learn more about the Declaration of Independence?

5. Type a long comment in the blog: What ideas do you have about the Declaration of Independence now? What did it say (in your own words)?

6. If you have time, look at a response that the colonists had to the Declaration of Independence. This image is titled "The Destruction of the Statue of King George III in Bowling Green" in New York City. With your partner, become one of the characters in the scene. Say first what the characters are thinking internally and a bit of their dialogue. Type a conversation with your partner that the characters in the painting are having. Include what you know about the Declaration of Independence in the conversation. Post your conversation in the comment section of the blog!

American Revolution Touchstone Text

Our American Revolution study launched today, and we watched this short video which gave us a brief sense of what we'll be learning about over the course of the unit. We found it fascinating to watch the images AND to listen to the music, which we felt really reflected the tension and conflict during the American Revolution. We'll be coming back to this video again and again during our study.

What are your thoughts after seeing the images and listening to the music? What questions do you have about the American Revolution?

Patience Wright: Storytelling

Today we heard the story of Patience Wright, an American sculptor  who later became a spy during the Revolutionary War! Tonight, we'll each be storytelling her story to someone at home. We prepared for this work by meeting in Storytelling Clubs at school and practicing her story. Here are some snippets from our work at school!

Did you hear the story of Patience Wright? What did you learn about her life or about the lives of women in Colonial America? 

Colonial Signs: Finished!

This week, we put the finishing touches on our signs from Colonial America! We added details using markers, colored pencils and crayons. Our signs turned out beautifully!

Visit the hallway outside the classroom to see these signs in person and to view all the other signs made by students in our class!

Tasting Colonial Treats

On Monday, we divided into social studies book clubs where we'll be studying different topics from the colonial times. Our book clubs range from freedom of religion to slavery. One book club is studying food and gardening in colonial times. Inspired by what she read on Monday, Leela recreated a colonial recipe for butternut squash. She brought enough into the classroom for us all to try on Tuesday. It was delicious!

Dear America Contest Entries!

Our entries for the 5th National Dear America Student Writing Contest have been mailed out! Students interested in participating chose five entries from their Plymouth journals to submit to the contest. Our entries will be up against other entries from third through seventh graders around the country!

We'll find out how we did on April 29th! 

Peter Stuyvesant: Political Cartoons

In social studies this week, we learned about political cartoons, cartoons that give an artist's opinion about something that is happening in the world. We studied several political cartoons from Colonial America, considering what the artist of the cartoon might have thought of the subject. Then, we created our own political cartoons about Peter Stuyvesant. Some of our cartoons were in support of Peter Stuyvesant and his policies, and some were against him. We presented our political cartoons to the class and explained how they showed our feelings. Here are some pictures of our presentations and of the cartoons up close. 

What did you learn about Peter Stuyvesant from viewing these cartoons? How do students in the class feel about him? How can you tell? 

Family Friday: Signs from Colonial America

It was great to see so many of you in the classroom on Friday for Family Friday! This month, we created art related to Colonial America. Each student chose an occupation from Colonial America that they were interested in and read up about the job. Then, working with families in the room and friends, students created their own signs just like those that would have lined a street in Colonial America. Our signs all include images because a significant part of the population was illiterate at the time.

Enjoy some pictures of our time painting!

Here are a few samples of our signs. We still have some finishing touches to put on the signs, so we'll update again when they are finished. Enjoy!

Valentine's Day Cupcake Service Project

Today, we participated in an exciting service project for Craig's Kitchen, a soup kitchen in Greenpoint. As members of the Dessert Corps, we decorated homemade cupcakes for a Valentine's Day meal at the soup kitchen. Katie dropped off the cupcakes after school today, and the group was so excited to learn that a school was taking part in their project. Listen to some of our thoughts behind why this was an important project to take part in!

Thank you so much to everyone who sent in supplies and who baked cupcakes! You truly made our service project a success!

The Thirteen Original Colonies: A Mini-Lecture!

Our study of Colonial America began last week! This week, we learned about the Thirteen Original Colonies, particularly about the different regions that the colonies were broken up into. The students gave each other mini-lectures about the colonies based on what they learned in class. Here, one student gives part of their mini-lecture (the introduction and the New England Colonies). Enjoy!

Ask a student from our class to give you their Thirteen Original Colonies mini-lecture! What did you learn about the different regions? 

Plymouth Murals--They're Complete!

Our Plymouth murals are complete and beautiful! Read the blog entry by Allie, Bria and Ellis to find out more information about the process we went through to create the murals! Click on the images to enlarge them, or attend our Plymouth Celebration on Friday at 8:40 a.m.!

Life in Plymouth

The Artists of "Life in Plymouth" 

The Mayflower Compact

The Artists of "The Mayflower Compact"

Wampanoag Village 

The Artists of "Wampanoag Village"

The First Thanksgiving

The Artists of "The First Thanksgiving"

The First Encounter (with the Wampanoag)

Artists of "The First Encounter"

Landing in the New World

The Artists of "Landing in the New World"

Journey of the Mayflower

The Artists of "Journey of the Mayflower"