8th Graders Declare Their Independence

To supplement their study of the American Revolution in civics class, eighth graders tackled the complex text The Declaration of Independence in Mrs. Galecki's reading class.  Students focused on closely reading and annotating the text to identify its main ideas and translate it into modern day English.  They showcased their understanding of the historical document by guiding their classmates through a close-reading presentation of an assigned passage. Students explained how specific words and phrases contributed to the both text's meaning and tone. 

Because scholars believe that Thomas Jefferson meant for the Declaration to be dramatically performed, students revealed their understanding of the document by completing their own dramatic reading in our makeshift Independence Hall. 

Eighth graders were assigned a short passage from the Declaration to practice reading with proper phrasing, pronunciation, emphasis, pause and tone.  As “experts” of the text, students completed an impressive dramatic reading of this important document!  Many students even memorized their passages for extra credit.

Practicing proper phrasing, pronunciation, emphasis, pause and tone of passages from the Declaration.

Getting reading for a dramatic reading of the Declaration.