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March 12-14, 1998

EXPLORING THE PAST
Grade Level: First Grade
Presented by: Mary Coughlin, Sernq Elementary, San Antonio, Texas
Stephanie Wachsman, Serna Elementary, San Antonio, Texas
Length of Unit: Ten lessons


I. ABSTRACT
Young explorers experience adventure during a ten day journey beginning in Colonial America. In time, they relive the Boston Tea Party, ride with Paul Revere, and sign the Declaration of Independence with Thomas Jefferson. With their new freedom, the young pioneers accompany Lewis and Clark on their early exploration of the west. Through their travels, students will gain an understanding of historical events and leaders from Colonial times through the westward expansion of America.
OVERVIEW
Students will gain an understanding of historical events and leaders from colonial times through the westward expansion of America.
The specific content from the Core Knowledge Sequence to be covered includes: Christopher Columbus, the thirteen original colonies, the Boston Tea Party, the Minutemen and Redcoats, Paul Revere, the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, Daniel Boone, the Louisiana Purchase, the explorations of Lewis and Clark, George Washington, the Liberty Bell, and the U.S. flag.
Specific skills to be taught are responding to literature through illustrations and dramatizations, sequencing, comparing and contrasting, map skills, and cause and effect.

III. BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Hirsch, Jr. E.D. What Your First Grader Needs To Know: Fundamentals of a Good First-Grade
Education. New York: Dell Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-385-31026-9
Fradin, Dennis. The Declaration of Independence. Chicago: Children's Press, 1988. ISBN 0-516-01153-7
Greene, Carol. Daniel Boone Man of the Forests. Chicago: Children's Press, 1990. ISBN 0-516-04210-6
Wilkie, Katharine. Daniel Boone Taming the Wilds. New York: Chelsea Juniors, 1991. ISBN 0-7910-14070x
IV. RESOURCES
Chalk, Gary. Yankee Doodle. New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1993. ISBN 1-56458-202-7
Gleiter, Jan and Kathleen Thompson. Paul Revere. Austin: Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishers, 1995. ISBN 0-8114-8452-1
Marzollo, Jean. In 1776. NewYork: Scholastic, Inc., 1994. ISBN 0-590-46973-8
McGovern, Ann. If You Lived in Colonial Times. NewYork: Scholastic, Inc., 1964. ISBN 0-590-45160-x
V. LESSONS
A. Lesson One: Thirteen Colonies
1. Objective/Goal
The student will identify and locate the thirteen original colonies.
2. Materials
a. Labeled colony puzzle pieces (enlarged for class activity see appendix A)
b. Labeled colony puzzle pieces (enlarged for cooperative group activity; see appendix A)
c. Butcher paper for group work
d. Journal page one (see appendix B)
e. Time line picture and beginning year of thirteen colonies
f. Large time line (An ongoing project used throughout the unit)
3. Prior Knowledge for Students
a. The students will have a basic understanding of Christopher Columbus and his voyages.
4. Key Vocabulary
Colony - A settled territory
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Students brainstorm knowledge of Christopher Columbus and his voyages. Place year and picture of Columbus on large time line.
b. Using a large map of the United States, the teacher leads discussion of identifying and comparing the land that Columbus found to the original colonies.
c. Prior to the lesson teacher prepares enlarged pieces of floor map puzzle.
d. Given the floor map puzzle pieces of the thirteen colonies, students assemble the puzzle, glue onto butcher paper, and display.
d. Teacher leads discussion about Europeans settling the early colonies using the following information:
Europeans began settling the colonies beginning in 1577, approximately one hundred years after the voyages of Columbus.
1587 - North Carolina
1607 - Virginia
1620 - Massachusetts
1623 - New Hampshire
1625 - New York
1631 - Maryland
1636 - Rhode Island and Connecticut
1638 - Delaware
1660 - New Jersey
1670 - South Carolina
1682 - Pennsylvania
1733 - Georgia
In fear of Spain taking control of the New World, English ships would try to capture Spanish ships. The Spanish ships were returning from the New World carrying riches.
Wanting to own these treasures for themselves, Europeans set out to North America. Sir Walter Raleigh sailed to present day North Carolina to establish the first colony. The settlers searched for riches and traded with the Indians. The settlers didn't find any riches. The Indians stopped trading because of the settlers bragging about their homeland,. Since the Indians stopped trading, the settlers had no food and therefore, returned to England. The English successfully settled Virginia in 1607 with the help of John Smith. John Smith led the colonists to settle the land and take care of themselves by planting corn. Over the next century, people from all over Europe began to move to America. This led to the development and settlement of the thirteen original colonies.
e. Add colonies picture and year to time line.
f. Prior to the lesson, teacher prepares enlarged colony puzzle pieces.
g. Cooperative groups put together and glue a thirteen colonies puzzle and share.
h. Students complete page one of history journal by coloring.
