Grades 3-5 Lesson Plan - Freedom Trail News

Map 13 Main Page

Core Map A: Thomas Hyde Page, A Plan of the Town of Boston with the intrenchments of His Majesty's Forces in 1775 (London: William Faden, 1777). Newberry Library call number: Map 4F 3701 .S3 (Printable PDF version of Core Map A)

Resources related to Map 13.
Curator's Notes for Map 10a.
Curator's Notes for Map 10b.

Overview
This lesson has students take a virtual "Freedom Trail" tour to gather information and materials for a "newspaper" on the political situation in Boston in 1775.

Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. read core map A and identify its political content.
2. describe historical places, people, and events connected to the beginning of the American Revolution in Boston.
3. desktop publish a "newspaper feature" containing an article and an illustration.

Materials
Computer image or overhead of Core map A, Timeline of British-North American Colonial Relations, 1763-1775.

Time
Approximately 90 minutes.

Getting Started

1. Orient your students to the lesson by explaining they will take a virtual "Freedom Trail" tour of core map A to locate places and identify people and events connected to the coming of the American Revolution.

2. Inform your students that after the tour, they will work in editorial teams to produce "newspapers" on the political situation in Boston. Each student will be responsible for a written article in the five-paragraph style (introduction, three body paragraphs for a subtopic each, and conclusion) and an illustration on a person, place, or event. The article will answer the six basic questions of journalism - who, when, where, what, how, and why. All needed information and resources are available on the tour.

3. Explain that the newspaper will have two lead stories and a summary on page 1, and additional articles on the rest of the pages. Each team will select one lead article from those they wrote for Getting Started step 2. As a group, the team will write the second lead article highlighting a dramatic event and one article summarizing the political situation in Boston from 1762 to 1775. Instruct students to include with these two articles an illustration and to incorporate events from the timeline (you may want to have them select several events to include as a timeline).

4. Lead your students on the tour by having them select Virtual Tour by clicking on the numbered buttons on core map A (select Virtual Tour from the menu on the map). Help them learn how to use the buttons on each stop to access information and resources.

5. Have each student select a topic for his or her individual article (see Getting Started step 2). Suggested topics include: Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, meeting places of revolution (Faneuil Hall and Old South Meeting House), Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Thomas Hutchinson, Captain Thomas Preston.

1. Instruct your students to work on their features, accessing information for their articles and illustrations. If possible, have your students prepare their articles on the computer as homework. If not, extend the time allotted for the lesson so they can write articles in school.

2. Have the students desktop publish the articles and print them out.

3. Organize editorial teams so that each member of the team has a different topic for the individual article. Have the each student share his or her article with the rest of the team so that the team can select the first lead article.

4. Remind students of the content of the newspaper and the group responsibilities described in Getting Started steps 1 and 2. Instruct the editorial teams to design the layout of the newspaper and then print a master copy. Duplicate editions so each student has a copy of each edition.

5. Share editions with your students and discuss the political situation in Boston in 1775.

a. Editorial teams
For 4 points, the student successfully completes all tasks on time and works harmoniously and effectively in a group by coordinating efforts, solving problems, and managing time.

For 3 points, student successfully completes all or most tasks on time and generally works harmoniously but has minor difficulties working effectively in a group in coordinating efforts, solving problems, and managing time.

For 2 points, student successfully completes some tasks on time and generally works harmoniously but has major difficulties working effectively in a group in coordinating efforts, solving problems, and managing time.

For 1 point, student successfully completes only a few or no tasks on time and generally does not work harmoniously or effectively in a group in coordinating efforts, solving problems, and managing time.

b. Newspaper articles
For 4 points, the features include well-written, grammatically correct articles with no spelling errors following the five-paragraph format. The illustration is relevant and the layout of the feature is aesthetically pleasing.

For 3 points, the features include articles with few grammar or spelling errors; and/or is written in good style; and/or largely follows the five paragraph format; and/or has format that is aesthetically pleasing or has minor flaws.

For 2 points, the features include articles with several grammar or spelling errors; and/or is written in good/poor style; and/or does not largely follow the five paragraph format; and/or has several flaws in the aesthetics of the format.

For 1 point, the features have major defects in most areas.

Extension
Have students work in media teams doing a similar project as above but geared to a TV news special. Student roles could include news anchors, on-the-spot reporters, and people to be interviewed. Have each on-the-spot reporter pretend to report events from places on the virtual "Freedom Trail" tour.