As students watch they complete an interactive note-sheet with fill-in-the-blanks, comprehension and critical thinking questions, and a thinking map. The driving question of the video is what events led the colonists to not just want their rights back but to declare independence? It covers the Olive Branch Petition, Thomas Paine’s Common Sense, and how Thomas Jefferson was selected to write the Declaration of Independence that defined the new nation. It explains the main ideas in the document and how ironically, it ignored slavery while promoting human rights for all men, but how it served as an ideal for the nation to strive to live up to throughout history.
After the video students can complete a quick quiz to check for understanding. There is a PDF for print our or a Google Form auto-graded quiz as well. Then, there is an optional extension activity where students closely read the preamble to the Declaration of Independence and match its main ideas to short summaries to help them comprehend the important values in the document that helped to define the United States. After the matching activity, they answer a few comprehension and critical thinking questions. Engaging and approachable for diverse learners!
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