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of participation, following directions, completion of group project, and journal.
B. Lesson Two: Colonist Lifestyle
1. Objective/Goal
The student will compare and contrast Colonial life and our life today.
2. Materials
a. If You Lived in Colonial Times by McGovern
b. Large Venn Diagram
c. Facts written on sentence strips (SEE APPENDIX C)
d. Posterboard
3. Prior Knowledge
Students will have basic understanding of the thirteen colonies.
4. Key Vocabulary
Colony - A settled territory
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher reads and discusses the following pages from If You Lived in Colonial Times by McGovern: 18-25 (school life), 40-41 (laws), 44-47 (houses and bathing), and 50-53 (working and playing).
b. Prior to lesson, teacher prepares written facts using information from the pages read above and facts about life today. Teacher records these on sentence strips.
c. Class uses the Venn Diagram to classify the facts. The three categories are: Colonial Times, Today Times, and Both.
d. Students make a hornbook using posterboard as the wood and one piece of paper attached to each side.
e. Students write a response on their hornbook to the following question: "What should children be able to read and write before leaving Dame School?."
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of participation and completion of the hornbook.
C. Lesson Three and Four: Daniel Boone
1. Objective/Goal
a. The student will reenact Daniel Boone's "Blazing a Trail."
b. The student will identify and label Daniel Boone's westward trail to Kentucky.
2. Materials
a. Ten large trees
b. Paint
c. Die-cut leaves for forest floor
d. Enlarged mural pieces (SEE APPENDIX A )
e. Mural labels (SEE APPENDIX A)
f. Journal page two (SEE APPENDIX B)
g. Time line picture and year of Daniel Boone
h. Time line
3. Prior Knowledge
Students will have a basic understanding of the thirteen original colonies and colonial life.
4. Key Vocabulary
a. Trail Blazer - A person who marks a trail in the wilderness for people to follow.
b. Wilderness Road - The cleared land through the Cumberland Gap leading to Kentucky.
c. Cumberland Gap - The area of land in the Appalachian Mountains between Virginia and Kentucky.
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher introduces Daniel Boone as a Trail Blazer and discusses "blazing a trail" using the following information: Daniel Boone helped settle the land in America by leading Colonists from Virginia to Kentucky. He "blazed a trail" by marking trees with paint or cuts so others could follow. Colonists were eager to move west, but they needed Daniel Boone's help. Despite attacks by Indians, Boone crossed the Appalachian Mountains and traveled through the Cumberland Gap leading him to Kentucky. Boone and his followers cleared this Wilderness Road for easier travel by the Colonists.
b. Add Daniel Boone picture and year to time line.
c. Students reenact "blazing a trail."
1. Prior to the lesson, the teacher creates a wilderness scene using large cardboard trees, leaves, vines, etc.
2. A small group of students "blaze a trail" by marking the trees and then "disappear" at the end of the trail and wait for others to find them.
3. The rest of the class follows the trail to find the students that "disappeared."
d. Students create a class mural depicting Daniel Boone's travels.
1. Students work in small groups to paint and label Virginia, Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Appalachian Mountains, Cumberland Gap, and the Wilderness Trail.
2. Class assembles mural.
e. Students complete page two of history journal by coloring.
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of participation, following directions, completion of group project, and journal.
D. Lesson Five: Boston Tea Party
1. Objective/Goal
The student will reenact the Boston Tea Party.
The student will identify the causes and effects of the Boston Tea Party.
2. Materials
a. Prepared Mohawk headbands
b. A replica of a ship
c. Tea "boxes"
d. Blue paper for water
e. Time line picture and year of the Boston Tea Party
f. Time line
g. Journal page three (SEE APPENDIX B)
h. Yankee Doodle by Chalk
3. Prior Knowledge
The student will have a basic understanding of the thirteen colonies, colonial life, and the westward movement.
4. Key Vocabulary
Harbor - A sheltered part of a body of water deep enough to provide anchorage for ships
5. Procedures/Activities
a. The class role-plays the following scenario:
1. The teacher plays the part of King George.
2. Half of the class plays Europeans and half plays Colonists.
3. King George (the teacher) passes out tea bags and money (two dimes) to each child.
4. King George collects ten cents from the Europeans as payment for the tea.
5. King George collects twenty cents from the Colonists as payment and taxes for the tea.
6. Class discusses feelings and fairness of the role-played scenario.
b. Teacher discusses taxation and the Boston Tea Party using the following information and pages six and seven from Yankee Doodle by Chalk.
