Digital Unit Plan Template

Unit Title: The origins of the American Revolution Name: Christopher Vialovos
Content Area: History/Social Science Grade Level: 11th Grade
CA Content Standard(s)/Common Core Standard(s):
United States History and Geography: Continuity and Change in the Twentieth Century

11.1 Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of government described in the
Declaration of Independence.

11.1.2 Analyze the ideological origins of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers philosophy of divinely bestowed unalienable natural rights,
the debates on the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and the addition of the Bill of Rights.

Big Ideas/Unit Goals:

Big Ideas: To understand the role of the Enlightenment, religion, and the French and Indian War in making of a revolutionary landscape. To
determine the colonial response to British Parliamentary oversight?

Focus Questions
What were the causes of the American Revolution? What ideas influenced the colonists to pursue independence? Who were these individuals? How
did religion affect the colonists thinking? What was the economic, political, and social impact of the French-Indian War on the British colonies in the
New World? And How did the colonists respond to the Parliamentary legislation?

Unit Summary:
The purpose of this lesson/unit is for you to recognize what events triggered the American Revolution and what ideologies were prevalent leading up
to the revolution. You will learn how the ideas of the enlightenment and the Great Awakening both influenced the thinking of the American colonies
their decision to revolt. Moreover, you will learn about the economic ramifications of French-Indian War its effects on the colonists. Finally, you will
be researching and interpreting evidence about the different methods of colonial responses to the British legal oversight enacted by Parliament. By the
end of the unit you will be able to answer the question: what was the cause of the American Reovlution?
Assessment Plan:
Entry-Level: Formative:
Survey Conducted to gauge students prior Guided Notes A lecture with guided notes on
understanding. the role of the Enlightenment, the Great
Awakening, and the French-Indian War.
Webercise This assignment can be done
individually or in pairs. For this assignment,
you will research laws passed by British
Parliament that affected the British colonists.
Summative:
Research Paper This research paper will cover
a topic of your choosing that explains the
origins of the American Revolution.
Exam This exam will cover the main content
and the big ideas.

Graphic Organizer This assignment is a

timeline assignment, but is designed for you to
understand the social responses of the British
colonists.

Whole Class Discussion Discussion will take

place after the completion of every assignment
to gauge your understanding and to clear up an
ambiguities and inconsistencies with your
findings.

Peer Edits You will be editing your partners

research paper draft.

Lesson 1 (Teacher Lecture)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence Lesson Activities:
Objective: Students will (Assessments): Recall Students will fill out a guided notes worksheet in conjunction with the lecture on the role of
be able to recall the main John Lockes thoughts on the Enlightenment, the Great Awakening, and the French-Indian War in creating a
premises of natural rights and social revolutionary environment. Students will also be asked to watch a couple short videos and
Enlightenment thinkers contract. Recall take notes in their guided notes packet. We will discuss as a class and in groups different
(i.e. Locke, Montesquieu, Montesquieus thoughts ideas, events, and people throughout the lecture and once the lecture has concluded. Finally,
Voltaire). They will also on separation of powers the guided notes also ask them specific questions that will be answered as we make our way
understand the role of the and checks and balances. through this period in history.
Great Awakening and the Recall Voltaires
impact of the French- thoughts on freedom of
Indian War on the British speech. Understand the
Empire. Great Awakenings
position in developing
ideas of freedom and
independence. And
understand the economic,
social, and political
impact of the French-
Indian War.

Lesson 2 (Webercise/ iPad Lesson)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities: Utilizing their tablets/laptops, each student will research the laws passed
Objective: Students will Using the provided by the British Parliament against the colonists. Students will use google scholar,
research each major piece websites, students will ushistory.org and digitialhistory.uh.edu to research the laws and uncover any other tangible
of legislation enacted by complete the webercise information pertaining to the cause and effects of each law. After the assignment has been
British Parliament against worksheet on the laws completed, we will discuss our findings and clarify any laws and how they affected the
the colonists and write passed by the British colonists.
down the major points of Parliament.
each law and their
intended effects.

Lesson 3 (Graphic Organizer)

Student Learning Acceptable Evidence: Lesson Activities: The timeline can be completed in individually or in groups of two. The
Objective: Students will Students will present 6-7 timeline will be created using Timetoast. Students will be given specific resources to
research the social important events that complete this timeline. Students will be able to identify major events and organizations that
responses to the laws pertained to the colonial pushed the colonists along the road to independence and describe grievances with Great
passed by British responses to the laws Britain. This lesson also incorporates primary sources to introduce each student to the
Parliament and the passed by Parliament. documents that historians utilize frequently. At the end of the lesson, we will discuss the
implications of these Each event must contain assignment and clear up any ambiguities and misconceptions. We will also place these
responses. They will an analysis of the event colonial actions in the larger context of the revolution.
evaluate how these and how it fits in the
responses affected the larger narrative of
larger narrative of the revolution.
American Revolution and
the road to independence.
Unit Resources:
Digital Unit Plan Site: http://originsoftheamericanrevolution.weebly.com/
Survey: https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/79cc986b-3edd-44c9-8701-8d04a7dbf5e9
Guided Notes:
https://prezi.com/p/2yuhm2tm1uzg/
https://www.scribd.com/document/361756047/edsc-304-dup-guided-notes#download&from_embed
Webercise:
https://www.scribd.com/document/364248203/edsc-304-webercise#download&from_embed
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/revwartimeline.html
http://www.ushistory.org/us/index.asp
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=3&smtID=3
Graphic Organizer/Timeline:
http://www.timetoast.com/
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/revwartimeline.html
http://www.revolutionary-war.net/revolutionary-war-timeline.html
https://www.ncpedia.org/history/colonial/regulator-movement
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6233
http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-sons-of-liberty-who-were-they-and-what-did-they-do/
https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/1635122
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-present. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2005.

Useful Websites:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=HlUiSBXQHCw - An excellent video on the overall timeline of the American Revolution.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eytc9ZaNWyc - An excellent video on the overall timeline of the American Revolution with a more World
History perspective.
http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/revwartimeline.html - A timeline of events from the revolutionary war.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/7.asp - A breakdown and analysis of events and people pertaining to the revolutionary war.
http://www.revolutionary-war.net/causes-of-the-american-revolution.html - This website provides information on the causes of the American
revolution.
https://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle.html - Newspaper articles from the revolutionary period.
https://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/perspectives_daily.html
http://www.vlib.us/amdocs/texts/inglis.html - A primary source from the loyalist perspective.
http://blackloyalist.com/cdc/ - The role of enslaved people in the lead up and during the revolutionary war.
http://teachinghistory.org/ - An additional resource for learning about the revolutionary war.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/search.php?function=find - An excellent resource of primary sources about U.S. history and the reovlutioanry war.