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American Revolution in Literature: My Brother Sam is Dead
Subject Area:
American History
Grade Level(s):
8
Duration of Activity:
Twelve to fifteen, 50-minute class periods
Description of Activity:
This is an interdisciplinary activity that allows students to become familiar with the American Revolution while they enjoy reading an historical novel. Students will read the book My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier in class. Students will improve their reading and listening skills while listening to an audiotape of the novel, answering questions from their reading and completing several technology and writing activities on the American Revolution.
Objectives:
- Students will improve their reading skills by reading a young adult novel set during American Revolutionary War times.
- Students will improve their computer skills by completing and submitting all work electronically.
- Students will become more familiar with the American Revolution and the people involved in this struggle.
- Students will understand the difficulties people had in deciding whether or not to support the American Revolution.
Materials/Equipment:
- Computers with Internet access
- Classroom set of the book My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
- Cassette player
- Audiocassette of My Brother Sam is Dead
- American history textbooks and library resources on the Revolutionary War
- Floppy diskettes, one per student
- Printer
- Microsoft Word or other word-processing software
- Microsoft Excel or other spreadsheet software
- Handout 1: Folder Checklist
- Handout 2: My Brother Sam is Dead Assignment Schedule
- Handout 3: The Road to Revolution Worksheet
- Handout 4: Vocabulary Worksheet (covering chapters 1-8 in the book)
- Handout 5: Reading Questions Worksheet (covering chapters 1-8 in the book)
- Handout 6: Liberty's Perspectives Worksheet
Prerequisites (skills or background needed):
Procedure
Teacher Component:
The teacher will
- review Handout 2: My Brother Sam is Dead Assignment Schedule and modify it to fit the scheduling requirements for his or her school situation.
- prepare floppy diskettes for distribution to the students. Each diskette should have a folder containing the digital files for all six handouts.
- give each student a floppy diskette. Have the students practice renaming the folder by adding their last names to the beginning of the folder name. This will make it easier for the teacher to organize the folders for assessment. Example: A folder labeled Novel_Worksheets would become Jones_Novel_Worksheets for John Jones or Simmons_Novel_Worksheets for Linda Simmons. When the folders are submitted to the teacher for review, they will automatically be arranged in alphabetical order by the students' last names.
- give each student hard copies of Handout 1: Folder Checklist and Handout 2: My Brother Sam is Dead Assignment Schedule. Explain how this unit will be conducted. Handout 1: Folder Checklist is a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet designed to automatically total students' accumulated points for the completion of each activity. The teacher will then verify the completion of the work using the checklist as a guide to ensure students accurately self-evaluated their own work.
- assign each student a copy of the novel My Brother Sam is Dead to use in the classroom.
- cue the audiocassette each day to the proper place for the day's reading.
- prepare and distribute all handouts on the days they are needed during the unit. Handouts should be completed electronically by the students.
- provide students with hard copies of Handout 4: Vocabulary and Handout 5: Reading Questions Worksheet for each day's reading. The students should make their notes on the hard copy as they read and transcribe the information to digital format as they edit their answers. The vocabulary words and questions cover chapters 1-8. Students should be focused on their reading by the end of chapter 8.
- give students instructions on how to complete each day's assignments.
- remind students to keep all work in their folder on the floppy diskettes. The final grade on this unit will be determined by the contents of this folder.
- allow the students to listen to the remaining chapters of the book in class.
- collect the diskettes and review the contents of the files to determine that the students comprehension of the novel is satisfactory.
- set aside time during each class period for the students to work on their assignments.
Student Activities:
The students will
- read Handout 1: Folder Checklist and Handout 2: My Brother Sam is Dead Assignment Schedule to understand all unit requirements.
- complete the introductory technology assignment, Handout 3: The Road to Revolution Worksheet. Students will go to http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/road.html and answer the questions from Handout 3: The Road to Revolution Worksheet.
- begin reading the novel, My Brother Sam is Dead. Each day the students read, they will define terms from Handout 4: Vocabulary Worksheet for chapters 1-8. Each day, the students will answer the questions from Handout 4: Vocabulary and Handout 5: Reading Questions Worksheet for chapters 1-8.
- complete the technology assignment, Handout 6: Liberty's Perspectives Worksheet. Students will go to http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/perspectives.html and answer the questions about different perspectives on the American Revolution.
- write a 250-word (2-page handwritten or 1-page typed) summary of the book My Brother Sam is Dead.
