Unit Plan Overview

Unit:

The Road to Revolution

Connections to Context:
I will have the students compare and
contrast the Cesar Chavez workers rights
movement to the Revolution (using the
background of the school).
I will have the students relate the tensions
and feelings of the colonists and Great
Britain to those of revolutionaries in
modern day world (particularly, Egypt,
Syria, and Ukraine).

(How does this fit with students experiences, the school

goals, and the larger societal issues?)

Established Goals
Michigan Academic Standards for Social Studies:
5-U3.1.1: Describe the role of the French and
Indian War, how British policy toward the
colonies in America changed from 1763 to 1775,
and colonial dissatisfaction with the new policy.
5-U3.1.2: Describe the causes and effects of
events such as the Stamp Act, Boston Tea Party,
the Intolerable Acts, and the Boston Massacre
5-U3.1.3: Using an event from the Revolutionary
era, explain how British and colonial views on
authority and the use of power without
authority differed.
5-U3.1.4: Describe the role of the First and
Second Continental Congress in unifying the
colonies
5-U3.1.6: Identify the role that key individuals
played in leading the colonists to revolution
including G. Washington, T. Jefferson, B.
Franklin, P. Henry, S. Adams, J. Adams, and T.
Paine.

Teacher: Ms. VanDyken

Stage 1- Desired Results
Transfer
Students will be able to independently use their learning to
Describe the role of the events leading up to the American Revolution in U.S. history and distinguish them as
relevant and meaningful parts.
Connect current issues to values and attitudes that were involved in the American Revolution
Read across content areas
Understand the different perspectives involved in revolutions
Apply concepts from history to current events, and understand what events in history do to shape the way the world
is today.
(What kinds of long-term independent accomplishments are desired?)

UNDERSTANDINGS
Students will understand that
Colonists from different regions joined
together to form an independent nation
There was a large economic and political
impact on the relationship between the
colonies and Great Britain
There were many events that led to the
Revolutionary War
Colonists were unhappy with British rule
after the French and Indian War for many
reasons (tax acts, treatment, etc.)
The Sugar, Stamp, Quartering, and
Intolerable Acts were major factors in the
colonists discontent.

Meaning
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Students will keep considering
What were the driving forces behind the revolution?
What are some reactions to resistance? Why didnt Great
Britain want to let them go?
How did these actions shape our nation to be the way it is
today?
What are some driving forces behind revolutions? What are
some feelings and emotions that people have when they
want to start a revolution?

(What thought-provoking questions will foster inquiry, meaningmaking and transfer?)

(What specically do you want students to understand?

What inferences should they make?)

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

5-U3.1.8: Identify a problem confronting people

in the colonies, identify alternative choices for
addressing the problem with possible
consequences, and describe the course of action
taken.

Acquisition of Knowledge, Skill and Values/Commitments/Dispositions

Cognitive Objectives:
Common Core:
CommonCoreStateStandards

5RI.1:
Quoteaccuratelyfromatextwhenexplaining
whatthetextsaysexplicitlyandwhendrawinginferences
fromthetext.

5RI.3:
Explaintherelationshipsorinteractionsbetween
twoormoreindividuals,events,ideas,orconceptsina
historical,scientific,ortechnicaltextbasedonspecific
informationinthetext

5RI.4:
Determinethemeaningofgeneralacademicand
domainspecificwordsandphrasesinatextrelevanttoa
grade5topicorsubjectarea.

5RI.6:
Analyzemultipleaccountsofthesameeventor
topic,notingimportantsimilaritiesanddifferenceinthe
pointofviewtheyrepresent.

