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The Fourth of July: A Day to Remember

 

As the nation prepares to celebrate another July 4th, Education World has searched the web for sites that will help teachers plan some fascinating -- and memorable -- lessons around the day and documents that shaped our country.

Let the Fireworks Begin!

First, get in the mood at Happy Birthday America (Independence Day on the Net). Here you'll find "The Story of America's Independence," the text of the Declaration of Independence, and even a recipe for "Mom's Apple Pie" set to patriotic music and surrounded by fireworks displays.

Then, ignite your students' interest with the following activities:

History -- make a timeline. Have students explore To Form a More Perfect Union to learn about the events leading up to the Declaration of Independence and the writing of the Constitution. Then ask them to create a timeline of the most important events.

Geography -- make a map. Invite students to go to ushistory.org and witness the founding of our nation via a virtual tour of Philadelphia.

Language -- create a class book. Provide each student with the name of one or more delegates to the Constitutional Convention and ask them to explore classroom, library, and online resources to find information about their assigned delegates. Then have students write brief biographies about the delegates and combine the biographies into a book. Repeat the above activity for the signers of the Declaration.

American government -- take a quiz. Invite students to take a Declaration of Independence Quiz. (Or try alternate quiz 1).

Reading for meaning -- write a constitution. Have students study the U.S. Constitution at The Constitution of the United States of America and then write their own.

Play a game. Have fun with the word searches, crossword puzzles, and more at education.com.

See additional lesson ideas on our special Fourth of July Holiday page.

Internet Resources: America's Documents

Declaring Independence
A timeline of events surrounding the Declaration of Independence. The site provides insight into the issues and agendas involved.

The Declaration of Independence: A History
An in-depth history of the Declaration of Independence from 1776 to the present from the National Archives and Records Administration.

U.S. Founding Documents
Displays scanned originals of freedom documents.

Library of Congress
The Library of Congress includes government information and access to Historical Documents; search all historical documents including early Congressional documents (including the Declaration of Independence), the Federalist Papers, and the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights and other amendments).

Internet Resources: Biographies

Surfing the Net With Kids
Links to sites about Ben Franklin.

Surfing the Net With Kids
Links to sites about George Washington.

Additional 4th of July Resources

The National Safety Council
Fireworks' facts and safety tips, including a reference page about state fireworks' laws.

The White House for Kids
Information about the U.S. government for younger students.

Colonial Currency
This site offers information on state and federal Colonial currency.

Rock the Vote
A pop-culture infused site dedicated to encouraging young people to register to vote.

The History Channel
A resource for U.S. and World History. The site includes the "This Day in History" page, at which students can look up historic events that occurred on any date.

 

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2008, 2017 Education World

 

Links last updated 06/11/2019