- draw an illustration about the American Revolution. The students may use Microsoft Paint or the drawing tools in Microsoft PowerPoint to create their illustrations. This file should be saved to the student's folder on his or her floppy disk. Students may also find a picture on the World Wide Web to use. If they choose to use images from the Web, they should cite all sources properly. The images should only be used within an educational setting one time unless the students have received permission from the creator to use the images in another context.
- save all work completed for this unit into a folder on floppy diskettes using Handout 1: Folder Checklist as a guide.
- self-evaluate their completed work using the guidelines found on Handout 1: Folder Checklist.
- submit their completed floppy diskettes to the teacher to verify their self-evaluation.
Accommodations:
- Students will be grouped in mixed ability levels so that peer assistance can occur. Students should be taught how to work as a team, utilizing the strengths of each member.
- Physical folders may be used in situations where computer access is limited.
- Students could be divided into teams and all work could be compiled into a team folder or floppy disk for a group grade rather than an individual grade. Limited computer access might make this accommodation necessary.
- Students with certain disabilities may find it difficult to key their information. Another student could key their findings in for them.
Extension Activities:
- Explore the American Revolution by searching the World Wide Web for Web sites and information and reporting their findings to the class.
- Students to could be assigned a historical figure from the American Revolution and asked to report facts about that person to the class in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.
- Students can complete group unit projects using the Web sites listed below. Students also should be allowed to develop their own projects with the teacher's approval.
- Lesson Plans: My Brother Sam is Dead
http://www.teachervision.fen.com/page/5751.html
Suggested projects include holding a debate on going to War with England, creating replicas and demonstrating games played by children during the Revolutionary War time period, in-depth illustration of the uniforms of the British and American soldiers. Research on background information for the debates as well as the types of toys can be conducted using online sources.
- Lesson Plans Library: Revolutionary War
http://school.discovery.com/lessonplans/lit.html
Click on "The Revolutionary War" Suggested projects include writing and delivering monologues from the viewpoint of a person living during the Revolutionary War. Monologues could be accompanied by Microsoft PowerPoint presentations or videotaped for presentation to the class.
- Mr. Fullerton's 5A Reading: My Brother Sam Is Dead
http://www.acsamman.edu.jo/~el/5A/reading/sam.html
Suggested projects include writing a newspaper editorial from Mr. Meeker's point of view, writing an advice column response to Tim Meeker who is confused about the war, designing movie posters about a movie based on the novel, and researching the roles of women during the Revolutionary War. Presentation, word-processing, and draw-paint programs could be used to create these projects.
- My Brother Sam Is Dead by Patty M. Blome
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/ofarrell/mybrosam/index.html
The suggested project is a time capsule related to the Meeker family's Revolutionary War experiences.
- Teacher CyberGuide: My Brother Sam Is Dead
http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/sam/samtg.html
The suggested project is a Revolutionary War timeline. Students could use concept-mapping software, desktop-publishing software, or word-processing software to create their timelines.
- Revolutionary War Hall
http://www.virtualology.com/virtualwarmuseum.com/revolutionarywarhall/
The site shows segments of historical documents that could serve as models for documents created by the students, which should be based in historical fact.
Integration:
- American History
- Language Arts
- Technology
Assessments:
- Teacher observation of participation and attention during class time
- Completion of activities listed on Handout 1: Folder Checklist and recording of the scores
URLs:
Curriculum Frameworks
Mississippi:
Eighth Grade
- Explain how geography, economics, and politics have influenced the historical development of the United States in the global community. (C, H, G, E)
- Identify the causes and effects of the American Revolution and describe the sequence of events that led to American victory.
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS):
- Exhibit legal and ethical behaviors when using information and technology, and discuss consequences of misuse. (2)
- Use content-specific tools, software, and simulations (e.g., environmental probes, graphing calculators, exploratory environments, Web tools) to support learning and research. (3,5)
- Design, develop, publish, and present products (e.g., Web pages, videotapes) using technology resources that demonstrate and communicate curriculum concepts to audiences inside and outside the classroom. (4, 5, 6)
TerraNova:
26 Historical and Cultural Perspectives (Level 11-21/22)
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of time, continuity, and societal change throughout history.
Demonstrate an understanding of concepts and process skills related to the study of the contributions, influences, and interactions of various cultures.
Construct answers and create solutions or products using inquiry skills and knowledge related to historical and cultural perspectives.
Link and Feedback to Author(s):
Tim West, Tupelo Middle School, Tupelo, MS
wwtimbo@hotmail.com
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