I love the USA!

I can't imagine living anywhere else in the world than the United States.  We are so blessed!  I love to create lessons that get kids excited about our country's history.  Here are some of my favorite American Revolution resources.


1.  Liberty's Kids - This 2002 video series covers the American Revolution from the Boston Tea Party to the Constitutional Convention. They really help to bring the events to life.  

Episode 1 - The Boston Tea Party 

To extend the lesson, there is a fun feature at the Liberty's Kids website called "Then & Now".  These short episodes report on the differences between colonial life and today.  The kids really love them!


2. Midnight Rider Virtual Museum - This is an awesome webquest that incorporates lots of differentiated activities.  It can simply be reviewed or the class can be broken into groups to complete activities. The teachers guide includes all the blackline masters and rubrics to assess.  You can even build a model of Paul Revere's house. My favorite part is exposing the children to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's historical poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere".  

3.  "Will You Sign Here, John Hancock" by Jean Fritz - What U.S. History unit would be complete without including a Jean Fritz book?  I love using this book to highlight one of the most important signers of the Declaration of Independence.  John Hancock was a colorful character and the book is very witty.  It makes a great short read-aloud (be sure to preview as there is one word to change on page 12).   I guarantee that your students will never forget John Hancock after reading this book.

  
Have a fun Fourth!  

q Diane r