July:  Independence Day

Independence Day is a time to celebrate our nation’s rich history and the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.  Read these Heinemann-Raintree titles to learn who wrote the Declaration of Independence, what the Declaration contains, and the significance of the document.  Take the time to learn more about the lives of the Founding Fathers, Independence Day customs, and the history behind some of our most well-known historical documents and symbols.  Update your shelves today!

Activities:

• Have students create a multimedia presentation featuring historical images from online databases.  Students can incorporate their own text in their exhibitions.
• Assign groups and have students create a timeline of events that occurred before and after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
• Have students write two newspaper articles about what occurred in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.  One article will appear in a London newspaper and one article will appear in a Philadelphia newspaper.

Resources

• The Digital History web site offers students the opportunity to create their own history exhibit using archives of photos, documents, and artwork.
• The Library of Congress and PBS web sites include a variety of resources that students can use to develop timelines and compare & contrast historical events.
• The PBS Liberty!: The American Revolution web site offers an example of a newspaper article that could have been written on July 4, 1776.