The American Revolution: 250 Years since the Declaration of Independence

Level: All School – Rally Level – Fun, Energetic, Celebratory
Grades: K-12
School Quarter: 1

Related Grade Level Activities: 

• Elementary Lower: Stories of The Declaration of Independence 
• Elementary Upper: Introduction to The Declaration of Independence
• Middle School: Contextualizing The Declaration of Independence
• High School: Researching Global Perspectives – The Declaration in a World of Empires

Activity: Choose an activity to celebrate The American Revolution

• Do Q1 classroom activities first to give students background on the Declaration of Independence
• Recommended to hold on or near On Constitution Day – Sept. 17

Theme Alignment: Histories of Independence: Exploring the complex and contrasting concepts of “independence” in New Mexico; diverse histories along with histories of interdependence; and manifold forms of civic engagement.

Toolkit Overview (In this toolkit):

• Background
• How to implement this activity
• Suggested Activities by grade level

Background:

The US Code that designates September 17 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is 36 U.S. Code § 106 – Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The full text is provided by Cornell Law. Constitution Day and Citizenship Day commemorate the formation and signing on September 17, 1787, of the Constitution and recognize all who, by coming of age or by naturalization, have become citizens.

Constitution Day is also an opportunity to reflect on the American Revolution. Schools are encouraged to prepare for this day through in-class activities. The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights form the foundation of the United States. These documents are outcomes of the American Revolution that are the common ground of the country and New Mexico. We encourage schools across New Mexico to participate in celebrating the American Revolution and these documents together, as a culmination of studying the Declaration of Independence through classroom activities. These classroom activities explore the complex and contrasting concepts of “independence” and diverse histories of interdependence in depth. This toolkit suggests choosing activities best suited to your school.

How To:

Link to Implementation / How to Checklist for each Suggested Activity

Suggested Activities:

Elementary Lower/Upper

• The Preamble of the Declaration by number
• Each student gets a paper with a word and a number on the back. Students sit during a general welcome, then they have to stand on their number which puts all the words in order so everyone can read out loud.
• Continue until the entire Preamble has been read aloud.
• Watch one of these films. Then discuss the film in class
• Films:
• Johnny Tremain
• Liberty Kids
• The Grievances of the Declaration 
• Assign or have each class choose one of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence
• Each class will study the background of their chosen grievance and develop a skit about that grievance
• Classes present their skit at an all-school assembly

Middle School

• Create a Declaration of Independence montage video as a school
• Media arts class:
• Script:
• cover the whole Declaration of Independence
• include opportunities for all students to participate.
• Record: Coordinate recording schedule with teachers so that all students have the opportunity to participate.
• Edit: create one video with teacher guidance
• Individual classes:
• practice portion of script assigned by media arts class
• perform script for recording
• View video at all school assembly on Constitution Day
• The Grievances of the Declaration 
• Assign or have each class choose one of the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence
• Each class will study the background of their chosen grievance and develop a skit about that grievance
• Classes present their skit at an all-school assembly
• Identify the Signers Bingo Competition
• School staff dress up as Signers of the Declaration of Independence
• Students are provided with a bingo-style sheet in their first class
• The first 20(?) students to turn in a complete sheet (or 5 across?) earn a small prize
• All students who complete by the end of day are entered into a drawing for a bigger prizes
• Ask local businesses to donate prizes
• School-based prizes like dress down coupons
• Watch one of these films or mini-series. Then discuss in class
• Films:
• The Crossing
• The Revolution
• 1776
• The Scarlet Coat

Resources: 

• General Resources
• A Teacher’s Guide to Revolutionary War Movies
• The Signers