Watch a Video: The Declaration of Independence
Discuss: Based on the video, why did the Colonies want freedom from England?
Students will uncover details about the Declaration of Independence, one of our nation’s founding documents.
Lesson Plan - Secrets of the Declaration of Independence
Learning Objective
Text Structure
Question and Answer
Content-Area Connections
U.S. History
Standards Correlations
CCSS: RI.3.1, RI.3.2, RI.3.3, RI.3.4, RI.3.5, RI.3.6, RI.3.7, RI.3.8, RI.3.10, L.3.4, SL.3.1
NCSS: Time, Continuity, and Change
TEKS: Social Studies 3.1
1. Preparing to Read
The Declaration of Independence
Watch a video to learn more about this important American document.
Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know.
- declared
- traitors
Set a Purpose for Reading
Have students think about why many Americans consider the Declaration of Independence a treasure.
2. Close-Reading Questions
1. What are two important ideas described in the Declaration of Independence?
Two important ideas in the Declaration of Independence are that everyone is created equal and that everyone has basic rights.
(RI.3.2 MAIN IDEA)
2. What is one thing that is still a mystery about the Declaration, based on the article?
One thing that is still a mystery about the Declaration is how a handprint got on the lower left side of the document.
(RI.3.1 TEXT EVIDENCE)
3. What is the purpose of the numbers in the yellow circles?
The author uses the numbers in yellow circles to organize the questions and answers. The numbers tell readers in what order to read the information.
(RI.3.5 TEXT FEATURES)
3. Skill Building
FEATURED SKILL: Reading a Chart
Page 8 features an overview of the Declaration and the U.S. Constitution. Use the skill builder “Comparing Documents” to have students do a more detailed comparison.
(RI.3.8 COMPARISON)
Text-to-Speech