a nation begins ryan myers ed 608-01 dr. helms. common sense 7 th grade thomas paine’s common...
TRANSCRIPT
A Nation Begins
Ryan Myers
ED 608-01
Dr. Helms
Common Sense
• 7th grade• Thomas Paine’s
Common Sense• Persuasive writing• The Declaration of
Independence
Objectives
• Students will be able to:
• Read and understand Common Sense by Thomas Paine
• Identify the passages that are persuasive
• Write a persuasive paper about a topic of their choosing
Materials Needed
• Classroom set of Common Sense
• Each student should have lined paper and a writing utensil
• Overhead projector
• Dry erase marker
• TV and VCR
• The Constitution Video
Web Sites
• www.encyclopedia.com
• www.encarta.com• www.britannica.com• www.art.com• http://teachers.teach-n
ology.com
Student Activities
• Students will do the following:
• Read Common Sense• Watch a video about
the Constitution• Participate in a class
discussion of both the reading and video
• Help to generate a list of topics that they can take sides on
• Write a persuasive letter of their own using one of the topics
Common Sense
• Written by Thomas Paine to persuade others to join the fight for independence
• A well written argument in the classic sense, not the modern terms of an argument
Reading
• Students will now read Common Sense
• Each student should have their own copy of the brief work
Video Presentation
• Students will now watch the video titled The Constitution: The Compromise that Made a Nation
• Students are to decide if this was the right thing to do
Discussion Time
• Students will brainstorm a list of topics for a persuasive letter
• Teacher will lead discussion and write ideas on the overhead
How did this all lead to a new nation?
• Students should discuss how they think these rhetorical writings help lead to the new nation
The Declaration of Independence
• What effect did Paine’s pamphlets have on this happening?
• Was his argument persuasive enough to make you rebel against your king and country?
A poem for the nation
• Is this a persuasive piece of writing?
• If so, is it effective?• Which would you
choose to persuade others? A poem? An essay? A picture perhaps?
Web Related Sites
• Students are free to browse the web after the slide show to check out the list of related web sites
Writing the Argument
• Students will write their persuasive letter stating both fact and opinion just as Paine did in Common Sense
Revising the Argument
• Students should be prepared to write a minimum of two drafts of their persuasive argument
Publishing
• Students will hand in a final, typed copy of their persuasive writing
The Great Debate
• A mock debate will be staged for the students to argue their ideas on different sides of an issue
Is the new nation born?
• Students will reflect on whether their arguments were strong enough to sway opinion
• Did they garner enough support to win the debate?
• Was their argument worthwhile?
• Can they use this argument to change something in their surroundings?
And the winner is…
• Everyone who participates should be congratulated on their efforts to form a new nation, or solve some other crises they have argued for