The Secret of Sarah Revere--Lesson Plan

Page history last edited by Lorna Hammer 17 years, 8 months ago

Lesson Plan

Name:

Lorna Hammer Date: 10/10/08

Grade Level: 5-7 (For fifth graders I would recommend having the teacher read the book aloud to the class.)

Subject: Revolutionary War

Title of Lesson: The Secret of Sarah Revere—Which truth is your truth?

Essential Question: What is truth--and who defines it?

Length of Lesson: 5 days, 50-minute sessions. (Most of these activities are intended to follow the completion of the novel by Ann Rinaldi. However, some activities should be completed throughout the reading, see The Secret of Sarah Revere--Reading for Understanding.

Minnesota Social Studies Standards:

Grades 4-8. US History:

I. D. Political Unrest and the American Revolution 1763- mid-1791;

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution.

IV.A Concepts of Time;

The student will demonstrate chronological thinking.

IV.B Historical Resources;

The student will understand that we can learn about the past from different sorts of evidence.

IV.C2 Historical Inquiry

The student will analyze historical evidence and draw conclusions.

Objectives:

(1) Student will identify six Revolutionary War events from an internet timeline source, and add them to a personal chart, which includes an explanation and his/her questions regarding the event, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Timeline Event Chart.

(2) Student will match the significant people involved in the Revolutionary War with their contributions or roles--through playing a game and recording the cards answered correctly along with the contributions. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit--Card Matches Report

(3) Student will compare/contrast different characters' perspectives in The Secret of Sarah Revere, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast--Characters' Responses

(4) Student will create a one-page essay, stating his/her position, but also including another perspective or opposing view, regarding an issue in today's world about which he/she feels strongly, http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/RubricsSelfPE.htm.

This lesson utilizes:

Jing II--a computer tool for demonstration purposes, in this case to fill out the Compare/Contrast worksheet, with a link for students/teachers to learn to use it, too. (The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast).

Dipity--a computer tool which allows the user to create a customized timeline (The Secret of Sarah Revere--Timeline).

Media: a one-hour History Channel film, Revolution, see YouTube video (http://www.spike.com/video/revolution/2729953) and for Amazon pricing www.amazon.com/History-Channel-Presents-Revolution/dp/B000IB0DD0

Primary source and secondary source links with media analysis using Center for Media Literacy's (CML's) five core questions. The Secret of Sarah Revere--CML's Five Core Questions:

· "The Bloody Massacre" (The Secret of Sarah Revere--Paul Revere Boston Massacre Engraving);

· Paul Revere's account, in his own words, of his famous ride (www.americanrevolution.org/revere.html,)

· "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" poetry.eserver.org/paul-revere.html

Cooperative Learning:

· Computer research on significant people (The Secret of Sarah Revere--Significant People);

· Computer research on Revolutionary event timeline The Secret of Sarah Revere--Timeline;

· Comparison/contrast activity, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast--Characters' Responses

· Group game--matching significant people with their contributions. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit Instructions

Materials Needed/Preparation:

Two lanterns.
Handouts:

· "CML's Five Core Questions" handout --two copies per student. (The Secret of Sarah Revere--CML's Five Core Questions) These questions are from www.medialit.org.

· "Compare and Contrast" handout--two copies per student. (The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast). (This chart is an adaptation of one from www.teach-nology.com.)

· Group assessment rubric--two copies per student for groups with two people--three copies per person for groups with three people. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Rubric. To customize your own rubric with this format go to: http://edweb.sdsu.edu/triton/july/rubrics/Rubric_Template.html

· Assessment rubric for persuasive essay--one copy per student: http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/RubricsSelfPE.htm.

· One list of significant people and corresponding websites, cut into strips to be handed out to students. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Significant People

Cards will be created by the students using the following card pattern, blank cards with words-1.doc.
Please see additional material list required for the Word Pursuit Game, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit Instructions

(Optional) Throughout the anticipatory set, many visual representations, printed on cardstock, could be held up in front of the class when the words in bold are spoken. Clip art for anticipatory set.doc

· Rainbow representing "true colors" image.

· "Line in the sand" image.

· "Sitting on the fence" image.

· Thumbs up, thumbs down image

· Ranges of black/white/gray image.

· Light bulb lit up and light switch images.

· Which way? Left or right image

· Question mark for "whose truth?"

Please see separate list of materials for the Word Pursuit Game, which can also be adapted to many other lessons. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit Instructions

Anticipatory Set/Motivation/Snappy Launch:

The teacher will hold up a lantern, saying, "one if by land," and then light the lantern. Bringing a second lantern out, teacher will say, "two if by sea," and also light it.

Teacher explains something to the following effect, as he/she holds up the pre-printed images corresponding to the bolded words in the paragraphs below.)

This is the code that Paul Revere and Joseph Warren use to signal the mode of the British's transportation as they come to conquer the ammunition stockpile—one lantern is lit if they are coming by foot or two if they are coming by boat.

