Tea + Salt Water = Fire + Gasoline

Here we go... That little stunt the colonists pulled at Griffin's Wharf in the Boston Harbor.... You know, the one where they thought it would be a brilliant act of defiance against British rule to dress up as American Indians, board British merchant ships holding 90,000 pounds of tea and dump all of it into the harbor. What were the colonists thinking and how would His Majesty react to such a scandalous act? "Take that, King George III!" a member of the Sons of Liberty was overheard saying. 

Hold your horses. Not so fast.

"Colonists" (aka students) arrived today delighted that it was "pay day" in the colonies. They eagerly waited for the payroll manager to visit them with the beloved "till" - hands out, ready to add a fresh sum of money to their stash and tally up their new fortune. You can imagine how quickly the mood changed when they learned that His Majesty, in response to the colonists little late night "escapade", declared several new acts; these Intolerable Acts were much more punitive in nature. It sure took the wind out of these scallywags' sails. In addition to a host of new laws that would hamper economic growth in the colony of Massachusetts, prohibit town meetings or the creation of government charters within the colonies, Parliament insisted that all colonists must hand over all of their money to the King to make up for the loss of income from the tea (this last part for purposes of our simulation to demonstrate the harshness of The Intolerable Acts). Let's just say it got loud. Real loud. Close to what some might even call [shhhh..whisper] anarchy. Such a harsh punishment might prove to be the end for the colonists. How would they support their families? How would they be able to keep their businesses open? How would the colony survive? Colonists firmly decided that something had to be done and they were pretty darn tired of letting the King decide their fate. In yet another act of defiance, colonists formed the First Continental Congress and held their meeting today to vote on opposing and rejecting these most recent laws, refusing to engage in any further trade with Great Britain, and establishing a Grand Council that would allow colonists to create their own laws, tax its own citizens and raise an army. Pardon me? Did the colonists just say "raise an army"? I think I smell a revolutionary war brewing...

Speaking of The Boston Tea Party... we spent some time this week analyzing political cartoons depicting this event and the presence of bias and how it can influence our beliefs and understanding of history. Students were very quick to detect the presence of bias in each of the images below. We discussed why one artist might depict the event as a heroic act of defiance, while another artist might show it as an unruly, criminal act? How does bias influence our own thinking? It was the perfect introduction to learning more about how to identify bias and think critically about information, always seeking to understand both sides of an issue and the quest for fact-based information to make informed decisions about not just history, but the world we live in today. This may be one of our most important explorations as fifth graders yet. 

(Above): See if you can identify the bias in each of these artistic interpretations of The Boston Tea Party.

(Above): Talk about angry protests...

(Above): Patriots deliver their strongest arguments in support of the congressional proposals. 

1. (Above): Colonists meet with their political groups and strategize for the congress. 
   

(Above): Chairpersons from two of the congressional meetings attempt to maintain order throughout the event.

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Hear Ye of Boston! The events in the "colonies" as of late... 

His Majesty has declared that in order to raise revenue for the empire, the following acts are necessary: Colonists must pay taxes on glass, tea, paper and paint purchased from Great Britain.  More spies, coast guard vessels, and officers will be employed to prevent smuggling.  Writs of assistance will be issued allowing these officials to search anyone at anytime without reason. These rebellious colonists were found in violation of this act (possessing paper purchased from Great Britain, of all things!). Tsk.Tsk. When will these foolish Patriots ever learn that His Majesty always knows what's best for them. 

It's Getting Rowdy In Here!

Tension certainly seems to be rising across the colonies as many British colonists express their anger over parliament's unfair laws that are being inflicted on them. They've begun to organize secretive groups aimed at undermining British rule in their colonies. They call themselves The Sons and Daughters of Liberty (aka Patriots).

Delegates (students) from nine of the thirteen colonies gathered in New York (Room 26) this week for a meeting of The Stamp Act Congress to express their opinion that all British subjects should have the right to vote on taxes through representatives. Delegates representing both the Patriots and Loyalist parties, as well as Neutralists, gathered to decide the fate of the Stamp Act and to seek acknowledgment of British citizens' [colonists] right to a trial by jury. Patriots and Loyalists spent some time preparing for the meeting by gathering evidence and strategizing with their respective parties on how to persuade the Neutralists to side with them, with the hope of garnering enough votes to persuade King George III and his parliament to repeal these new laws. It was quite a lively debate - the chairpersons surely had their work cut out for them as they tried to maintain peace and order during these meetings. At the conclusion of this session, a majority of the votes favored most of the Patriots' proposals. Looks like they're gaining momentum. As you can imagine, Patriots are now demanding to find out what will happen next.

