help my brother teach 5th graders how to write about history!

April 11, 2010 8:18 PM

Help with Grade 5 Writing Project (related to Thomas J and Declaration of Independence)

Asking for my brother, who is currently student teaching in a Grade 5 classroom : My grade 5 students have classified information into categories. They have categories about Thomas Jefferson and categories related to the Declaration of Independence. I am trying to think of a writing assignment where they can refer to several of their categories. I'd like them to speak factually in reference to their categories and then write their own opinion or conjecture. I've thought about asking them to relate their categories to their own opinions about separation from England or the future of America after 1776. Do you have ideas for the opinion or conjecture portion?

posted by DuckGirl to Education (4 answers total)

Could he ask them to pretend to be a colonist, writing a letter to a family member or friend back in England about American independence? It could be partially factual- letting the family member know what was going on in the colonies, and partially opinion/conjecture- the "colonist" sharing his concerns, hopes, whatever. He could either have them design their own colonist, or make up a few character sketches of typical colonist. I remember doing this kind of activity a lot in elementary school social studies, and it was usually the highlight of the unit.
posted by MadamM at 8:26 PM on April 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Ask to write their own (condensed) version of the Declaration.
posted by bardic at 8:38 PM on April 11, 2010

Or, related to what MadamM suggests, have them do a couple of things related to understanding multiple POVs: 1) use a graphic organizer to speculate or itemize perspectives on the items in their categories from three different POVs: the American colonists, the British gov't, and their own opinions, and then 2) have them write editorials to the newspaper from each of the POVs.
posted by hapax_legomenon at 10:46 PM on April 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

hapax_legomenon I really like that idea. I like the idea of them writing letters of that nature. Perhaps your brother could take this as a chance to teach them about the early newspapers and broadsheets? How about having them write a broadsheet type item from these points of view?

How about have them pretend to be Jefferson himself and write a letter to the people of the colonies explaining why they should risk life, limb, and property to fight the British? Or have some write a reply to the Declaration as British Loyalists?
posted by strixus at 11:59 PM on April 11, 2010