A message is being sent. We all send messages every day in our lives, whether intentional or not. Perhaps, most of the time, the content of our message is a very natural extension of our thoughts and feelings—unique to us alone, very personal--our “true colors,” freely expressed and without much risk. (Hold up a picture of a rainbow.)

However, in times of change and revolutionary ideas, we are often asked to choose between two sides, and to make a statement or declaration of our views. Maybe someone has drawn a line in the sand that we feel we must cross, or maybe we are simply asked to come off of a fence that we've been comfortably resting on.

Do you like to vote “yes” or “no” to new ideas or are you more of a “maybe,” “kind of,”or “it depends” person? Some people see the world with less defined borders of black and white--seeing more gray. Sometimes this is exactly what our world needs. Other times decisive action is needed.

Back to our light analogy--sometimes we might get "turned off" to a new idea (flip the light switch off); or other times we might become all "lit up" about it (flip the light switch back on). What happens if we are neither? (Flip the light switch half way--stopping between off and on.) By not choosing, we've actually voted "no"--to do nothing--sometimes it leaves us in the dark. Still, other times, we may find ourselves choosing the middle, neutral ground, because neither of the two options feels right, or maybe they both do. Will we move to the left or to the right, or will we stay on neutral ground?

In The Secret of Sarah Revere, Sarah’s older sister is quick and sure of her choices, but Sarah seems less sure. How about you? If you had lived during the Revolutionary War, who would you have been most likely to hang around with? The Patriots? The Loyalists? Or those who remained neutral? How do you feel about your answer? Whose truth would have been closer to your truth?

1st Day:

Large group discussion and instruction on: Center for Media Literacy's (CML's) Five Core Questions (The Secret of Sarah Revere--CML's Five Core Questions) and Compare/Contrast critical thinking handout, (The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast).

Quick introduction and preview of week-long media items to be assessed using CML questions and Compare/Contrast worksheet:

· Ann Rinaldi's novel, The Secret of Sarah Revere;

· the History Channel documentary, The Secret of Sarah Revere--The History Channel Film--The Revolution,

· the "Bloody Massacre" engraving, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Paul Revere Boston Massacre Engraving;

· the "Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" poetry.eserver.org/paul-revere.; and

· Paul Revere's own account of the ride turned famous www.americanrevolution.org/revere.html.

For the remainder of class time on Day 1, teacher will lead a large group discussion regarding The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast--Characters' Responses. Periodically the teacher will have the students discuss the question with the person next to them, before reporting to the whole class. Homework assignment will be for students to pick one of the three attributes and write a paragraph comparing two characters' responses in the story.

Day 2:

Students will be assigned to research groups of 2-3 students each, based on reading ability. Teacher will hand out and explain the rubric so that students understand the teacher's expectations for this group work. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Rubric. Day 2 will focus on The Secret of Sarah Revere--Significant People, during which time, two or three decks of cards will be created along with each student's checklist of information (words, definitions and usages) found on these cards, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit--Card Matches Report

For the last half-hour of day 2, the class will play a game to match the significant people with their contributions. The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit Instructions. Use the following form, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit--Card Matches Report, as both an aide in playing the game and a record of game activity, for assessment purposes.

3rd Day:

In the same groups as the previous day, students will complete the next research activity, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Timeline. At the end, each student will fill out two teamwork assessment rubrics, one will be a self-assessment and one will be for the team members' assessments, over the last two days, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Rubric.

4th Day:

Students will watch the History Channel film, The Revolution, The Secret of Sarah Revere--The History Channel Film--The Revolution, Before the film, the teacher will briefly go over the CML's Five Core Questions, The Secret of Sarah Revere--CML's Five Core Questions. After watching the film students will complete this sheet as homework.

5th Day:

Discuss the "The Bloody Massacre," by Paul Revere after viewing The Secret of Sarah Revere--Paul Revere Boston Massacre Engraving;

Read a little of the poem, the "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," and compare it to the actual account of the ride given my Paul Revere. See mini-lesson, The Secret of Sarah Revere--The Ride.

Homework Assignment: Each student will write a one-page persuasive essay about a topic that he/she feels strongly about. An emphasis should be placed on explaining the perspectives of those who disagree with the student's stance--demonstrating the student's ability to understand multiple view points. See rubric: http://www.pz.harvard.edu/Research/RubricsSelfPE.htm.

If there is time available, students may, again, play the Word Pursuit Game, The Secret of Sarah Revere--Game--Word Pursuit Instructions.

Would you like to go to:

The Secret of Sarah Revere

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Reading for Understanding

The Secret of Sarah Revere--CML's Five Core Questions

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Significant People

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Timeline

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Timeline Event Chart

The Secret of Sarah Revere--The History Channel Film--The Revolution

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Compare and Contrast--Characters' Responses

The Secret of Sarah Revere--Paul Revere Boston Massacre Engraving