Teacher: Mr. Royce
Subject: Social Studies
Grade level: 8
Lesson Topic: Revolutionary War Battles in SC
Standards:
CCSS 6-8.2
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS..6-8.8
Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
Web Resources
- http://www.sciway.net/schistory- this source will be used to provide secondary background information on some of the battles in South Carolina
- http://www.carolana.com/sc/revolution- this source has alot of active links that lead to new information. The main link that will be used is the timeline of key events. This will provide a time and spatial element to the lesson
- http://www.southcarolinaparks.com- this source is included because many of the national parks in South Carolina were former battle sites. This source will give information about landmarks and other key areas in South Carolina. Students can use this source for further hands on learning outside of the classroom
- http://www.ourupstatesc.info/revolutionary-war- this source was included to give a perspective on the different types of battles fought in the upstate of South Carolina. The lower state and upper state have unique geographies that impacted the outcome of many battles. Because we are in the lower state, hands on information is easier to access. This source allows students to engage in learning with a state perspective rather than a regional one
- http://www.theamericanrevolution.org/battles- this source was included to give a master list of all the battles that occurred. Students will be able to select a particular battle to do further research on
Book Sources
- Textbook- The textbook will be used to give small bits of information. It will also be used to provide background, secondary information. This will be the least referred to print source.
- Everyday Life: Revolutionary War: Major Battles- this primary source will be used to give students a personal feel for the experiences soldiers had during the Revolutionary War. Students will be tasked with finding and reading about a soldier from South Carolina
- Guide to the American Revolutionary War: Battles- This book will be used to explain where the battles in South Carolina fell on the war’s timeline. This will also be used to give context as to why the battles occurred and what its outcome was.
- Encyclopedia of War and American Society- I wanted to include this source because it provides the most complete and factual information. If students get stuck or confused, this source can be used to provide a solid footing. Once the foundation is laid, students can build up their knowledge.
- Understanding US Military Conflicts through Primary Sources- this source is a collection of primary sources from all of America’s conflicts. I will have the students focus only on the testimonies from South Carolina battles. I want students to work on pulling quotes from this book to use in a paper. If there is no specific source to South Carolina, students can still use this book to put themselves in the shoes of a soldier.
Unique Sources
- King’s Mountain- the greatest part about this lesson is that there are still preserved battle sites in South Carolina. King’s Mountain is an example of one of those battles. This field trip will give students hands on experience with the material. They can also purchase souvenirs.
- Charleston Museum field trip- Charleston has a museum on meeting street that chronicles the history of this city. In fact, the battle of Charleston was a crushing blow to the Americans. The tour guides will be able to provide unforeseen insight into the intricacies of the Revolutionary War in Charleston.
- The Battle of Sullivan’s Island (Periodical)- this source will be used to make the Revolutionary War hit home. Many students from the low-country will either have ties to or know of Sullivan’s Island. This source is included so students could have a personal connection with the events that happened 250 years ago
- Diary of Francis Marion- This source will be used to give information on what the leaders of the revolution thought. Francis Marion is a staple for the low-country and is arguably one of the most recognizable figures in South Carolina from this time period.
- USS Yorktown field trip- this source will be used to conclude the lesson on SC Revolutionary War battles. The battle of Yorktown ultimately led to the British defeat. This source is important in provided students with a sense of conclusion. Hopefully by the time we get here, they will realize the magnitude of the events that led to this place. This source is unique because it will make the last and most important battle in SC stand out in their minds. If my students forget everything else, this is the one piece of information I want them to remember.
How do you include elements of Language Development into this lesson/resource file?
The best way I can include language development into this lesson is to have students write a paper using these sources. In the paper, I will have students talk about the most interesting battle they learned about. I will have students use three of the sources from above including one primary source. This assignment will develop the students language skills by focusing on syntactic knowledge. The way the students write sentences coherently is key in higher learning. The best way to get these sentences into some what of a narrative is to have the students compose a paper. This paper will be simple enough and can include a bit of an opinion. The most important part is developing syntactic skills, and properly determining which information to use or not.
ger and brighter things, remember where you come from. Remember that you come from a state with the worst education statistics in America. Remember that you come from a college with the most progressive ideas in the state. Finally, remember that we are all walking on the same path together. One way or another we are all going to end up in the same place. You can re-invent yourself, move across the world, or get lost in the depths of life, but don’t ever forget where you started walking from.
