My Side of the Story

A) General Curriculum Section

Objective: Students will write a persuasive letter using two key facts from the unit.
Grade Level: 4
Range of Students Current Levels of Performance:

Most students (e.g., John) understand that there are two armies
fighting in the Revolutionary war and know basic key details of the causes
and major events of the war.
Nita has already accomplished the objective (understands causes of the
Revolutionary War and why people fought for either side).
Andy has learned the major events and causes of the war but can only
remember a few key concepts.
Jo knows that there are two major armies of the Revolutionary War.
1) NYS Social Studies Learning Standard #1: Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to
demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning
points in the history of the United States and New York.
2) General Curriculum Procedures (applied curriculum & active learning):

i.
ii.

iii.
iv.

v.

vi.
vii.

Sequence of Instructional Activities

The lesson will begin with the teacher explaining that there is always more than one side
of a story. The teacher will then give examples to the students.
The students will watch a Brain pop video on the Causes of the American Revolution. The
teacher will then ask the students why a colonist might choose the side of a patriot during
the war using hints from the video.
The teacher will introduce the writing activity and provide an example. The teacher will
also provide a date range for the students so that they pick a date from the era.
Students will write a letter to someone about their reasons for choosing to be either a
loyalist or a patriot during the revolutionary war. Students must use two relevant facts that
they have learned about from the unit. They are required to have an intro, body, and
conclusion paragraph.
Students will be allowed to use any resource they have completed during the unit. They
are encouraged to use the Acts of the Revolutionary War flipchart and the vocabulary
sheet to help them. If students should choose, they can use a laptop or IPad to complete
their letter.
Students will then get their work corrected by a teacher.
Once their work has been corrected, they are to transfer their letters on to tea stained
paper. The letter will look aged and from the era. For students that typed their letter, the
teacher will print and then tea stain the paper.

B) Individualization Section:
1. Additional Instructional Supports (designed for Andy; available to all students)
Anticipated

Supplemental Aids & Materials

Reading

Writing (esp.
spelling)
Processing
(e.g.
remembering,
understanding,
etc.)

Problem Areas:
Reading all
printed
materials.
Writing
sentences for
his letter.
Remembering
key facts and
events of the
Revolutionary
War.

Provide in auditory form (e.g., audiotape, screen reader).

Allow Andy to use an iPad or a computer (whatever is

available) to write his sentences. Word prediction software will
be provided.
Provide a vocabulary sheet that has key vocabulary words
along with major events of the Revolutionary War flip chart.
Pictures will be provided on the vocabulary sheet.

2. Goal Adaptations
a. Enriched Curriculum: Nita will be encouraged to try a more complex writing assignment
for this lesson. She will be asked to use
b. Prioritized Curriculum:
i.
Description of Target Students (with severe disabilities)
Age: 9
Grade: 4
Type of Disability: Multiple disabilities
Annual IEP Goals:
1.
Print legible letters and numbers.
2.
Increase sight word vocabulary (to 90% of words 1-50 from the Dolch list).
3.
Improve articulation skills (pronounce words with initial s, z, f, v sound, clearly
enough for an acquaintance to understand).
4.
Improve number concepts (create models of numbers 1-50 using base 10 blocks)
5.
Improve pincer grasp.
6.
Improve handwashing skills.
7.
Improve turn taking skills.
8.
Improve street safety skills (indicate when it's safe to cross).
ii.

iii.

Students Role in the activity: Jo will participate in the large-group and small-group
discussion activities without any adaptation. This will allow her to work on her
articulation goal. The following General Curriculum concepts will be the focus for
Jo: Patriot, Loyalist, Stamp Act, and Boston Tea Party.
Jo will be unable to read the flip chart on her own; however she will have the
option to review these acts in a group where the flip chart will be read over with her
peers. She will be encouraged to use her finder or pencil to track the words as they
are read. This will address her sight word vocabulary goal.
Instead of writing sentences for the letter, Jo will dictate the sentences using
an IPad or computer. She will pick words that she thinks are important and copy
them down. It does not matter if the words are not In fact important because Jo will
be able to focus clearly on handwriting. This will allow her to work on her printing
goal.

IEP Goal(s) Being Addressed during this activity for the student.
Print legible letters and numbers

Increase sight word vocabulary (to 90% of words 1-50 from the Dolch list)
Improve articulation skills (pronounce words with initial s, z, f, v sound, clearly
enough for an acquaintance to understand).
C) Materials:
Brain Pop: Causes of the American Revolution In this video, Tim and Moby will inform
students of the major causes of the American Revolutionary War. Moby and Tim will
explain the tensions that formed between Britain and the original thirteen colonies. They
will also learn why colonists began to boycott British goods, and what role the Sons and
Daughters of Liberty played. Lastly, students will learn about the various taxes imposed on
British imports as well as what really went on at the Boston Tea Party.
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore: This book details how
colonists and loyalists lived during the time of the American Revolution. This book is an
extra resource for students as they work on their writing piece. It will give them insight on
how the world lived during this time period.
Vocabulary Words Sheet
Aged Paper
Acts of the Revolutionary War flip chart

Acts of the Revolutionary War Flipchart

Vocab Sheet

Vocabulary Words
Patriot People who lived in the
colonies and fought against the
British.

Loyalist People who supported the

British government during the
Revolutionary war.

Stamp Act - A law passed by the

British government in 1765 that
required the payment of a tax to
Britain on a great variety of papers
and documents, including
newspapers that were produced in
the American colonies.
Boston Tea Party - An act of defiance
toward the British government by
American colonists; it took place in 1773,
before the Revolutionary War. The
government in London had given a British
company the right to sell tea directly to
the colonies, thereby undercutting
American merchants.

13 Original Colonies - The thirteen British

colonies in North America that joined
together to form the original states of the
United States, including New Hampshire,
Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
and Georgia.

My Side of the Story: Writing Sample