Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan

Teachers, use this activity to develop an idea of how well your students understand the context of the Declaration of Independence, then do the Declaration of Independence Worksheet included with this Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan to further develop their comprehension.

Go to this U.S. History site that displays the text of the Declaration of Independence and read the Declaration of Independence with your students. Pick out key phrases such as "unalienable rights" and ask students to describe what this means based on the context of the Declaration of Independence. This is one way to assess students' understanding of the Declaration of Independence and its vocabulary. Some other key phrases to ask about are listed below.

• Just powers
• consent of the governed
• disposed to suffer
• right inestimable
• sent hither swarms

These are just some of the phrases that may need to be interpreted for your students. Peruse the Declaration of Independence and review other phrases that may need to be interpreted.

While some of the words and phrases in the Declaration of Independence may be understood using the context around them, others may be harder to comprehend for at least some of you students. That's why the Declaration of Independence Worksheet was created. The Declaration of Independence Worksheet is a vocabulary list that provides words that are essential to the understanding of the Declaration of Independence. Have students to do Declaration of Independence worksheet before moving on to the next Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan in this series so that that may have a greater understanding of the context of the Declaration of Independence.

When students finish with the Declaration of Independence Worksheet, discuss the terms and words with them that they struggle to understand. A good way to help them understand these terms is to ask them for examples of what the term means as pertains to the Declaration of Independence. You may also provide them with such examples as will help to develop their comprehension.