Myth and Truth: Independence Day

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Copies of the lyrics and/or the video for the Schoolhouse Rocks' cartoon "Fireworks!" Several options are available:
  
  
  • Book-Yohe, Tom. 1996. Schoolhouse Rock!: The Official Guide. Hyperion.
    
    
  • VHS-"Fireworks!" 1997. Schoolhouse Rock! - America Rock. Disney Studios.
    
    
• Texts that explore the stories surrounding the Declaration of Independence. Possibilities include reference books, encyclopedias, and specific texts, examples of which appear in the Independence Day Book List. (optional)
  
  
• General classroom supplies (paper, pens or pencils, chart paper or board, and so forth)
  
  
• Copy of the Declaration of Independence for each group (available in most American literature anthologies, history books and encyclopedias, or online from the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.)

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   K – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Printing Press

The interactive Printing Press is designed to assist students in creating newspapers, brochures, and flyers.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Common Myths about the Fourth of July
  
  
• Myth and Truth: The Declaration of Independence Presentation Rubric

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WEBSITES

• Liberty!—Philadelphia, 1776
• The Liberty Bell
• Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774–1789
• The Declaration of Independence: One of the Charters of Freedom
• The Declaration of Independence Home Page

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PREPARATION

Gather books and bookmark Websites from the Websites list. If computer access is not available, create printouts from the Websites for each group. Provide a copy of books for each group if resources allow. Groups may have slightly different reference resources (for instance, encyclopedias from different publishers), but all groups should have relatively the same collection of materials on hand. Naturally, you can encourage sharing among groups in the case of scarcer resources.

Make copies of the Common Myths about the Fourth of July handout and the Myth and Truth: The Declaration of Independence Presentation Rubric for all students or prepare overheads or chart paper with the information.

If students will use the tools to prepare their presentations, test the Printing Press and technical support page.

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