5 Ws of the Declaration by Brittany Kulp

I.

II.
A.

B.

C.

D.

III.
1.

Lesson plan overview and description

1. 1 class period: 45 minutes
2. History
3. Concepts: Gain background knowledge about the Declaration of
Independence, who signed it, and where it was signed in Independence
Hall located in Philadelphia
4. Vocabulary:
a) Independence- freedom from control or influence of another or
others
b) Constitution- a set of rules that guides how a country, state, or
other political organization works
c) Continental Congress- each of the three congresses held by the
American colonies (in 1774, 1775, and 1776, respectively) in
revolt against British rule
5. Skills: Gather information about Declaration of Independence and
completing a who, what, where, when graphic organizer
6. Broad Goals of the Lesson: For students to identify an important
historical document and gain information about the Declaration of
Independence
Content Outline
What is the Declaration of Independence?
a) The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important
documents in the history of the United States.
b) Announced to the world the decision of the thirteen American colonies
to separate themselves from Great Britain
Who wrote it?
a) The Second Continental Congress formed a committee to write the
Declaration but the Committee thought it would be better for only one
man to write the document.
b) Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence
When was it written?
a) Written in 1776
b) On July 2, 1776 the Congress voted to declare independence from
England
c) After two days of debate and some changes to the document, on July
4th, the Congress voted to accept the Declaration of Independence
d) This is why we celebrate July 4th as Independence Day
Where was it written?
a) The writers, or the Continental Congress, met in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania
b) Construction of the Pennsylvania State House, which came to be
known as Independence Hall, began in 1732. It is a symbol of the
nation to come
c) The Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed,
as well
Standards
PDE SAS Standards

a. 8.2.3.B. = 8. History. 2. Pennsylvania History. 3. 3rd Grade. B. Identify

historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to Pennsylvania
history.
b. 8.3.3.B. = 8. History. 3. United States History. 3. 3 rd Grade. B. Identify
historical documents, artifacts, and places critical to United States
history.
2. PDE Common Core Not applicable
3. NCSS Themes and Subthemes
a. V. C. = V. Individuals, Groups, Institutions. C. Identify examples of
institutions and describe the interactions of people within institutions.
b. IX. B. = Global Connections. B. Give examples of conflict, cooperation
and independence among individuals, groups, and nations.
IV.
Lesson Objectives
1. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of key information about
the Declaration of Independence through participation in a read aloud
and group activity.
V.
Teaching Procedures
1. Anticipatory Set/Introduction
a. Begin the lesson by asking students if they understand why we
celebrate the 4th of July, otherwise known as Independence Day. Tell
students that today, they are going to take a closer look at the
Declaration of Independence and imagine that we are back in time,
over 200 years ago, living under the unfair conditions of the king.
b. Show students, on the SmartBoard or projector, a copy of the
Declaration and read to the class the first sentence written on the
document, then explain to students that when the document was
written, over 200 years ago in 1776, the world was very different but in
some ways, things are still the same. Explain to students that the men
that wrote it, including Thomas Jefferson, felt very strongly about
wanting to break ties with England. They felt that they were being
treated unjustly. Can you think of a time when something happened to
you that was just plain unfair? How did it make you feel?
c. Introduce the book The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of
Independence by Judith St. George and Will Hillenbrand, as well as the
vocabulary words. Tell students that they need to pay close attention
because after, we are going to investigate the declaration of
independence like a real historian would.
2. Lesson input
a. The teacher will read the book The Journey of the One and Only
Declaration of Independence to the entire class. Throughout reading,
the teacher will ask questions about the text and ask that students
participate in opportunities to turn and talk to a partner and engage in
think, pair, shares regarding the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why).
b. After reading, students will go back to their seats and the teacher will
instruct students to write down some of the things that they learned or
thought were interesting in the L column of their KWL chart.
c. After completing the KWL activity, the teacher will tell the students
that like all historians do, we should recall some of the things that we
all need to remember during our investigation of the Declaration. The
teacher will ask students to think back on the story that they just
2

heard, or refer to their KWL chart, as they brainstorm ideas on why the
Declaration was written, who wrote it, when it happened, and where it
happened. As students respond, the teacher will record the responses
on a large sheet of paper in the front of the classroom.
d. Students will break off into groups of three or four students. They will
each be given a shortened version of the Declaration containing all of
the information relevant to the lesson and a 5 Ws graphic organizer.
The teacher will refer to the students as historians.
3. Guided Practice
a. Allow 5-10 minutes for the students to read over the revised
Declaration or go over it with them, highlighting the necessary
information. Next, guide the students in completing one of the sections
of the graphic organizer by modeling with a projected version of the
chart on the SmartBoard. The teacher will start with the center circle,
the event, which is the writing of the declaration of independence.
From here, the students will work with their groups to complete the
chart.
b. The teacher will circulate around the room, monitoring progress and
ensuring that students are on-task, filling out the organizer and
discussing with their group members.
4. Independent Practice
a. Upon completion of the chart, each group will be responsible for writing
a summary of what they learned. They will use paper that looks similar
to the paper used in writing the Declaration.
b. They will be asked to sign their names just as the founding fathers did
and turn them in for a completion grade.
5. Differentiation
a. The lesson will be differentiated based on the specific learning and
behavioral needs of the students.
6. Closure
a. Hold a class discussion about the significance of the Declaration of
Independence.
VI.
Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources
Resource Title
or Website
Address

The Journey of
the One and
Only
Declaration of
Independence

Influence:
Significant
Influence (SI)
or
Minor
Influence (MI)
in informing
your thinking,
decisions
about the
lesson plan
SI

3+
Characteristics
suggesting
that the
source is a
quality
resource,
reliable
material

Accessibility
Access for
teachers or
others

Overall Rating
and
Suggestions
for current,
future use of
resource

Easy

Good story for

a ready aloud

Paints the
picture of
the journey
that
document

by Judith St.
George and
Will
Hillenbrand

went
through
being
moved
from place
to place
Good
illustrations
Nonfiction
elements
Houghton
MI
3/5 Limited
100+ years Easy.
Mifflin Social
information
of
Studies, Grade
about the
educational
3, Teachers
Declaration of
and trade
Edition, 2005.
Independence
publishing
Chapter 4
but had some
Used
Communities
related
across the
in History
information.
country
Dynamic
resource
with
countless
ideas
VII.
Formative and Summative Assessment of Students
1. Students will be formatively assessed through active participation in
think, pair, share and turn and talk activities during the read aloud.
Adding to the brainstorm discussion and completion of the KWL chart
will also provide evidence of student having developed knowledge on
the topic.
2. Students will be assessed summatively upon completion of the graphic
organizer and summary.
VIII.
Technology/Materials/Equipment
1. The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence by Judith
St. George and Will Hillenbrand
2. Chart paper
3. Smartboard or projector for projecting attachments
4. KWL chart, one per student
5. Revised Declaration of Independence, one per student
6. 5 Ws graphic organizer, one per student
IX.
Reflection on Planning
I decided to teach the parts of the Declaration using graphic organizers and
by giving students a choice for how they want to rewrite it because the
declaration of independence is a very complex document written using a tone
of voice that is much different from the way that we speak in present day.
This lesson may be a little complex for students in 3 rd grade but elements can
be taken out or replaced but it is important for students to gain some
exposure to terms like independence, democracy, etc. as early as possible, as
well as knowing what the declaration of independence and the constitution
represent.
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