Materials

• KWL chart
• Copy of Declaration of Independence
• Textbook, trade books, or other instructional materials
• Computer with Internet access

Instructional Activities

1. In this session, students will identify the reasons why the colonies went to war with England as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Visit <http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/vastudiesposter.html> for posters about the American Revolution. Visit <http://www.vahistorical.org/storyofvirginia.htm> for additional information on Virginia’s role in the American Revolution.
   
   
2. Have the students brainstorm what they think the word revolt means.
   
   
3. Create a KWL chart about the American Revolution, and share background information from various books.
   
   
4. Review the key facts about the French and Indian War. Explain to them that it was the turning point in reasons for wanting to be free and independent of English rule.
   
   
5. Tell the students that the colonists and the English Parliament disagreed over how the colonies should be governed.
   
   
6. Tell the students that the colonists communicated their feelings with each other and the king on several occasions and finally decided to declare their freedom from King George’s rule through a written document called the Declaration of Independence.
   
   
7. Show them the Declaration of Independence at <http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/> and tell them that a Virginian — Thomas Jefferson — was chosen to write this document. (In Session 9, spend more time discussing Thomas Jefferson’s contributions to Virginia and our nation.)
   
   
8. Explain that the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, states that authority to govern belongs to the people rather than to kings, and that all people are created equal and have rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
   
   
9. Explain that the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776, and it officially started the Revolutionary War with England.