5RI.7:
Drawoninformationfrommultipleprintordigital
sources,demonstratingtheabilitytolocateananswertoa
questionquicklyortosolveaproblemefficiently

5RI.9: Integrateinformationfromseveraltextsonthe
sametopicinordertowriteorspeakaboutthesubject
knowledgeably.
5RF.3:
Knowandapplygradelevelphonicsandword
analysisskillsindecodingwords.
a. Usecombinedknowledgeofalllettersound
correspondences,syllabicationpatterns,and
morphology(e.g.,rootsandaffixes)toread
accuratelyunfamiliarmultisyllabicwordsin
contextandoutofcontext.7

5RF.4:
Readwithsufficientaccuracyandfluencyto
supportcomprehension.Usecontexttoconfirmor

Physical Development
Objectives

Students will be able to:

Socio-emotional Objectives
Students will be able to:

Students will be able to:

Lesson 1:
Define what a revolution is
Understand what is involved in a
revolution
Applyelementsofmodernrevolutionsto
predictwhatmighthavecausedthe
AmericanRevolution
Workwithapartnertodiscussquestions

Lesson2:

DefinetheFrenchandIndianWarand
recognizekeyfiguresandcomponents
(TreatyofParis,Proclamationof1763,
GeorgeWashington,BenFranklin,The
AlbanyPlanofUnion,FortNecessity,The
OhioRiverValley)
Understandwhattheforceswerethatledup
totheFrenchandIndianWar
Summarizetheeventsthathappened
surroundingtheFrenchandIndianWar
Analyzeamapandmakeinferencesabout
whatitsays

Lesson3:
IdentifyProclamationof1763,KingGeorge,
Pontiac&hisrebellion,GeneralBraddock,
TreatyofParis

Overall:
Write about different
topics relating to the
American Revolution

Read through texts or

readers theaters to gain
a deeper understanding
of a topic

Lessons 1 - 5:
Workwithapartnertodiscuss
questionspresentedbythe
teacher.

Overall:
Work with a partner or a small
group on an activity or project
that is in the unit plan.

Analyze the feelings and

attitudes of the colonists while
they were resisting British rule

Analyze the feelings and

attitudes of the British as they
were trying to prevent their
colonies from losing control
and rebelling.

(What discrete skills and

processes should students be
able to use?)

(What values and commitments and

attitudes should students acquire or
wrestle with?)

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

selfcorrectwordrecognitionandunderstanding,rereading
asnecessary.
5W.1:
Writeopinionpiecesontopicsortexts,
supportingapointofviewwithreasonsandinformation.
a.Introduceatopicortextclearly,stateanopinion,
andcreateanorganizationalstructureinwhich
ideasarelogicallygroupedtosupportthewriters
purpose.
b.Providelogicallyorderedreasonsthatare
supportedbyfactsanddetails
c.Linkopinionandreasonsusingwordsandphrases
andclauses(e.g.,consequently,specifically
d..Provideaconcludingstatementorsectionrelated
totheopinionpresented.

5W.4:
Produceclearandcoherentwritinginwhichthe
developmentandorganizationareappropriatetotask,
purpose,andaudience.
5SL.1:
Engageeffectivelyinarangeofcollaborative
discussions(oneonone,ingroups,andteacherled)with
diversepartnersongrade5topicsandtexts,buildingon
othersideasandexpressingtheirownclearly.
(What content standards and program- or
mission-related goal(s) will the unit address?
What habits of mind and cross-disciplinary goal(s)- for
st
example 21
century skills, core competencies- will this
unit address?
Include source and identifying number)

Evaluateandcomparewhatdifferentgroups
feelaboutactionsthattookplaceintheOhio
RiverValley.
Understandpowerandauthoritybycoming
upwithexamplesandrecognizinguses.

Lesson4:
Understandwhatpowerandauthorityare
andhowtheBritishgovernment
demonstratedthat.
IdentifySamuelAdams,JamesOtis,Patrick
Henry,WritsofAssistance,
Stamp/Sugar/QuarteringActs.
Evaluatethecolonistsresponsestotheacts.
CreatealettertotheBritishgovernmentthat
showshowmanyofthecolonistsfeltabout
theacts.
Workwithapartnertodiscussideasabout
questionsasked.

