Boston Field Trip

We just came back from our 6th annual U.S. History field trip to Boston (6th year I've planned the trip, different group of kids each year, of course)!  We started the day with lunch at Quincy Market, followed by a 90 minute guided walking tour of the Freedom Trail, then finished with a tour of the U.S.S. Constitution.  This trip is a great way for the students to see some of the places they've been reading and learning about in regards to the American Revolution and colonial American history.

Lunch & Exploring Quincy Market

Tour of the Freedom Trail with Costumed Guides

Tour of the USS Constitution (saw battle in the War of 1812)

Rise to Rebellion

We are starting a unit on the American Revolution.  As a way to discuss viewpoint and perspective, we look at the events surrounding the Boston Massacre from multiple sources, one of which is by reading a chapter from the novel Rise to Rebellion.

The first chapter of the historical fiction novel is from the perspective of a British soldier, Hugh White, who is stationed in Boston in the early 1770s.  He is standing guard in front of a custom house when he is antagonized by a group of rowdy young men.  The events that follow would become known as the Boston Massacre.

We then view the opening scene of the HBO mini-series John Adams in which Adams comes upon the scene just after the Bostonians have been shot by the Redcoats.

 

A third perspective is offered when viewing and interpreting Paul Revere's famous etching in which he termed this event 'The Bloody Massacre':

We finish the exercise on perspective by reading primary source accounts from the perspective of Captain Prescott, a British officer involved in the incident, and an anonymous colonist's account of the event.  This leads us in to a discussion about fact vs. interpretation when it comes to history.

5th Grade Field Trip

The day has finally arrived when we were able to share the American Revolution children's books with the 5th graders!!  This was the first time I did this project with my classes (I'm always trying to think of new and creative projects) and I think it went really well, overall.  The students seemed to enjoy their visits with the 5th graders and most books turned out great!  The skills the students used to complete this project were creative writing, editing/peer editing, historical research, blending history with fiction, and certainly cooperative learning because this was a group project.   Here is a video I created with pictures from the field trip...Enjoy!

Maine Author Visit

Today (October 14th) we were fortunate to have Maine author Lea Wait come to speak to the US History classes about writing historical fiction books for young adults.  Students are in the process of writing their own historical fiction books on the American Revolution that will be shared with 5th grade students in our school district.  We thought this would be a great opportunity to bring in Ms. Wait so she could speak to the students about the writing and research process for this type of book.  You can visit her website here if you'd like to learn more about Lea.  Here are some pictures from today's event:

Lea brought in several historical items, including this map from the 1700s, which students could reference for place names to be included in their stories.

Here the students are checking out the other items that Lea brought...she is holding a portable tin oven!

Lea explains the different types of clothing worn in the 1770s.

Helping with questions and research

The students had time to work in their book project groups, discussing and developing ideas for characters and plot as well as incorporating historical events into their stories.

Working cooperatively!

Once the books are completed, I hope to post more pictures when we take a field trip down to the 5th grade classes to have those students read the stories back to my students!