Mrs. Liljemark's Blog

Essential Question:  How can primary sources be “unpacked” to understand a historical story?

The American Revolution through Art and Research

The purpose of this lesson is to use primary source art with support of secondary source written documents to understand a historic event.

Website needed for this assignment:  Revolutionary War Art

Assignment:  We will be exploring the American Revolution through art.  The link above will take you to a website that has art from a variety of moments in the war. First, look at each picture and find one that you find most interesting.  Because you will be presenting your findings, I do not want more than two people doing the same picture.    Please figure out a way, as a class to sort that out.

Formative Assessment #1  Art Analysis – Revolutionary War

After you have chosen a picture, you need to do an art analysis on the picture on a blank piece of paper.  This needs to be a quality analysis, demonstrating your ability to reflect, question, and observe.  Remember to provide evidence of your thoughts in the reflection.  Use the primary source analysis master guide provided (the section on Photographs and Prints).   Analyzing Primary Sources – Master Guide.

Summative Assessment #1 – Secondary Research and Presentation

When you are finished with the art analysis, you need to do secondary source research on the event represented in the painting, people or objects involved in the painting and their role in the event, and the painting itself.  You also need to understand how the event or topic plays a role in the war.  You can organize your research anyway that you want (notes, written out, etc.).  It needs to be easy to follow, so that I can see that you understand.  YOU MUST CITE YOUR SOURCES!  Using www.bibme.org (APA style, not MLA) website is an easy way to create a bibliography from the information that you have learned.  You must have at least 5 sources.  You need to be prepared to present this in class next week.   The point of your research is to help you understand and explain the picture.  The more comfortable you are with it the better.

Images to choose from:

#31 – Crossing the Delaware (Leading up to the Battle of Trenton)

#33 – Surrender of Hessian troops to General Washington after the Battle of Trenton (Battle of Trenton)

#22 – Declaration of Independence (Declaration of Independence)

#8 –  First blow for liberty (Battle of Lexington and Concord)

#13 – Battle of Bunker Hill (Battle of Bunker Hill)

#21 – Secondary Continental Congress voting independence (Second Continental Congress)

#45 – Molly Pitcher at the Battle of Monmouth (Women in the Revolutionary War)

#41 – Baron von Steuben at Valley Forge (Valley Forge)

#50 – George Washington receiving French generals (French Alliance during the Revolutionary War)

#54 – Siege of Yorktown (Battle of Yorktown)

#56 – Surrender of Cornwallis (End of the War – Surrender)

#46 – Col. George Roger Clark’s conference with the Indians (War in the West)

#59 – The Lexington (War at Sea)

Formative Assessment #2:  Main Ideas – Revolutionary War

Use the following link to help you understand how to find the main idea of a reading passage.  You do not need to include details for this activity, but you can if you think it will help you understand the process.  Help with Main Ideas

Directions:  One main idea needs to be identified for each of the following sections of the war.  Use textbook pages 112-138 to determine the main idea for each section.  On a piece of paper, record a main idea of each section below:

1.  Battles of Lexington and Concord (art #8) – page 113-114 “Shot Heard ’round the World” through “Battles of Lexington and Condord”

2.  2nd Continental Congress (art #21) – page 114 “Second Continental Congress”

3.  Battle of Bunker Hill (art #13) – page 115 “Early Battles”

4.  Declaration of Independence ( art #22) – page 119 “Independence is Declared”, do not read “Choosing Sides”

5.  Battle of Trenton (art #31, 32, 33) page 128-129 “New Jersey”

6.  Allies – French (art #50) page 130-131 “Help from Europe” through “Help from France”

7.  Valley Forge (art #43, 41) page 132 “Winter at Valley Forge”

8.  War at Sea (art #59) page 133 “War in the West” through “John Paul Jones”

9.  War in the West (art #46) page 133-134 “War in the West”

10. Surrender (art #56, 54) page 136-137 “Battle of Yorktown”

11.  Treaty of Paris (link provided here) (no main idea needed)

Formative Assessment #3 – Bibliography

Use the www.bibme.com website to create a bibliography with at least 5 sources.  Remember that sources should vary so as to avoid bias.

Song:  Shot Heard round the world

Formative Assessment #4 Art Analysis – Declaration of Independence

Use the  Declaration of Independence link and the Analyzing Primary Sources – Master Guide. section on written documents to analyze the Declaration of Independence.  Keep in mind that the picture on the bottom is the actual document, and the top picture is a reproduction.

Formative Assessment #5:  Vocabulary and the Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence

Follow the directions on the worksheet provided above to understand the vocabulary used in the Dec. of Independence.

Summative Assessment #2:  Understanding the basics of the Declaration of Independence

Using the vocabulary list that you created, put the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence into your own words.  What does each phrase or sentence mean?  Make sure that when you put it into “kid language” that you understand what you are writing.

Extra Credit (up to 3 pts possible):

Due:  The last day of Quarter 3

Choose one of the following international declaration of independence’s and read through it.  Write a well developed 1 – 1/2 page reflection that describes the similarities and differences that you see in content and/or layout between the international declaration and the US declaration.  I would like to see deep analysis that can include things that you wonder, things that confuse you, and the compare and contrast.  You can include as many of the following declarations as you want in the reflection.

Israel’s Declaration of Independence:  http://stateofisrael.com/declaration/

Vietnam’s Declaration of Independence:  http://coombs.anu.edu.au/~vern/van_kien/declar.html

France’s Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen (Declaration of Independence): http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111decr.html

Mexico’s Declaration of Independence (This one is long.  You don’t have to read through the whole thing, just enough to give you an idea of how it is layed out and what it says.)  http://chnm.gmu.edu/declaration/vazquez.html

Japan’s Declaration of Independence (This one is long.  You don’t have to read through the whole thing, just enough to give you an idea of how it is layed out and what it says.): http://chnm.gmu.edu/declaration/japanese/aruga2.html