Even though the Colonists wanted to be independent of England's rule, they still depended on them for commodities such as sugar, tea, paper, paint, and newspapers. The Colonists liked to drink tea, a custom brought from England. England placed a tax on tea to help pay for a war fought against France. Colonists rebelled against this tax because England continued to take control over the colonies. The Colonists wanted to be a part of making their own laws. They rioted by dressing up as Mohawk Indians, boarding ships in Boston Harbor, and dumping the tea into water.
c. The class reenacts the Boston Tea Party.
1. Give each student a prepared headband to wear.
2. Teacher chooses about five students to board the ship and throw the tea over.
3. The rest of the class offers encouragement by cheering those that boarded the ship.
d. Add Boston Tea Party picture and date to time line.
e. Students complete page three of journal by coloring.
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of participation, following directions, completion of group project, and journal.
E. Lesson Six: Paul Revere, the Minutemen, and the Redcoats
1. Objective/Goal
The student will reenact Paul Revere's ride.
The student will illustrate and sequence Paul Revere's ride.
2. Materials
a. First Bibliographies Paul Revere by Gleiter and Thompson
b. Props
1. Red coats made out of butcher paper
2. Lanterns made with boxes and tissue paper
3. Horse (a stick play horse)
4. Church window (cut out of a large piece of cardboard)
5. Colonists hats (made out of white butcher paper)
c. Time line picture and date of Paul Revere
d. Time line
e. Journal page four (SEE APPENDIX B)
3. Prior Knowledge
The student will have a basic understanding of the colonies, Colonial life, westward expansion, and the Boston Tea Party.
4. Key Vocabulary
a. Minutemen - Colonist soldiers who were able to get ready to fight in a minute
b. Redcoats - British soldiers
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher reads First Biographies Paul Revere by Gleiter.
b. Teacher uses the book and the following information for discussion.
With problems arising, Colonists were beginning to distrust the King. The Colonists were preparing for war by having men ready to fight in a minutes notice. Therefore, they were known as "Minutemen." The British soldiers, "Redcoats." were also ready to fight. The Colonists watched to see if the British soldiers were approaching. One Colonist, Paul Revere, developed the plan to tell which way the British were approaching. A Colonist would hang lanterns in the Old North Church Tower. One lantern would be hung if the British were coming by land and two lanterns if by sea. Thus, the famous saying "One if by land, two if by sea." One night Paul Revere saw two lanterns in the tower and he knew the British were coming by sea. He rode his horse through town warning the Colonists that the British were coming. As he called out "The Redcoats are coming! The Redcoats are coming!" the minutemen prepared to fight. The following day in Lexington, the Minutemen and the Redcoats met. The "shot heard around the world" was fired and the American Revolution began on April 19, 1775.
c. Add Paul Revere's picture and date to time line
d. Students reenact Paul Revere's ride. Characters: Paul Revere, Minutemen, Redcoats, Colonist to hang lanterns
e. Groups illustrate an assigned part of Paul Revere's ride and class sequences pictures.
1. Old North Church tower and lanterns
2. Paul Revere on horse
3. Colonists waking and preparing to fight
4. Minutemen
5. Redcoats
6. Minutemen and Redcoats meeting
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of participation and completion of group project.
F. Lesson Seven: The Declaration of Independence
1. Objective/Goal
The student will discuss and create a class Declaration of Independence.
2. Materials
a. Journal cover of Declaration of Independence (SEE APPENDIX B)
b. In 1776 by Marzollo
c. Butcher paper for class Declaration of Independence
d. A class set of "quill pens" by attaching feathers to pens
e. Time line picture and year of Declaration of Independence
f. Time line
3. Prior Knowledge
The students will have a basic understanding of the thirteen colonies, colonial life, westward expansion, the Boston Tea Party, and the conflicts between the Colonists and the British.
4. Key Vocabulary
There are no new vocabulary terms for this lesson.
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher reads In 1776 by Marzollo.
b. Teacher uses the book and the following information to lead a discussion on the Declaration of Independence.
Throughout the American Revolution, the Colonists held meetings to discuss fairer treatment from Britain. They requested that King George III end unfair taxing. The king did not respond to this request, so the Colonists decided to break away from Britain. In June of 1776, a committee was formed to write a document declaring independence from Britain. The author, Thomas Jefferson, drafted the Declaration of Independence declaring that all men were created equal. On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration was signed by each member of the committee. Each year on July 4th, Americans celebrate their independence.
c. Add Declaration of Independence picture and year to time line.
d. Class dictates their ideas for a class Declaration of Independence while teacher records on butcher paper.
e. Each student signs the class Declaration of Independence using a quill pen.
f. Each student receives their journal cover (the Declaration of Independence), their own quill pen, and students take turns signing each others covers.
