Friday, October 01, 2010

Boston, Bloody Boston


We are looking at journaling or diary writing. The first entries need to be about activities that took place in and around Boston. Make sure you understand the difference between a journal and a diary. Here is a very interesting post about the difference. Do we want to create a hand written journal/diary? Think about it and we can discuss it on Monday.

Yesterday we watched and talked about the Boston Massacre where British soldiers fired on British colonists. (Remember we were still a part of Great Britain?) This would make a great first person account especially if it was followed up by accounts of the trial.

Boston Tea Party took place in December of 1773 as a protest to import taxes. You should definitely read about Sam Adams (John Adams cousin) role in the protest. Perhaps a quick sketch using paint would be a good addition to the entry.

The Intolerable Acts were a series of acts that came from Parliment in 1774. The Boston Port Act was one act that came as a direct result of the Boston Tea Party. If you choose to write about this you will probably want to record your reactions to them. It is an easy thing to see negatively, but you may decide to take a "loyalist" approach and try to defend them.

We didn't get to see much of the Battles of Lexington and Concord but we did talk a little about Paul Revere. Perhaps you would like to write about his "midnight ride".

Eric Langhorst alerted me to this animated timeline of Lexington and Concord.

If you are reading the end of this post, please point out to your classmates that this does not have to be finished today. Take the time to read the information. Look at some of the citations at the bottom of the Wikipedia articles and follow them to read what they have to say. Discuss what you are reading with each other. I would prefer you spend the whole class period reading and thinking, not writing.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Writing about historical events as if you were there is a wonderful way to imagine what might have happened in great detail.

I'm honored that you chose my article to include in your class reading. Writing is a vital skill--and one that gets a lot better with practice.

Wm Chamberlain said...

Thanks for tracking back and leaving a comment. I thought your explanation was very good and easy for my students to follow.