Yikes. It sure is getting rowdy in here!

Left: Loyalists cheer as proposal #3 (We will not import or purchase British goods) receives a majority of 'nea' votes. Middle: Chairperson, "Mr. Cyrus Wiggins", attempts to keep the peace during the congressional meeting. Right: Delegates from the patriot party attempt to persuade neutralists to vote in favor of proposal #5 (The Stamp Act must be repealed by parliament).

The Road to the Revolution

It's been an eventful week in Room 26. War drama played out on stage, there was a war simulation, and we even received a visit from Her Majesty The Queen!

All had been relatively calm in "the colonies" until this week. We began the week learning about the causes and effects of the French and Indian War. Our understanding of this all-important event in our nation's history was played out on "stage" as students from each of my social studies classes performed a reader's theater script to gain a deeper understanding of the cause and effects and key people involved in the war. Later in the week, students enjoyed a game-based learning experience where they participated in a French and Indian War simulation, digging even deeper into why various groups of people were moving into the Ohio Valley and how and why it sparked a conflict. We ended the week with a visit from "The Queen" (acting on behalf of her husband, King George III). The Queen arrived with members of parliament and her tax collectors to assess taxes on the British colonists to help pay for the war debt and to further secure British territory. The colonists were none too pleased indeed. Bitter outrage ensued as taxes were assessed for various incidents and circumstances and money (aka Smarties candies) was slowly siphoned from the colonists. Are they beginning to get a sense of what taxation without representation means and how both Britain and the colonists felt about it? You bet and it's only the beginning...

Students perform a reader's theater script of the French and Indian War.  See if you can identify Colonel Washington.  :)

Fun with game-based learning: a French and Indian War simulation to help demonstrate how conflict arises and what it looks like as tension increases. These kids (playing the roles of Native American, French fur traders and British settlers) are all in!

Some of the British colonists publicly demonstrate their displeasure over taxation without representation. Booooo!

Book Clubs: Beyond the Book

This week, students participated in their third round of book club meetings (aka literature circles) related to our dystopian novel unit. Why a dystopian novel unit and what's all the hype?

Essentially, dystopian novels explore what life could be like if citizens don't pay attention to today's problems (environment, government, social issues, etc.). They offer a range of opportunities that promote the development of critical thinking skills and deep discussion. "Dystopian novels are known to be characterized by an imaginary future world or society, tightly controlled inhabitants, conformity as good and individuality as bad, and a main character who is frustrated by the controls and acts in spite of them." - James Patterson.

Hmmm… Perhaps this genre resonates with kids because, to some extent, they are beginning to experience some of the same challenges as the novels’ characters (relatively speaking, of course) - their struggles against unfair "authoritarian regimes” with little control over their own lives.

As a teacher, I love dystopian novels for their prevailing themes of HOPE and DETERMINATION. This genre inspires students to consider their own world beyond the book (the pinnacle of comprehension!). Maybe it's the idea that our world or society can change and that anyone, including young people (yes, even 5th graders), have the power to change it. What's more, is that these novels promote the development of empathy and analytical thinking skills - sure signs of maturing minds.

Top 3 Reasons Why Students 💜 book clubs:

1.They’re fun.

It’s a social learning experience. Students help each other understand a text and make sense of it. They use each other as resources and become independent learners. Students are expected to talk A LOT; to debate and argue their ideas. Students are encouraged to bring their experiences and feelings to the meetings and to share them.

2. They involve choice.  

Through the experience of a "book tasting", students are given the opportunity to evaluate a selection of books (in this case, a selection of six dystopian novels), rank the books according to their interests and from there, book club groups are formed. Choice leads to deeper engagement, increased intrinsic motivation, and an opportunity for guided decision-making.

3. Connections are made.  

When the classroom learning experience is positive, students feel more connected to school and are motivated to learn. This can lead to more positive academic interactions with classmates and teachers and overall increased academic success.

Aguilar, Elena. “The Power of Literature Circles in the Classroom.” Edutopia, 30 Nov. 2010
"Dystopian Genre: Why Kids Love Reading About The Bad Place." WeAreTeachers, 27 June 2017, www.weareteachers.com/the-bad-place-why-kids-love-dystopias-2/.