Learning Unit
"Through My Eyes"

WRITTEN OVERVIEW

The children have been studying the people and early history of New York. They have learned about the major groups who settled in the region before the American Revolution.

In this unit they will concentrate on how each major political and economic group responded to the different events and their consequences in New York’s history.

Students will roll play and investigate how the three major political groups interacted during this time period. They will investigate and learn each group’s point of view as they study the events as they unfold.

The students will be guided by teacher lead discussions, different view materials on the events and people, and use both book and electronic materials.

Students have already learned to write summaries using proper language skills and spelling. Students will write all summaries on the computer.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

At the end of this unit students will know/understand that….

• New York was composed of many different political and economic groups during the American Revolution.
• The major groups were Native Americans, English and other settlers. (Dutch, German, Irish, Scots and Africans)
• The English and other settlers were divided almost evenly into two political groups. ( Loyalist and Patriots)
• A Loyalist was a settler who wished to remain a British subject under the protection of the British Government and the King.
• A Patriot was a settler who wished to establish an independent government free of the control of the British Government.
• During the American Revolution the British Army controlled the New York City area and the American Patriots controlled the settlements along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers.
• The British Army devised a plan to capture and control New York north of New York City and therefore separate New England from the rest of the rebelling colonies.
• The siege of Ft. Stanwix and its effect on the British plan.
• The Battle of Oriskany and the events prior to and its aftermath.
• The Battle of Saratoga and the events prior to and the results following it.
• American reaction and response to Loyalist and Native American raids on frontier settlements.
• The effects of the Patriot victory on the Native Americans and the Loyalists.

At the end of this unit the students will have the ability to….

• Make a timeline of the events during this time period.
• Read maps showing the movements of different forces in different battles.
• Locate people and events on the American Revolution in the Encarta Encyclopedia or on the Internet.
• Express an opinion before the group in the form of a political speech or discussion.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

How do the political events of an area effect the economic, social organization, and interaction of people?

• How does the geography of an area effect the interaction of social and economic groups?

CONNECTIONS TO STANDARDS

SSST 1 Key Idea 3

1. Gather and organize information about important accomplishments of individuals and groups, including Native Americans, living in their neighborhoods and communities

SSST 1 Key Idea 4

1. Consider different interpretations of key events and /or issues in history and understand the differences in these accounts.
2. Explore different experiences, beliefs, motives, and traditions of the people living in their neighborhoods, communities, and states.

ELA 1 Key Idea 2

1. Write the following in order to begin to transmit information :

• short reports of several paragraphs
• brief summaries
• graphs and charts
• simple outlines

ELA 1 Key Idea Speaking

1. Speak in order to express an opinion, describe a problem and suggest one or more solutions, state a main idea with supporting details, and explain line of reasoning.

MST 2 Key Idea Information Systems

1. Information technology is used to retrieve, process, and communicate as a tool to enhance learning.

INITIATING ACTIVITY

Begin activity by dividing the group into three large sections simply by giving each child a card numbered 1, 2, or 3.

Review with the class the events of the French And Indian War. Have the class recall how the colonists felt about the British Army and Government. Then discuss how the colonists felt when the British Government started taxing them to help pay for the war.

Inform the class that not every colonist in New York wanted to be independent from the British Government.

Introduce the new unit they are going to study. Inform them that they have been grouped as Loyalists, Patriots, and Iroquois Indians. Each group will sit together during class and design a badge for their group. Their assignment will be to learn and then express their group’s opinion about the events of the Revolutionary War in New York.

The groups form and design their badges. (One class period)

LEARNING EXPERIENCES

CONTENT KN0WLEDGE

• New York was composed of many different political and economic groups.

DETAILS

(Two class periods)

Class will discuss and list information they already know about the people in living in New York Colony. The teacher will begin a KWL chart on the blackboard and the children will copy it into their notebooks. The children will then work in pairs or larger groups and complete their charts using their textbooks or other information sources.

Day two the class will complete the large chart using the information gathered by the children and adds more information to their personal charts in their notebooks.

Assessment: Children’s’ charts and teacher observation.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• English and other settlers were divided almost evenly into Loyalists or Patriots.

DETAILS

(One class periods)

The teacher will discuss with the class that not everyone wanted to separate from the British King and Government. The class will brainstorm reasons why some settlers preferred to remain under British control and others didn’t.

The class will read the information about Loyalists and Patriots in their textbooks and discuss information found. They will add the definitions of the term’s loyalist and patriot in their notebooks.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Notebook Check

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• During the American Revolution the British Army controlled the New York City area and the American Patriots controlled the settlements along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers.

DETAILS

(Two class periods)

The class will read and discuss the British capture of New York City and the settlements around it. They will discuss how this event would have effected the loyalists and patriots living in the area. The possible problems it might cause for both groups. All three groups will meet and hold a group discussion and chart how their group would react to this event.

The class will study maps of British and American Army movements in and around the New York City area and the lower Hudson River. They will discuss why the British were successful and why the Americans couldn’t hold New York against the British Army and Naval Forces. The class will list reasons why the geography of the area favored the British Forces over the American. Then they will add this information on geography to their notebooks.