Lesson5:
Identifymajorevents,terms,andcharacters:
SamuelAdams,BenjaminFranklin,
CommitteesofCorrespondence,actionand
reaction,CharlesTownshend,etc.
Understandhowtherewereactionsofthe
Britishthatthecolonistsreactedto,andthe
Britishreactedtothecolonistsreactions
Readthroughareaderstheateraboutthe
events,andseehowtheyfellintoplace
Discussthewaythingsweregoinginthe
colonies,andhowtheBritishandcolonists
felt
Createanactionreactionchartaboutthe
colonistsandBritain.

(What facts and basic concepts should students

know and be
able to recall?)

Stage 2- Evidence
Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)
The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

Evaluative Criteria

Rubric that is in use on the Actions/Reactions paper Lesson 5:

Excellent -
Eachboxhaseitheradescriptionorapicture
withawrittenexplanationunderneath.Thedescription
showsthatyouunderstoodthereactionsofthecolonistsand
theBritish.
GoodMostboxesarefilledwithapictureorexplanation.
Someboxeshaveexplanationsthatcouldusemoredetailsto
showunderstanding.
FairThedescriptionsmayneedtohavemoredetails,orthe
picturesshouldhaveclearerexplanations.Someoftheboxes
maynotbecompleted.Therewasnotmucheffortputin.
PoorThedescriptionsdonotshowanunderstandingofthe
reactions,andthepicturesdonotmatchtheevents.Someof
theboxesmaynotbecompleted.Therewasnotmucheffort
putin.

ChecklistforSTUDENTSLesson2:

ChecklistfortheNewspaperArticle:
Putacheckmarkintheblankifyoucompletedthetask.
1. ________Iincludedmynameonthetopof
thepaper.
2. ________Iusedsomeofthewordslistedto
helpmethinkofideas.
3. ________Iwrotedownatleast3important
eventsthathappenedintheFrenchandIndian
War.
4. ________Iwrotedownatleast2peoplewho
wereinvolvedintheeventssurroundingthe
FrenchandIndianWar.
5. ________Iwroteincompletesentencesand
usedcorrectspellingandpunctuation.

ChecklistforSTUDENTSLesson4:
LettertoKingGeorgeChecklist:
______Iincludedmynameatthetop.

Students will show their learning by

(summative assessment) - how do we know that theyre learning? Know what
they know?
PERFORMANCE TASK(S):
Activities to be done at the end of each daily lesson. These are FORMATIVE assessments that will help me know how
much the students learned from the lesson, and they will be completed after I teach each lesson.
Lesson 1:
Write a paragraph in response to the following prompt: PREDICTION: Now that we know a little more
about revolutions, why do you think the colonists wanted to revolt against England? What do you think they
wanted?
Lesson 2:
Write an article about the French and Indian War as a newspaper journalist.
Lesson 3:
Complete a worksheet analyzing two different maps of North America from two different time periods
Fill out the answers to a review worksheet on the French and Indian War
Lesson 4:
Write a letter to King George as a colonist protesting one of the tax acts. This will prepare the students for
writing paragraphs with a strong introduction, body, and conclusion. It will also help them understand
perspectives and how opinions work.
Lesson 5:
Identify actions and reactions to the colonists responses to the tax acts.
Answering a 5 response question paper about the Boston Massacre - some of the questions are opinion
based while others are factual.
Lesson 6:
The students will research the Boston Massacre in their textbooks and write down that information on their
worksheets. They will be investigators. This will help the students be prepared to gather information and
do research for bigger papers.
The students will make a poster about the Boston Tea Party. They will include information about what
happened in the tea party on the back of the poster (ex. Who, what, when, where, why).
Lesson 7:
The students will do research and investigate the First Continental Congress in addition to discovering the
ways the colonies helped Boston when its port was closed.
Lesson 8:

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

______IchosetheStampAct,QuarteringAct,orThe

The students will work with a small group or a partner to research a famous woman who was involved in
the American Revolution. They will use their textbooks as research sources as well as resources that I
provide them in class (ex. journal entries, newspaper clippings, etc.)

