Fernando M. Reimers et a].

Revolution in any other variety of ways.) Students will read approximately
forty pages each week.

Each Friday (for example), short journal entries told from the perspective of
Johnny will be due. The journal entries will discuss the problems and issues
that are important to him and reflect on them. The teacher will give the
students some journal prompts that will tie together the historical themes
and the socioemotional themes.

The purpose of this section of the unit is to personalize and personify his~
torical understanding from the perspective of a (fictional) fourteen—year—old
main character who is imperfect (arrogant and a bully at the beginning of
the story) and then changes during the course of the story as he meets ad—
versity. As Johnny “meets” important figures of the American Revolution,
the “history” comes alive.

Activity 5.2.2

The Declaration of Independence

Note that this lesson starts with one part of the document itself. One of the
concluding activities of this unit is to read the entire document.

Start with this text: “We hold these truths to be self—evident, that all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalien—
able rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

Many of the revolutionary ideas are right here in this one sentence. The teacher
will direct a discussion on the meaning of each part of it. Model close reading

and thought about the meaning of each phrase as well as the sentence as a whole.

Use the following statements to extend the lesson. Divide the class into four
small groups and give each group one of the two sentences. In their small

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