mpechak


 * DIVERSE TEXT SET ASSIGNMENT**


 * Name: Mark Pechak**


 * Context for using the text set:** The diverse text set provided below was constructed for an 8th grade course in United States History. The goal of this course is to have students identify the historical causes that led to the breakout of the Revolutionary War. These texts were specifically chosen to foster a subjective standpoint as it focuses on sources that will engage a deeper understanding of why the Revolutionary War happened. It aims for students to achieve multiple levels of meaning as to why this war was a matter of when rather than a matter of if.


 * A. Print Resources:**
 * Text #1: The American Revolution: A Concise History**
 * Citation: Allison, R. (2011). //The american revolution: a concise history.// New York, NY//:// Oxford University Press.
 * Text Summary: This text fits perfectly with our coursework goal because it constructs a “straight to the point” analysis on the most important key issues that led to the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. It starts with an exploration of the sugar islands of the West Indies in the Triangle trade and leads up through the earliest battles of the Revolution.
 * Rationale: I chose this book because it’s new but it also lays down a strong and clear foundation for the topics we will discuss in lectures.
 * Use of text: Homework assignments and lecture outlines. The reading level is very accessible which makes text easier to understand for everyone. This is perfect for helping to build background knowledge about the content.
 * Attachment: This is a hard cover text book and it is pretty large.


 * Text #2: Amazing Facts in U.S. History**
 * Citation: Blattner, D. (2001) //Amazing facts in u.s. history//. Columbus, OH: Carson-Dellosa Publishing LLC.
 * Text Summary: This text explores some amazing and unusual facts and folklore about U.S. History, especially in context with Colonial times during the American Revolution.
 * Rationale: The text provides a fun way to discover themes based in the content of what we are studying including explanations and exposure to untrue facts that may be distorted in other texts.
 * Use of text: It is a perfect source of educational entertainment relief for 8th graders after a quiz or test. This book literally tells us about how American Colonists used to clean their chimneys by throwing live chickens down it! I’m sure it will keep them engaged even after vigorous academic work.
 * Attachment: It is a large sized paperback book with over 100 pages.


 * Text #3: The Account of the Boston Massacre: As Reported in the Boston Gazette and Country Journal**
 * Citation: //The account of the boston massacre: as reported in the boston gazette and country journal//. (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2013 from Archiving Early America website, __ [] __
 * Text Summary: A great first-hand account of what Colonists were actually reading at the beginning of the American Revolution.
 * Rationale: This is something that students can connect with because it is still preserved in the exact format that someone from that time would have seen and read. The content is also a critical turning point in American History leading up to the American Revolution.
 * Use of text: Translate and understand the article to help the student form an American perspective on what happened at the Boston Massacre. Then, challenge the student to think about how it may have contrasted with how it read or sounded from a British point of view.
 * Attachment: See website listen above for link to the text.


 * Text #4: The Letters of John and Abigail Adams**
 * Citation: Adams, A., & Adams, J., & Shuffelton, F. (2003). //The letters of john and abigail adams//. London, UK: Penguin.
 * Text Summary: First-hand accounts that provide insight on what American life was like leading up to and during the Revolutionary War.
 * Rationale: These letters reveal the concerns of a couple living during a period of explosive change, from smallpox and British warships to paying taxes, the state of women, and the emerging concepts of American democracy. All of its content is relevant to the breakout of the war.
 * Use of text: Read certain letters to discover first person perspectives on why the war broke out. Read from the voice of two historical Revolutionary War figures.
 * Attachment: This book was over 200 pages so I did not include it here.


 * Text #5: Common Sense by Thomas Paine**
 * Citation: Vitale, D. (1996-2010). //Common sense by thomas paine//. Retrieved March 25th, 2013 from __ [] __
 * Text Summary: This pamphlet is a perfect example of Pre-war propaganda that was utilized by pro-war revolutionaries to rally troops in support of their cause.
 * Rationale: A perfect example of literature used to provoke the war.
 * Use of text: To give a brief overview of the pamphlet and to reveal some of the most vital reasons why American’s decided to go to war with Britain.
 * Attachment: Text is included in the link.


 * B. Media Resources**


 * Text #6: Passage Minute- Join or Die**
 * Citation: mountainlakepbs (December 17, 2009). Passage Minute- Join or Die. Retrieved March 25th, 2013 from __ [] __
 * Text Summary: This is a great Youtube video that explains Bejamin Franklin’s “Join or Die” cartoon, recognized as America’s first political cartoon.
 * Rationale: This is a short film that won’t take up much class time and it will be perfect for all of the visual learners. The cartoon is something they may have even seen before because it’s a popular image. This will help activate prior knowledge.
 * Use of text: Show in class before lecture to help set up for a good discussion on how American’s were thinking in 1774 two years before the Declaration of Independence. Ask about how and why this went viral during a time before the internet.
 * Attachment: Link to the video is listed above.