SugarAct.
______Iwroteincompletesentences.
______Idescribedtheactcompletely,usingdetails
fromthelessonorfrommytextbook.
______Iwroteaboutwhatacolonistthoughtwas

Final summative assessment

The students will play a round of Revolution Jeopardy that helps them review for the test.
The students will take a final test covering the unit on the Road to the Revolution.
(How will students demonstrate their understanding- meaning-making and transfer- through complex performance?)

unfairaboutthetax.Iwroteincompletesentences.
______Iwroteaboutwhatanunhappycolonistmay
wanttodoaboutthetax.
______IwroteaboutwhyamemberoftheBritish
governmentthinksthetaxisnecessary.

(Regardless of the format of the assessment, what

qualities are most important?)
Effort is the most important quality that I will be looking
for. I want to make sure that the students did the
assignment to the best of their ability. Completion is
another important quality, and it goes along with effort,
since the students should be completely finishing what I
assigned.

OTHER EVIDENCE:
In addition to the performance tasks, I can
formatively
monitoring students discussions and make note of the
following: which students are participating frequently and seem to understand what were talking about and
which students are not participating. I understand that many of the students in the class dont feel comfortable
participating in group discussion, so I can also tutor them and ask them questions about their homework or
other activities. I want to be respectful, but I also want to push them to step outside of their comfort zones.

I can also monitor what kinds of academic conversations take place in group work or activities. I want to see if
they are using terms, people, or events in those conversations.

I will ask formative questions about items they have read in class to see how much they are comprehending and
what kinds of things I can focus on. I will ask formative questions AS learning that help the students dig deeper
into their thoughts and ideas so that I can see how far they are willing and/or used to thinking about critical
questions.

(What other evidence will you collect to determine whether Stage 1 goals were achieved?

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

Stage 3- Learning Plan

Pre-Assessment:
First of all, I will give a questionnaire that asks students to write as much as they know about key terms (Ex. George Washington, The Boston Tea Party)
and also ask them to write some things that they wonder about the topic they are going to be studying. I will do this about a month before I have to teach
my unit plan so that I can figure out what things my students know and dont know.
Before the start of the first lesson, I will ask students what they already know about the topics that we will be talking about. For example, before we talk
about revolutions, I will ask students what they already know or understand about revolutions. Based on their answers, I will build on or correct and refine
their understanding.
(What pre-assessments will you use to check students prior knowledge, skill levels, and potential misconceptions?)
(Toward which goal does each
Learning Events - this is how we help students get to the learning goals
learning event build?)
Acquisition: (1), (4), (6), (8), (9),
(10), (11),, (13), (14), (15), (17),
(18), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24),
(25), (26), (27), (28), (29), (30).
(33), (34), (36), (37), (39), (40),
(43), (44), (45), (47), (48), (49),
(51), (54)
Meaning: (1), (2), (3), (4), (5),
(7), (10), (11), (12), (15), (16),
(19), (20), (22), (23), (24), (25),
(27), (28), (31), (32), (35), (36),
(38), (41), (42), (45), (46), (52),
(53)
Transfer: (1), (2), (3), (6), (10),
(11), (16), (18), (22), (30), (35),
(36), (41), (50), (54)

Progress Monitoring
(How will you monitor students progress
toward acquisition, meaning, and transfer
during lesson events?) (Formative
Assessment)

Student success at transfer, meaning, and acquisition depends upon their participation in these
learning events
Lesson 1:
1. We will be discussing what a revolution is and thinking about what kinds of things go
into a revolution. I will introduce what a revolution is, and the students will offer their
interpretations. Then, I will give my definition.
2. The students will looking at examples of modern day revolutions (Egypt, Syria,
Ukraine). They will look at pictures and identify what kinds of characteristics define
whats happening.
3. After these revolutions, we will discuss how Cesar Chavez led his own kind of revolution
by working for immigrant farmers rights. This is a connection to their school.
4. Well jump back 250 years to the American Revolution. The students will study two
different maps about the colonies, locate them and England, and talk about the
difficulties England had ruling from far away.
Lesson 2:
5. We will talk about what we learned about revolutions in the previous lesson as a basic
review.
6. I will give the students a timeline that we will be regularly using to record important
people, places, ideas, and events. They will be able to take it back out when they need
to reference it, and it will help them organize their ideas.
7. I will show the students a quote about the French and Indian War, and they will
predict who said it, why they said it, and what they think it was about.
8. We will talk about the life of the colonists in the time before the French and Indian
War, discussing crops, the word loyalists.

