This week in the RBE Library, 5th grade students will be enriching their learning about the American Revolution, with a webquest about the Declaration of Independence.
This was a very important and exciting time in our nation’s past that we want our students to not only understand, but experience. Click here for the Activity Page referred to below. For the Activity Page Rubric, click here.
Following this research activity RBE students will create a Political Cartoon using iPads and a combination of the DoodleBuddy and ComicLife apps. Some students will use Publisher on the computer to create a comic strip as well. Click here for the Political Cartoon Rubric and click here for a blank draft of the comic strip.
Declaration of Independence Webquest Start
Begin Activity #1: Introduction & Questions
Activity #1: Write down 3 questions you have about the Declaration of Independence on your activity page. As you come across the answers during the course of this activity, be sure to come back to them and write down the answer and your source for the answer!
2nd Continental Congress
Activity #2: Read the following excerpt and complete the Cause & Effect diagram on your activity sheet.
Activity #3: Read more about John Adams. He played an important role in the forming and early governing of this nation. What role did he play in the 2nd Continental Congress and with the Declaration of Independence? Fill that in on your activity sheet.
Begin Activity #4: Time to Part?
Was it time for the American colonies to declare independence from Britain?
Click here to read about the 2nd Continental Congress’ decision to declare independence.
Then, read about Thomas Paine and his famous pamphlet, Common Sense below.
Activity #4: Watch the video below of the vote to declare independence. Also look at the pictures of Independence Hall and the Continental Congress. On your activity sheet, write what you would have done during this vote as a member of the Continental Congress. Write as a journal entry like the example provided.
Begin Activity #5: Writing The Declaration of Independence
“The Declaration announced to the world on July 4, 1776, that thirteen British colonies in North America were leaving Great Britain to form a separate nation, called the United States of America. In justifying the revolution, the Declaration asserted a universal truth about human rights.” -from the National Archives
Read about when and who signed the Declaration of Independence on Ben’s Guide to US Government for Kids. Then, read about the Declaration of Independence from The Charters of Freedom courtesy of the National Archives. On the National Archives page, click on the image of the Declaration of Independence for details about the original document.
Activity #5: Thomas Jefferson was an important revolutionary leader. Read more about him.What was his role in the writing of the Declaration of Independence?
Watch the video below from National Tresure, where they talk about what the character in the movie thinks is the coolest line from the Declaration of Independence. Then, read over the other lines on your activity sheet taken from the Declaration of Independence. You can use the Dictionary Search box on the right side to look up words you don’t know. Which do you think is the coolest line? Vote here when you decide!
The End & Extra Activities
This is the end of your Declaration of Independence Webquest. Make sure that you answered your 3 questions in Activity #1 that you wrote down at the beginning. If you didn’t find all the answers you are looking for, feel free to come visit with me in the library and we can hook you up with some great books! Also, ever wonder what’s on the back of the Declaration of Independence? Click here to find out!
Also, if you would like to, you can add your signature to the Declaration of Independence and print it out by clicking here!
It was a pretty cool experience! It was actually really amazing!!!!!
It was cool! Loved it! LOL!
it was cool
It was ok but the web quest was awesome!!!
this was awesome
this is a very good website
The declaration of Independence is sooooooooo cool
That is sooo awesome that you can print you name out and make it look like you signed the Declaration of Independence
Excited to do this!!!
This was so cool it really took me back in time and made me want to learn more and more an more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was interesting
I felt that this was a great experience and hope we can do it again!
Pssshhh! This wasn’t work.This was GREAT fun! The activities are really fun to reveal and we got to really think! This was really entertaining education I wish we could do it again! 🙂
I thing this was a very fun reading activity because we learned a lot about the declaration of independence!!!
This is not work. It is a FUN ACTIVITY. I LOVE IT!!!!!!
The videos and writing are an enjoying hobby for me now!!
🙂
This wasn’t work it was a Fun Activity.I enjoyed watching the videos.
I loved it!!!!!!!!
🙂 :0
i agree with blake i liked this web quest it was fun
i think it was a very fun activity i learned a lot
i am more of a paper girl, but it was a fun activity,better than the last one we had
It’s so neat to learn about!
i agree with jayee the signing was fun
this was a fun project that I thought I learned a lot from I think I know my rights better as a US citizen…
I loved the part where you were able to put your name on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. You got to chose a quill then type your name!! And I also loved that you were able to see what was written on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Learning history is so interesting! The only thing I don’t like is that they always leave you with lots of questions and wonders. Like why did John Adams pick George Washington to be the leader? But anyways, this was really cool! Another thing is the movies. They were good!! Plus, I got to relaxxx……:):) -_- This is way better than usual worksheets and textbooks. I love how our school is starting to get techy.
That was fun!I t was better than usual worksheets even though we had a worksheet to go with this.My favorite part was the movies!(:
i thought this was a fun activity for 5th graders!!!
This was a really fun activity and I hope we will be doing more activities like this!!
it will take a long time but you will learn some thing only if you haven’t read it
I liked it
It was a fun way to learn.
I LOVED IT
I chose #1 because all mankind should be treated the same no matter the race or gender.
i liked number one because it talks about our freedom to be who we want to be and were equal
I picked number 1 too. 🙂
I loved this!! (not homework)
I loved it!!!
This is sooo cooool now I wanna be a historian
this is really cool i think.
DUDE!!!!!!!!!!!That was AWSOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SO-COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was so fun!!! I made me learn new things without putting so much pressure on myself. It didn’t really seem like homework, I loved the videos!!! 😀
I loved Activity 5, because so many you could choose and vote which line was the best. I picked line 1.
it_was_awesome O_O
It was fun
My favorite part of the Declaration was #4
I just loved learning abou the revolutionary war!!:)
I think it was a great way to learn in a fun way.
I loved it! It was a fun way to learn about the Declaration of Independence by watching videos. One thing I would Change is, on the paper I wouldn’t have put the journal entry because the example took a lot of my ideas for my paragraph.
I think it was fun because we got to we got to learn about the Declaration in a fun way by watching videos.
COOL!!!!!!!!!!!!
SO-