Process

Review the requirements for each element of your team’s newspaper. Each team member will be responsible for one of the four required articles. Also, each team member will be responsible for including one of the choice options in the team newspaper. Please complete a contract clearly outlining each team member’s responsibilities and submit it to your teacher.

 Link to Contract

Your newspaper must contain the following elements:

Layout:

·        Newspaper Banner Title

·        Headlines

·        Bylines

·        Pictures with Captions

Articles:

·      An editorial addressing the question, “What is an American?”

·      A news article about one of the key battles from the Revolutionary War

·      A feature article about a key figure from the Revolutionary War

·      A feature article about one group of unsung heroes from the Revolutionary War

·      One Choice Option per group member

Required Articles                          Choice Options

Your newspaper must contain an editorial answering the question, “What is an American?”

Begin your research by reading pages 39 to 41 in A History of Us: From Colonies to Country.

An editorial is an opinion piece. In an editorial, the writer is usually reacting to current events or issues that concern his or her society. Frequently, the writer is trying to convince readers to think or act in a certain way.

For this article, the reporter will need to:

• Inform his or her readers about the complicated topic of the emerging American identity.

• Express his or her own thoughts on the emerging American identity.

• Write persuasively to convince the reader to agree with his or her own opinion.

Examples of what would be good information to include would be a thesis statement, an explanation of the issue, examples to support the writer's point of view, and reasons for supporting the writer's point of view. Restate your opinion clearly at the end of your editorial.

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Choose one of the major battles of the Revolutionary War to write an article about. Include the following elements:

• Answer the 5 “W” Questions (who, what, when, where, and why)
• Describe the action
• Name the key participants on the American and British sides
• Provide the date and location of battle
• Tell who won the battle
• Include a picture of the action with a caption (you may locate a picture online and give credit to the source, or you may draw a picture)

Suggested Battles:

Lexington/Concord

Fort Ticonderoga

Bunker Hill

Long Island

Trenton

Princeton

Saratoga

Yorktown

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Choose a prominent figure from the Revolutionary War and write an article that explains the following:

• Which side your selected leader supported
• A summary of their major accomplishments
• An explanation of why they were important
• A description of how their life ended
• Include a picture of your prominent figure from the Revolutionary War, with a caption, and give credit to the source

Suggested Leaders:

(If you want to research a leader not on this list, have your choice approved by your teacher. You may not write about the same person you researched for your Footprint Project.)

George Washington

Thomas Paine

Benjamin Franklin

Joseph Martin

Edward Braddock

Benedict Arnold

Charles Cornwallis

Samuel Adams

Nathaniel Greene

Thomas Jefferson

Patrick Henry

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Choose a group or individual that contributed significantly to the war effort, but received little or no credit for their sacrifices or the key role they played in securing victory for the Continental Army. Describe the contributions of the group in general and any accomplishments they should be remembered for. Choose several key figures from the group (for instance, several women) that impacted the Revolutionary War and explain why they were important. Answer the question, "Why are they heroes?"

Suggested Unsung Heroes:

Women

Native Americans

African Americans

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Each group member must contribute one of the following. More than one group member may select the same option, but group members may not submit identical contributions to the newspaper.

Revolutionary War Quotations: Select five quotations important to understanding the Revolutionary War. Provide an explanation of the significance of the quote.

Revolutionary War Facts: Select ten facts about the Revolutionary War era that you think are key to understanding the Revolutionary War and that you believe your readers should be informed about. Your facts should be written in complete sentences, and you should provide an explanation to your reader of their significance. The facts can be formatted into a bulleted list with several sentences on each bullet. Your goal is to educate and inform your readers.

Revolutionary War Music: Research the songs of the Revolutionary War. Choose two songs and include the song lyrics along with an explanation of their meaning and significance in your newspaper.

Revolutionary War Political Cartoons: Cartoons were very popular during the Revolutionary War. Create a new political cartoon or reproduce an old one and provide an explanation of its meaning.

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