 * Text #7: America The Story of Us**
 * Citation: //American revolution.// (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2013, from The History Channel website __ [] __.
 * Text Summary: Part of a Television series that delves into factors behind British Taxation put on the Colonies and how it rallied the colonists to fight their oppressors.
 * Rationale: It’s a very current series from the History Channel that students can relate to because they’ve seen it on TV. While at the same time, it also falls perfectly in accordance contextually.
 * Use of text: Show at the end of the day and assign a one page paper explaining two major motives for the colonial rebellion again the British.
 * Attachment: Link to clip is included above.


 * C. Online interactive resources**


 * Text #8: The Road to Revolution Game**
 * Citation: //The road to revolution.// (2003). Retrieved March 25th, 2013, from Liberty! The American Revolution PBS website, __ [] __
 * Text Summary: A fun interactive quiz game that tests your knowledge on facts based off causes for the Revolutionary War.
 * Rationale: It’s an engaging way to activate the student’s prior content knowledge and get them thinking about what they’ve learned.
 * Use of text: Use this as practice before the exam, giving students a more hands on and interactive form of studying and preparing for assessment.
 * Attachment: Link listed above for the quiz game.


 * Text #8: Explore Historic Williamsburg**
 * Citation: //Tour the town.// (n.d.). Retrieved March 25th, 2013, from The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation website, __ [] __
 * Text Summary: An interactive look inside the colony of Williamsburg. Everything is mapped out exactly how it would have been during the Revolutionary War.
 * Rationale: An opportunity to visit the colonial town online. Students get to use computers to virtually explore what they’ve been learning about.
 * Use of text: I would assign this as a homework assignment requiring the students to choose what they think the two most important aspects of the town are from the pin drops located throughout the map.
 * Attachment: See link above for virtual tour.


 * D. Instructional Resources**


 * Text #10: Join the Revolution! American Revolution Lesson Plans and Activities.**
 * Citation: //Join the revolution! american revolution lesson plans and activities.// (n.d.). Retrieved March 25th, 2013, from Education World website, __ [] __
 * Text Summary: Over a dozen different styles of quality activities that track from before the revolution leading up the first battles.
 * Rationale: They provide lots of assistance and tools in terms of how to design interactive activities to keep students engaged with the content.
 * Use of text: This informative site will help me plan activities that go can span beyond lectures and discussions. Diversifying my strategies and teaching styles will help keep learning interesting and engaging.
 * Attachment: Link listed above will bring to list of activities.

The goal behind creating this text set is to create a diverse range of material and sources that can further understanding of why the American Revolution happened. Diversifying the texts and using many different types of learning instruments is designed to help the students achieve multiple levels of meaning. The foundational text is easy to understand and lays down the foundation for the course content. This is great because students won’t have to struggle with remembering the facts needed to foster higher level learning objectives. Sources like the Amazing Facts, Road to Revolution Game and virtual tour will provide students with the opportunity to learn in a more interactive and fun style which is important because it helps prevent them from “burning out” on the density of the subject matter. First-hand accounts like the Boston Massacre news article, Franklin’s political cartoon, Thomas Paine’s pamphlets and the Adam’s letters are great for the students to see because it paints a visual depiction of what it was actually like during the those times. Also, as the students of today’s education system are all members of the Z-Generation the movies and videos will be something they can identify with as a familiar learning tool.
 * Using these texts together in the classroom:**


 * Learning Objectives:**

CCSS RH 6-8.2: Central ideas are explored through primary sources and through these materials they will be able to produce accurate summaries of what’s going/deeper meaning through prior content knowledge.

CCSS RH 6-8.3: The key steps related to the war starting process will certainly be obtained through the diversity of text all aligned to help achieve the common goal of understanding why the Revolutionary War happened.

CCSS RH 6-8.4: Key terms and vocabulary like Taxation, Tariffs, Democracy, etc. will be used throughout all the different texts in the specific ways that they are related to causes of the war.

CCSS RH 6-8.6: Students will be able to identify the aspects in the text that reveal the authors point of view and purposes in the letters from the Adam’s, the messages and tone’s from Franklin’s political satires and the newspaper articles written from colonists perspectives on the Boston Massacre.

CCSS RH 6-8.7: There is tons of visual information throughout the diverse text set.

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CCSS RH 6-8.9: Students will have the opportunity to draw correlations and relationships between what they learned from the text book and what they are reading from primary sources on the same content topics.======