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The Fourth of July -- A Day to Remember!
 Polls
reveal that Americans know surprisingly little about their country's
history. Education World remembers --- and celebrates America's
struggle for independence with 13 patriotic activities, one for
each of the original colonies!
See additional lesson ideas on our special Fourth
of July Holiday page.
- In a recent
Constitution Poll commissioned by the National Constitution Center,
fewer than 50 percent of the respondents knew how many U.S. Senators
there are; only 6 percent could name the four rights guaranteed
by the First Amendment; and 84 percent thought the Constitution
states that "all men are equal."
- An American
History quiz among 1000 adults in the United States revealed that two-thirds
of respondents didn't know that the Declaration of Independence
was signed in Philadelphia and one-third didn't know that the
Fourth of July is celebrated to mark the adoption of the Declaration
of Independence.
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.
Technology -- create a Web page. Have students read U.S.
History Timeline, a description of a project created by 5th
grade students in Oregon. Challenge your students to create their
own Web pages on a topic related to the Revolutionary period.
American government -- take a quiz. Invite students to
take a
Declaration
of Independence Quiz. (Or try alternate quiz 1 or alternate quiz 2.
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 ecard, puzzles, and more at Kids' Turn Central: Independence Day.
Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2007 Education World
Related Resources
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.
THOMAS: Legislative Information on the Internet
A service of the U.S. Congress through its Library. It 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
The Price They Paid
Explains in general terms what happened to the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
Surfing the Net With Kids
Links to sites about Thomas Jefferson.
Surfing the Net With Kids
Links to sites about Ben Franklin.
Surfing the Net With Kids
Links to sites about George Washington.
INTERNET RESOURCES: MORE QUIZZES!
Test Your Red, White, and Blue IQ!
A quiz about early American history and 1830s celebrations from Old Sturbridge Village.
Declaration of Independence Quiz 1
Declaration of Independence Quiz 2
Declaration of Independence Quiz 3
Related Sites
ADDITIONAL 4TH OF JULY WEB SITES
The National Council on Fireworks Safety
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.
A Hypertext on American History
Complete historical information from the Revolution to Reconstruction.
Colonial Currency
This site offers information on state and federal Colonial currency.
Rock the Vote
A hip-hop site dedicated to encouraging urban youth 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.
Originally published 06/22/1998
Links last updated 06/05/2007
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