The Revolutionary Times Project
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You are about to begin writing your very own edition of the Revolutionary Times.  This project will be a combination of individual and group work.  Each person must complete one of each of the following sections from below:

        News Article:  Battle (30)
        News Article:  Historical Event (30)
        Interview (30)
        Letter to Editor (25)

Each person needs to complete 130 points of work.  One can choose to do an additional news article, interview or letter to editor OR a book recommendation (25) OR a political cartoon (15).

The following project is divided into separate sections.  These sections have different point values.  The actual amount of points you earn in each section depends on the quality of your work. The entire project will be done in class on Microsoft Publisher.
You must complete 2 articles / 1 interview / 1 letter from sections 1-4.  These sections are worth 115 points.  You must choose to complete an additional assignment.  You may choose to write another article, another interview, another letter to the editor, or a political cartoon, or a book review.    Choose sections that interest you, and complete them all by  April 21, 2006.

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SECTION 1 ( 30 pts )


News Article: Revolutionary War Battle


Write a news article as if you were a reporter at one of the following battles.  Include a headline, Lead, Body, Conclusion, and Picture.  Make sure you answer the questions: Who? What? When? Where? and Why?

   
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SECTION 2 ( 30 pts )

News Article: Historical Event

Report on one of the following events. Include a headline, Lead, Body, Conclusion, and Picture.  Make sure you answer the questions: Who? What? When? Where? and Why?

   
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SECTION 3 ( 25 pts )

Letter to the Editor

What is your opinion of the war? Write an editorial providing logical reasons and accurate facts to support your opinion.

  • From the Viewpoint of a Loyalist  (loyal to the British government)
  • From the Viewpoint of a Patriot  (fought for America’s freedom)
  • From the Viewpoint of a Civilian (those that did not fight in war; women and children)
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SECTION 4 ( 30 pts )
Interview
Interview one of the following people.

  George Washington General Thomas Gage General John Burgoyne  
  Paul Revere Patrick Henry General Horatio Gates  
  Thomas Jefferson Betsy Ross  King George III  
  Thomas Paine Benedict Arnold    
  John Hancock John Adams      
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SECTION 5  ( 25 pts )

Book Review

Read a historical fiction book that takes place around the time of the Revolutionary War.  Write a summary and an opinion of the book.  You should follow the format for writing a book recommendation that is used in reading workshop.  Please use the classroom poster to help you.  There are titles available in the fifth grade reading room.
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SECTION 6  ( 15 pts )


Political Cartoon / Political Comic Strip


Create your own political cartoon or comic strip.  It should be based on historical fact and include information relating to the war.