ASSESSMENT: Notebook checked by teacher.

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• The British Plan to capture and control all of New York north of New York City to separate the New England Colonies from the other colonies.

DETAILS

(One or two class periods)

The class will read and discuss the plan as presented in their textbooks. They will discuss whether the plan is workable and using a teacher prepared map of New York draw the proposed troop movements of the British Army and their Loyalist and Iroquois Allies.

The groups will meet to discuss how they feel about this plan and what members of the groups might do to help or stop it. Each group will write a summary of their feelings and members will keep it in their notebooks.

ASSESSMENT: Maps and Teacher Observation

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• Children will learn to read and make a simple timeline of the events during this period.

DETAILS

(One class period)

The class will discuss the usefulness of timelines to put events in a sequential order for ease of understanding. The class will read and discuss textbook pages on timelines and work through the practice exercises. The class will then begin a timeline of events that have already happened in this unit.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Timelines

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• The siege of Fort Stanwix and its effect on the British Plan to capture the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys.

DETAILS

(One class period)

The class will read and discuss the siege of Fort Stanwix by a small force of British Regulars and a large mixed force of Loyalists and Iroquois Indians. The different political groups will meet and begin to research the leaders of each force.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Group Checklists

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• How to use the Encarta Computer Encyclopedia to research information on political and military leaders and events.

DETAILS

(On going through the rest of the unit.)

The instructor will give general information to the class on finding needed materials in Encarta. Steps for using the Encarta System will be posted. Teacher will monitor users and guide individuals who need help.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Checklist on Encarta

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• The Battle of Oriskany and the events prior to and its aftermath including the end of the siege of Fort Stanwix.

DETAILS

(Three class periods)

The class will read and discuss information from textbooks. Each group will meet and gather information about their leaders and forces. They will be encouraged to seek information from other sources such as the Internet, library reference books about the American Revolution, and other encyclopedias both book and electronic. Each group will write a summary of their leaders and forces to share with the rest of the class.

The class as a whole will compose a large chart of the event. The children will add details to their timelines in their notebooks.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Notebook Check

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• The Battle of Saratoga and events prior to and the results following it.

DETAILS

(Three or four class periods)

The class will read textbook information and organize in chart form as before. Each child will write a summary of the event using the computer word processing system for the teacher.

Each group will continue to research leaders and add information to their notebooks and timelines.

The class will discuss the role geography played in the defeat of the large British Army by a smaller, poorly trained American Army.

ASSESSMENT: Written Summaries

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• American Army reaction and response to Loyalist/Iroquois raids on New York’s frontier settlements.

DETAILS

(One class period)

The teacher will lead a discussion on the material read in the textbook about the raids on the frontier settlements and the American response. Each group will be asked to respond as their political groups would to these events. The teacher will list the different responses on the blackboard as they are given by the students. The students will then construct a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting the three major points of view. (Previously taught)

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Venn Diagram

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• The effects of the Patriot victory on the British Loyalists and the Iroquois.

DETAILS

(Two class periods)

The teacher opens the class with the following. The war is over and the Patriots have won. The British are retreating to Canada. What do you think will happen to the Loyalists and Iroquois who fought with the British? Pause. The teacher will list the responses given on the board. Then the teacher will assign the groups to find out what happened to their group and report back to the class in the next class period.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Check Charts

CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

• The student will be able to express an opinion before a group in the form of a political address.

DETAILS

(On going throughout the unit)

The teacher will lead a discussion about the importance of being a good speaker. The students will brainstorm ideas of what a good speaker should do. The teacher will model these ideas and the class will generate a list Dos and Don’ts. The students will practice with partners and in classroom demonstrations. The class will construct a simple rubric to use as a guide and for practice.

ASSESSMENT: Teacher Observation and Check Rubric

CULMINATING PERFORMANANCE

The class will hold a town meeting between the Patriots, Loyalists, and Iroquois Indians. The students will relate the opinions of the three groups on the events of the American Revolution in New York.

The students will be role playing real or fictional characters from that period. Each group will have speakers for each event studied. They will prepare their speeches prior to the performance and practice in their groups. The teacher will stage manage the meeting.

After the performance, each student will write a summary of the meeting as if they were reporting the event to their home communities.

(Four or five class periods)

ASSESSMENTS FOR UNIT:

Tests, summaries, notebooks, timeline, and performance

CONSIDERATIONS

The size and type of class will determine whether the teacher wants to expand or reduce the content of the unit. This unit was planned for a regular mixed class but can be modified gifted or other special education students.

The unit can be adapted for special needs populations in these ways. The unit material can be generalized and simplified for a shorter period. Special needs students can be paired with an above average student or a TA may assist.

UNIT SCHEDULE/TIME PLAN

The unit was set up for 30 or 40-minute class periods with extra time for research and writing assignments. The unit will need between 4 and 5 weeks to complete.

RUBRIC