I will ask questions during the lesson

progress, monitor discussions, group work,
participation. I will let them know how they
are doing on a worksheet or project and
give them clear expectations.
(How will students monitor their own
progress toward acquisition, meaning, and
transfer?)(Assessment as learning)(rubric?)

I will encourage the students to keep up

with their assignments. I have a rubric of
things that I would like them to complete
for the fifth lesson performance task the
students have to complete.
I will make sure that I am clear with my
expectations.
I will have a checklist for some of the
activities so that the students can
monitor their own work.

(What are potential rough spots and student

misunderstandings?)

This unit has many facts and features

(events, places, people) that the
students probably have never heard

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

9.

The students will read about George Washingtons Fort Necessity and other details
about the war from their textbooks. I will ask comprehension and discussion questions.

Lesson 3:
10. I will model power and authority by using modern day, concrete examples of these
terms (ex. teachers authority, bullys power). We will discuss what power and
authority mean and how they relate to the relationship between the colonies and the
British.
11. We will review what we learned in the last lesson about the French and Indian War:
what were the major events and who were the major characters?
12. The students will listen to a song about the final battle in the French and Indian War,
and they will discuss what the soldiers feel like.
13. The students will read from their books about General Braddock and the British
victory after we discuss it in class. The students will fill out their findings on the note
sheets that they have.
14. The students will read from their books about Pontiacs Rebellion, and then I will ask
them comprehension questions about what they read.
15. We will discuss the Seven Years War, the Treaty of Paris, and the Proclamation of
1763. We will look at the use of power and authority throughout.
Lesson 4:
16. I will pretend to be a queen enforcing all the rules in the classroom, and have the
students think about what they want to do to respond to this situation.
17. The students will be watching a video about the Colonists Protests against the British
tax acts (from the History Channel). I will ask them comprehension questions about it
afterwards.
18. We will talk about the Writs of Assistance in the colonies, the Sugar Act, and the
Quartering Act. The students will put themselves in the colonies shoes and think about
how they would have reacted, but they also think about what Great Britain is feeling
like.
19. I will display a quote from the Prime Minister of England and talk about the reasons
for the British tax acts. The students will think about what a prime minister is and
compare it to the U.S. government. They will talk to a partner about this.
20. We will discuss the phrase No taxation without representation, and its context in the
road to revolution. We will do this as we discuss what the Stamp Act is.
21. The students will think about the reactions of Patrick Henry and start to discover his
role in the road to revolution.

of before, based on my
pre-assessment. I want to make sure
that I review each week so that the
students can remember and build off
of what they learned.
The students also are not used to
having rubrics to help them with
assignments, since they are usually
graded on completion. I will make
sure that I explain exactly what I
expect of them from.
(How will students get the feedback they
need?)

I will return their papers with

comments, but I will also give them
feedback during class when reviewing
answers. If students had particular
trouble with a problem, I will go over
it in detail with the whole class. I also
will invite them to come to me with
questions. While students are
working in class, either by themselves
or with a partner, I will help them by
scaffolding to give them feedback
while they are working.

