BY Mary Mostert and Gail Lyon
Classroom Learning Experience #1
Chapter 1 –Read pages 1-15
Battle at Fort Necessity - Washington's Only Defeat
Purpose: To study causes of the conflict that arose about the Ohio Territory that led to the French and Indian War (and the Seven Years War in Europe.) Governor Dinwiddie sent 21 year old Major George Washington to order the French to leave the area.
Set up: Have the students divide into three groups, French, Indians and Virginians, and write 1753 newspaper with news articles, pictures, political cartoons, advertisements and editorials about why the Ohio Territory belonged rightfully to them, quoting from the journal of Washington, the Iroquois Constitution, and descriptions of the battle that took place with illustrations of Fort Necessity they have drawn.
Resources:
Indian News: study – Study pages 1-15 and map on page 4; read websites of footnotes 2, 2a, 5 and 9.
French News – study pages 1-15, and map on page 4, read websites of footnotes 9, and 10, and Click Here, (Prelude to French and Indian War), here (Northwest Territory Answers) and here (Northwest Timeline - French exploration).
American Colonies’ News – study pages 1-15, map on page 4, read websites of footnotes 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17.
Procedure: Have students in each group present the facts from their own point of view and write political cartoons and editorials that reflect the beliefs of their group.
Evaluation: Grading Rubric: 50% - Accuracy of information; 20% presentation, 20% 3ffort, 10% creativity.
Classroom Learning Experience #2
Chapter 2 –Read pages 16-24
Purpose: To learn why and how George Washington discovered that professional training and European fighting methods failed in roadless America.
Set up: This will require a large space - preferably outdoors on a playground. Choose a hill or create a hill. Wagons and a lot of baggage also can be created. Divide the students into two groups. They may be armed with spitballs and straws to shoot them with. One side is to be led by General Edward Braddock, a British 40 year veteran and hero of European wars with George Washington, as his aide-de-camp. After his defeat at Fort Necessity several months previously, Washington is eager to learn the newest and best fighting techniques from the experienced professional, Gen. Braddock.
The other side is mostly dressed or identified as Indians, led by 2-3 students dressed as French officers. The Indians hide behind bushes and trees while the British troops march in the open while a couple of the students play drums and fifes. When shot with a spitball a soldier will fall down "dead." After the exercise the class will clean up their "ammunition."
Resources:Study pages 16-24 of Book 1 and pictures shown on page 19; also study General Braddock's grave website, and Braddock's Defeat - British battles.
Procedure: Encourage the students to discuss why Braddock's experience and successes in Europe failed in the Battle at the Monongahela River in 1755. What did Washington learn from that defeat that helped him later fight British generals?
Evaluation: Have each student find another example of a guerilla war from either history or current events. Compare in writing the outcomes of both wars. What are the similarities? What are the differences?
Classroom Learning Experience #3
Chapter 3 –Read pages 25-31
George III Raises Taxes to Pay for War Debts
Purpose: Students will learn how war is financed and why the taxes levied in England led to economic problems and anger in the colonies. England and America debate who should pay for military and trade wars when peace is declared.
Set up:Team up with students from another class. This could either be another history class or an English class. One class will represent the British Parliament in London and the other class will reqpresent the House of Burgess in Virginia (Students must be adequately supervised at all times.) Students will be divided into two groups with one group in the classroom and the other group outside or down the hall where they cannot see or hear each other. The two groups represent the British Parliament in London and the House of Burgess in Virginia. They will communicate only in writing, with personally delivered messages. Students representing King George, Prime Minister George Grenville, William Pitt, former Prime Minister, Dutch East India Company director Robert Clive, George Washington (the British characters) and Patrick Henry, delegate to the Virginia House of Burgess (for the Patriot side) will be chosen.
Resources: Each of these students should read pages 25-31 in Book 1, and research their characters. (See: Hunger for Liberty footnotes 29, 31, 34, 36, 37, and Loyalism and Patriotism in One family; and George Grenville plus William Pitt's Defense of the Americans - footnote 39
Procedure: Each group discusses its views on the issue of paying for the 7 Years' War and the war in India. Parliament passes laws; the House of Burgess passes resolutions and they each write and deliver to the other the results of their laws and resolutions. No direct communication takes place. Group discussion: How does that differ from today with modern technology?
