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Viatouch
Teacher Articles
Teaching Tips
Personalizing the Impact of the British Acts
by Lori Fillmore
Title: Personalizing the Impact of the British Acts
Subject: Social Studies
Grade Level: 5th Grade
Objective: Students will learn about the various British Acts and understand the feelings of the colonists who lived with those Acts preceding the Revolutionary War.
Time needed: 30-45 min
Materials: Information about the British Acts, three tickets per student (you can use pre-made raffle tickets, or create your own), three pieces of candy per student
Instructions:
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Before you start the lesson, designate four students to be the "British Tax Collectors". Each "Tax Collector" will be in charge of enforcing one act. The teacher will provide them with a list of taxable items. This list should include: any student that has cookies, candy, or gum in their desk (Sugar Act); any student that has paper on or in their desk (Stamp Act); any student with glasses (Townshend Act); and any student that has had a caffeinated beverage in the last 24 hours (Tea Act).
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Next, issue each student in the class three tickets. Tell the students that they must keep these tickets on their desk throughout the lesson. Explain that at the end of the lesson, they may redeem each ticket for a piece of candy.
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Begin a discussion of the acts leading up to the Revolution. Explain that the British needed extra funds after the French and Indian war, and describe the Acts that they imposed on the colonists. You may wish to include: Stamp Act, Navigation Act, Townshend Act, Tea Act, Quartering Act, Sugar Act, Molasses Act, Writ of Assistance, and Currency Act. (It helps to write some key points about the Acts on a chalkboard or on a large chart paper).
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As you are conducting your discussion on the acts, have the "Tax Collectors" go desk to desk and take a ticket for each taxable item on their list.
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After the "Tax Collectors" have finished, conduct a discussion with the students. Have them tell what items they were taxed for and see if they can guess which Act the taxable items would correspond.
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Ask the students how they felt about being taxed.
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Have the students tell what they might have done about the unfair Acts if they were a colonist during this time.
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Discuss some of the ways that the actual colonists did respond to the acts. You may wish to discuss the Boston Tea Party, protests, riots, boycotts, the creation of political groups like the Sons of Liberty, and the publication of essays, pamphlets, and cartoons.
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After the discussion is ended, have the students trade in their remaining tickets for a piece of candy.
Lori Fillmore has a degree in Elementary Education and has had teaching experience in multiple grades. She currently works as a mother and freelance writer. Her work has been or will apppear in Fun for Kidz, Boys' Quest, and Hopscotch magazines, as well as the Viatouch website. Lori currently lives in Rigby, Idaho with her husband and three children.
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