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

Lesson 5:
22. We will discuss what the words action and reaction mean. The students will discuss
them with a partner, and then they will draw pictures of an action followed by its
reactions after I model some examples.
23. We will review where we left off with the colonies and what was going on with the tax
acts.
24. I will present a slide on imports and ask the students what they think imports are,
giving them a definition afterwards. I will talk about how the colonists BOYCOTTED
British imports.
25. We will discuss what the Committees of Correspondence were and the role they played
in the road to revolution. We will compare the communication then to the simplicity of
communication today.
26. The students will discuss what they think happened at the Stamp Act Congress, which
was a result of the Committees of Correspondence.
27. We will also talk about the British Parliament and compare it to the U.S. government
for further understanding. This is relevant, since we will then talk about how Benjamin
Franklin went to visit Parliament.
28. We will talk about other acts that the British put on the colonists (Declaratory), and
the students will analyze a political cartoon of the colonists response.
29. The students will locate different pieces of information about the Townshend Acts
from their textbooks, write it in their social studies journals, and share their findings
with the class.
30. The students will discuss the Committees of Correspondence Circular letters that were
sent as a reaction from the colonies to the tax acts, voicing their displeasure.
31. The students will read through a readers theater that talks about all of the different
reactions to the British taxes.
Lesson 6:
32. We will review what was going on in the colonies when we last left off.
33. We will go over key vocabulary that is going to be in the lesson.
34. We will talk about the Boston Massacre and the events that caused it. The students will
be investigators and try to find out as much as they can about the massacre using the
resources that they have (ex. textbooks).
35. After the students are done investigating in groups of 4 or 5, they will present their
findings on the Elmo projector.
36. Show two pictures on the Powerpoint of the Boston massacre and have the students try
to determine the differences. One of them is from a colonists perspective, and the other
is from the Britishs perspective.

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

37. The students will discuss the Boston Tea Party. They will discuss the picture I had on the
preassessment of the tea party. We will also discuss the reasons Great Britain issued
the act.
38. I will show a clip of the tea party from Libertys Kids. We will discuss characters
involved and what happened.
39. We will discuss the British response to the Boston Tea Party.
40. Well talk about the Intolerable Acts, and Ill explain some of the things that happened
revolving around those acts.
41. The students will make a poster about the Boston Tea Party, showing what happened
on one side, and explaining what happened on the other side.
Lesson 7:
42. We will review what was going on in Boston with the Massacre, Boston Tea Party, and
Intolerable Acts.
43. The students will research in their books to find out more about what happened after
the Intolerable Acts, and they will fill out a sheet of questions about the First Continental
Congress.
44. The students will look at a slideshow of the First Continental Congress. We will talk
about who was involved and what happened. (ex. Samuel Adams, Declaration of
Resolves)
45. We will discuss Patrick Henrys quote Give me liberty, or give me death! We will talk
about who he was and how he was involved in the First Continental Congress.
46. I will show the students a video clip from Libertys Kids on Patrick Henrys speech.
Lesson 8:
47. We will begin by reviewing what happened last time - Patrick Henrys speech, the First
Continental Congress, etc. I will also pull out facts and concepts from a long time ago
(ex. Tax acts, French and Indian War, etc.)
48. We will talk about how some of the colonists were preparing for a battle. We will
discuss key vocabulary terms (ex. militia, minutemen).
49. The students will research in their books to find out information about Paul Revere and
where he traveled.
50. We will discuss the poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.
51. The students will learn about the battle at Lexington and Concord. I will share key facts
about what happened there.
52. I will ask the students what they think about the phrase, Shot heard round the world,
and what it means.
53. I will show the students a video clip from Libertys Kids about the shot heard round the
world.
Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)
The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum

54. The students will research a women who played a great role in the revolution (Abigail
Adams, Phyllis Wheatley, Mercy Otis Warren) using their books, extra resources that I
provide, etc.)

(Have you included multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and
expression, and multiple means of engagement?)
(Are all three types of goals (acquisition, meaning, and transfer) addressed in the learning
plan?)
(Does the learning plan reflect principles of learning and best practices?)
(Is there tight alignment with Stages 1 and 2?)

Based on Wiggins and McTighe (2011)

The Understanding by Design Guide to Creating High-Quality Units
and Van Brummelen (2002)
Steppingstones to Curriculum