Here Ye, Here Ye

A WebQuest for 5th Grade History

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Introduction

This lesson was developed as part of an assignment for a graduate course at Chapman University.

This WebQuest is geared for students to learn more about the American Revolution.  The students will create a newspaper for the colonists during that time.  Along with using history books to gather information, students will also be using the computer to research on the internet.  Students will also be asked to create their newspaper using the computer.

Learners

This lesson is geared for fifth grade, social studies but could be modified to fit the needs of other grade levels learning about the American Revolution.  This lesson not only involves social studies but also reading comprehension, language arts, and computer skills.

Curriculum Standards

• Identify and map the major military battles, campaigns, and turning points of the Revolutionary War, the roles of the American and British leaders, and the Indian leaders' alliances on both sides.

• Understand the personal impact and economic hardship of the war on families, problems of financing the war, wartime inflation, and laws against hoarding goods and materials and profiteering.

• Students understand the course and consequences of the American Revolution.
  

Students will also be asked to use other skills than those in the standards.  Students will need to work with partners.  They will also need to use critical thinking skills to find information about the American Revolution.  To complete the opinion part of the newspaper students will need to  use their inferencing skills to determine how people felt about the war.  They will also need to be creative when creating their newspaper. 

Process

• Be creative

• Battle of the Week  Review the following websites with your students and show them where they can find information about battles.
  
• Include location, facts, important leaders, and any other information.
• American Revolution
• The American Revolution
  
• Hero of the Week  Review the following websites with students and show them where they can find information about soldiers.  Ensure they know all information needed.
  
• Choose a British soldier or colonial soldier.  Write a biography of this person including name, date born, importance in the war, and a picture.
• Midnight Riders
  
• Opinion Page  This may be more difficult for students.  Give background knowledge of what an opinion is.
  
• This section is where people can write in and say how they feel about the war.  Write a paragraph on how a colonist would feel about the war.  One in favor of the war and one against the war.
• Comic strip or cartoon  Show students some examples of comic strips or cartoons about the American Revolution.
  
• You will create a comic strip or cartoon that has to do with the war. 
  
• Look out for...  Review the following website with students and help them brainstorm ideas before they do research.
  
• What should colonists look out for?  (a British leader, Britians coming to their city, spies, etc.)
• Spy Letters of the American Revolution
  
• Graphics  Either show students where they can locate pictures or show them software where they can create their own graphics.
  
• Include a map with a caption or a picture with a caption.
• Liberty

• Instead of having students create their newspaper on the computer they may use paper.
  

Resources Needed

• Class sets of history books
• Word Processing software (enough copies for each student)
• Internet connection for every computer
• Other reference materials about the American Revolution
  
• Computer for every student or pairs of students
  

All websites are listed in Process.  You will want to look at these before you give the lesson.

One teacher would be fine to implement this lesson.  However, if parents were knowledgeable about computers and would like to help out this would be an appropriate time to use them.  You may also need to set up time with the computer lab technician to ensure that you will have time to complete the lesson.

Evaluation

This lesson will be successful if each pair of students is able to create a newspaper with all of the required content.  It will also be successful if each student is able to accurately answer questions related to the stories written in their newspaper.  Students will be able to name information about a specific battle and either a British or American leader.  Students will also be telling a point of view about the hardships of war.

Credits & References