Social Studies Chapter 13-14

In Chapter 12 we learned about the Declaration of Independence and some of the important people and influences in the formation of the Declaration. We learned about Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson's roles. We also studied the beginning of the Declaration of Independence and paraphrased it into language more common for an American 5th grader.

In Chapter 13 we did a Tug-o-War simulation of the American Revolution. We were broken into teams, representing the Colonists, the British and France. We watched as the tides turned from favoring the British to favoring the Colonists. The biggest factors in helping the colonists win were being close to home, having more to gain from winning and having allies (the French) to support them.

We all fought hard, but in the end, the colonists gained their independence! 

This week we will be working on Chapter 14 The Constitution. We begin our work by forming opinions and debating in four different categories:

Pool vs. Beach

Cats vs. Dogs

Cake vs. Pie

Soccer vs. Football

After debating our sides of the argument, they need to come up with a statement that the two sides of the argument can agree on. This activity is meant to represent the compromises that needed to be made in the writing of the Constitution, so that all sides would be happy. In the rest of the chapter we will learn about the different branches of government and the powers those branches hold.