banner      star               star                  star             star             star                      
Unit Title: Revving to the Revolution


Lesson # and Title:
 Lesson 3:  The Boston Tea Party


Grade(s):
 4


Subject(s):
star
Social Studies
Language Arts
Math
Technology


Learner Outcomes:
 
  • Students will compose a historical fiction essay from the perspective of a British soldier or colonist using their research from the Internet.
  • Students will  present an oral presentation to the class using their historical fiction essays.
  • Students will create a graph  from the data gathered in the tea making experiment using a graphing program


Time Frame:
 6 days (30-60 minutes per day)


Materials:

star

                                        


                       
                 


Technology Tools/Courseware:

star
  • word processing program
  • digital camera
  • overhead projector
  • graphing program 
  • computers with Internet access


Teacher Notes:
  • The students must dress as either a colonist or a British soldier for their oral reports. They will need time to prepare their costumes.
  • The teacher needs to discuss safety precautions with the students before the groups make hot tea.
  • A computer lab setting is helpful during the processing of their essays.
  • Make sure that students have an Acceptable Use Policy on file before going to the internet.


Procedures:









star









     star











star








Day One
  1. Have students brainstorm about what they know about the Boston Tea Party.
  2. Teacher records student responses on the overhead projector.
  3. Each student reads the Encarta Encyclopedia web site about the Boston Tea Party.
  4. Students complete a semantic map about the Boston Tea Party.
Day Two
  1. Read aloud eyewitness account of the Boston Tea Party.
  2. Discuss the role of the British soldiers and the colonists in the Boston Tea Party.
  3. Teacher records students responses on a T chart transparency on the overhead.
  4. Introduce Writing Assignment by giving each student a copy of  the report checklist.
  5. Review steps of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, reviewing, and editing).
  6. Students begin drafting their historical fiction essay that is written from the perspective of a colonist or British soldier. (Students can choose a name of an actual participant of the Boston Tea Party.
Day Three
  1. Students continue to draft their essays.
  2. Students begin to revise their essays using the report checklist.
  3. Group students in partners and allow partners to peer edit essays.
Day Four
  1. Students will begin processing their essays using a word processing program. (A computer lab setting is helpful.)
  2. Students should check spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and paragraph formation.
  3. Save completed essay. (Students will add digital pictures on Day Five and then print.)
  4. Students need to be ready to give oral report in costume on Day Five.
Day Five
  1. Students give oral reports to the class.
  2. Teacher evaluates students using the report checklist.
  3. Have students use the digital camera to take pictures of their peers during the oral presentations.
  4. Students will insert their digital picture onto their essays and then save and print.
Day Six
  1. Review the importance of tea to the colonists.
  2. To celebrate the completion of the essay, have a Tea Party (students can even dress the part as colonists or soldiers).
  3. Divide students into 7 groups.
  4. Each group will make one type of tea following the manufacturers' directions.
  5. Each student will taste test all 7 types of tea, picking their favorite type of tea.
  6. Teacher records the students' favorite type of tea on the overhead projector.
  7. Each student will take this information and create a graph using the Internet. (A computer lab setting is helpful.)
  8. Each student will print their graph.

Modifications:

  
Modifications should follow the student's IEP.
Special needs students can make a big book about the Boston Tea Party.
Students can work with peer tutors.


Enrichment Activities:
 Students can research the estimate cost of the tea (in 1773) that was thrown overboard and then calculate its value today.


Evaluation/Assessment:
 report checklist
semantic map
graph


WV Content Standards and Objectives:


National Standards:                  

star
  • Language Arts 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10
  • Math 4
  • United States History 6
  • Technology 2


References:


Authors:
 Tammy Dawson
Ann Humphreys
Sue Patterson

Flinn Elementary



 



Overview
 Lesson 1
 Lesson 2
 Lesson 3
 Lesson 4
 Lesson 5



    stamp picture