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December 16

The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773.

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The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773.

Grades 7 – 12
Calendar Activity Type Historical Figure & Event

 

EVENT DESCRIPTION

 

 

Over two hundred years ago, a group of activist colonists disguised themselves as Native Americans and dumped tea into the Boston Harbor.

"High Tea in Boston Harbor" was the headline of the Boston Gazette.

 

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY

 

 

After reading the headline of the Boston Gazette aloud (above), ask your students to create a political cartoon for this event. Political cartoonists demonstrate a particular point of view in their cartoons. Students may decide to create their cartoons from the perspective of one of the colonists, King George III, or a fish in the Boston Harbor! Invite students to use the interactive Comic Creator to create their political cartoons and then have students share their cartoons with the class. Ask the class to identify the cartoonist's point of view. Visit the Comic Creator page for more information about this tool.  

Make copies of the student-generated political cartoons and distribute them to small groups of students. Have each group of students work collaboratively to develop higher-level response questions for the political cartoons. Students can use the Student Created Questions diagram for assistance in developing their questions.

 

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RELATED RESOURCES

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Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Analyzing the Purpose and Meaning of Political Cartoons

It is important for students to know how to evaluate messages conveyed by the news media. Exploration of the artistic techniques used in political cartoons leads to critical questioning.

 

Grades   9 – 12  |  Lesson Plan  |  Standard Lesson

Exploring Literature through Letter-Writing Groups

Students discuss literature through a series of letter exchanges, as a one-time assignment or throughout the year with the students discussing, and making connections among, a number of literary works.