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of participation and following directions.
G. Lesson Eight: The Louisiana Purchase
1. Objective/Goal
The student will identify the Louisiana purchase.
The student will identify Lewis and Clark as explorers of the west.
2. Materials
a. Maps for "pyramid" (SEE APPENDIX D)
b. Paper for "pyramid"
c. Time line picture and date of the Louisiana Purchase
d. Journal page five (SEE APPENDIX B)
3. Prior Knowledge
The student will have a basic understanding of the thirteen colonies, colonial life, westward expansion, the Boston Tea Party, the conflicts between the Colonists and the British, and the Declaration of Independence.
4. Key Vocabulary
There are no new vocabulary terms for this lesson.
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Using a map and the following information, the teacher will lead a discussion on the Louisiana Purchase: In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson bought 827,987 square miles of land from France for about $15 million. This land lay between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, and stretched from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border. This purchase of land doubled the area of the United States. After the purchase, President Thomas Jefferson developed a plan to explore this new land. He chose William Clark and Meriwether Lewis to lead this expedition. They took approximately fifty others to begin their travels. They traveled up the Missouri River into North Dakota. For the winter they set up camp in North Dakota. In the spring of 1805, Lewis and Clark continued to travel west into Montana. They encountered the most difficult part of their journey as they crossed the Rocky Mountains. After crossing the mountains, the explorers reached the Pacific Ocean in the Fall of 1805. In the spring of 1806, Lewis and Clark split their expedition in two for the return trip to Missouri.
b. Students make a "pyramid" out of paper.
c. Students color, cut, and glue the three maps from Appendix D onto the three sides of the pyramid. One side will show the land the United States owned before the
Purchase, one side will show the Louisiana Purchase, and one side will show the amount of land the United States owned after the Louisiana Purchase.
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of following directions and completion of independent assignment.
H. Lesson Nine: Symbols of the United States
1. Objective/Goal
The student will identify and create some symbols of the United States.
2. Materials
a. One large Liberty bell cut out of cardboard
b. Aluminum foil
c. One large pencil drawn American flag on white butcher paper
d. Red and blue paint
e. Fifty white die-cut stars
f. One large picture of George Washington cut into puzzle pieces from posterboard g. Timeline picture and year for the Liberty Bell and George Washington.
3. Prior Knowledge
The students will have a basic understanding of the thirteen colonies, colonial life, westward expansion, the Boston Tea Party, the conflicts between colonists and the British, and the Louisiana Purchase.
4. Key Vocabulary
There are no new vocabulary terms for this lesson.
5. Procedures/Activities
a. Teacher introduces George Washington, the Liberty Bell, and the American Flag using the following information: George Washington was a leader during the American Revolution. He did not agree with the laws the British king passed and he wanted America to be free to make their own laws. Washington helped with the creation of the Constitution which stated that the country should have a president for their leader. Chosen people from each state voted for George Washington as their first President. Washington served eight years as President of the United States. The Liberty Bell was rung in 1776 to announce the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Bell symbolizes the early days of American Independence. The Bell was rung each year from 1776 until 1835 on the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. The Bell broke on July 8, 1835 while being rung during the funeral of John Marshall, Chief Justice of the United States. The Liberty Bell is no longer rung but it has been struck on special occasions. The Bell hangs in Liberty Bell Pavilion in Pennsylvania.
The United States Flag, also known as "Stars and Stripes," symbolizes the land, the people, the government, and the ideals of the United States no matter where it is displayed. The stripes red and white stripes stand for the original thirteen colonies. The stars represent the fifty states.
b. Students work in cooperative groups to create one of the following projects.
1. George Washington - Given the prepared puzzle pieces, students will piece puzzle together, mount, and color.
2. Liberty Bell - Given the prepared cut out of the Liberty Bell, students will cover with aluminum foil.
3. American Flag - Given the prepared flag, students will paint the flag and add the stars.
c. Add Liberty Bell and George Washington pictures and years to timeline.
6. Evaluation/Assessment
Evaluation will consist of following directions, group participation, and completion of group project.
VI. CULMINATING ACTIVITY
The class will play a jeopardy game using the information they learned from this unit.
The categories will include the thirteen colonies, colonial life, people, events, and the Declaration of Independence. (SEE APPENDIX E)
Suggestions for the day: Invite parents with a special invitation and serve punch and a patriotic cake.
The timeline, student's work, and props from the unit should be displayed throughout the room for students to share with parents.

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