Evaluation: Have each student write an essay on what he/she learned from the experience.
Classroom Learning Experience #4
Chapter 4 and 5 –Read pages 31-40
A Mob, the Media, a Massacre and a Murder Trial in Boston
Purpose: Students conduct a trial to determine the facts and decide the fate of the British soldiers accused of murdering innocent Boston citizens in the famous "Boston Massacre" of March 5, 1770, amidst media misinformation, emotion, and scores of witnesses who claimed they saw what happened.
Set up: Assign the following roles:
1 student as Hugh White, the British soldier guarding the military funds in the Custom House
1 student to play the part of the boy who taunts Hugh;
1 student to play the part of John Preston, the British army officer accused of being responsible for the massacre;
5 students to play the parts of Crispus Attucks, Samuel Gray, James Caldwell, the sailor Samuel Maverick and Patrick Carr who are shot after a soldier is hit by a rock thrown from the crowd;
2 students as the reporter and editor for the Boston Gazette Newspaper;
1 student to play John Adams, who defends the unpopular British officer,
1 student to play Mr. Forester who convinces John Adams to take Preston's case;
1 student to be Sam Quincy, the prosecutor,
1 student as the judge
Resources: Each of the students should read pages 31-40; and research their characters by reading materials in the websites of footnotes 43, 44, 45, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 56. The student playing the part of John Preston reads footnote 53. Students playing the roles of John Adams and Sam Quincy should prepare their cases with research help from other students. (John Adams, a Patriot defended the British Captain and Sam Quincy, a Loyalist, prosecuted the British Captain Preston.)
Procedure: Read the Boston Gazette report (Footnote 51) and Professor Douglas Linder's account of the trial in the Jurist The students will write the play script and play the parts. They may play several roles in the play as part of the Americans in the street.
This could take several weeks and be accomplished with a team teaching approach with an English or Drama teacher or a volunteer lawyer to help the students write the script for the trial.
Evaluation: Invite other classes for the trial. These classes could play the role of jury.
Classroom Learning Experience #5
Chapters 6 and 7 – Read pages 41-46
The Boston Tea Party and Fair Trade
Purpose: To help students understand the underlying causes of the Boston Tea Party and their anger over the trading monopoly of the East India Company.
Set up: Half of the class will become the business men who run the East India Company that had a monopoly to sell products to the Americans and and members of Parliament in London. The other half of the class will represent American Consumers in 1773, with one student playing the part of George Washington and arguing his view in his his June 10, 1774 letter to George William Fairfax giving his view of the situation.
Resources: All Students read Chapters 6 and 7 - pages 41-46. Students in the East India Company read the websites for footnotes 58, 59, and 61; The American Consumers read websites for footnotes 63, 64, 65. Additional research: Journals of the Continental Congress of 1774 and British East India Company
Procedure: The two sides each develop their arguments for their position and why they each believe they are right in their approach. Each sides tries to convince themselves and the other side that the Americans should be happy to buy the tea or that the Americans are justifed in refusing to buy the tea. The Americans try to convince Governor Hutchinson to return the tea and when he refuses they dump the tea overboard. Debate why Huchinson refused to send back the tea and what other things the Americans might have done other than throwing the tea overboard in Boston Bay. Have students draw pictures or make models of 1770s Cargo Sailing vessels. Divide the class into several 5 person groups and have each group prepare an advertising campaign to promte an assigned side. Creativity should be encouraged and their campaigns could include posters, billboards, newspaper and magazine ads, internet ads, TV or radio spots. At the end each group would share their ds with the entire class.
Evaluation: Teacher evaluation would include accuracy of information, creativity, effort, oral presentation. The class could also vote on various categories such as: Funniest ad, Best Overall ad, Most Artistic, etc. Prizes could be awarded for each winning group.