Its funny to think about the future even at twenty years old. I could have said whatever I wanted when I was ten years old, but I doubt it would be even close to who I am today. By the way, it was a professional athlete.(I’m not in case you were wondering.) I don’t like to make five or ten year predictions because its like having a perfect bracket for the NCAA tournament. It just is not going to happen. However, I have a scholarship obligation that requires me to teach in the state of South Carolina for four years after I graduate college. Upon graduating I will apply to the worst schools in South Carolina and hopefully land a job. I want to work in the worst schools because no one else wants to and expectations probably aren’t the highest there. However, that does not mean I won’t expect the best out of myself everyday when I go to teach. While I’m teaching, I would like to use my summers to go on vacations. I want to eventually hit six of the seven continents and see as many countries as I can. I believe the best way to teach is through experience. I would also like to coach soccer while I am teaching. I am a huge soccer fan, and I loved having good coaches growing up. I’m hoping my coaching career might bring me some state championships or other awards. I want to try to hit all of the continents before I get married. Marriage and starting a family really put a damper on individual goals. Plus the more women I meet, the more I can choose from to be mine. The most important part of where I am going is the classroom. I am like a drop in a puddle, I create ripples. I’m not a sit around and let the system fail child after child kind of perso
n. Forgive me for not being humble but I am going to find a solution to the education problem in America. I’m going to make sure that all of my students go to college. I’m going to wake up everyday and make sure that my students know there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I want them to know that it does not matter what else happens in life, if they put all their time, energy, and willpower into education, they can make it and be whoever they want to be. I love it when people ask where I am going. I’m going to make a difference.
Moving from my hometown to Charleston was a bit of a change because even though I live in a city, it is a lot more spread out. I think the best way to describe the sounds of my home is to tell what sounds are missing in Charleston. In this city, there is always hustle and bustle. People getting to work and going to school. It sometimes seems like this place is in constant motion. Greenville is a bit slower. We still have hustle and bustle, but its at a more laid back pace. Things their don’t have to be at break-neck speed and you don’t have to dodge as many cars. Plus, it definitely smells a bit better in Greenville without the horses and salted air. Another sound I miss in Charleston is the sound of mountains. Of course we have the scenic water areas, but there are no mountains that you can stand on that make you feel like the king of the world. There aren’t many (if any) hiking trails in downtown Charleston. The ability to be out in nature and experience all it has to offer is key in being a human and sometimes de-stressing. There is something about being in the mountains and being away from the constant machine that is the city that calms and comforts the soul. Sometimes its not the sounds we hear that remind us of home, sometimes its the sounds we miss hearing the most.
It seems everyday we get lost in the big picture and forget to stop and smell the roses for a bit. There are two things I keep within my ten foot circle all the time. One of those things is headphones. I use headphones to hear the mundane. Recently, I’ve been trying to listen to more music. It blocks out the sound of nature, but it doesn’t block the rhythm of life. I think music through headphones actually gives you a new rhythm. I love walking to class and listening to music because its a distraction from the elements. I think I would get a lot warmer if all I thought about was how hot it was outside. However, music allows me to escape and feel the beat in every step I take. Headphones provide a mundane distraction to the nuances of nature that aren’t necessarily bad, but can get predictable at times. Another thing I keep around me at all times is family. I don’t mean the biological people that I have some sort of DNA relationship with. I mean the people that I care for just as much as they care for me. I like to say that I don’t have any friends all I have is family, and I keep my family close. I try to keep my circle small so that I know everyone has earned their place. It is neither a distraction or an attraction to the mundane. Family simply takes the guesswork out of life. I don’t have to ask the questions some people have to with their biological family. This part of the mundane is the miracle in itself. 
Charleston is 20k; multiply by two because I’m a twin, and all my mom has to do is not exist for a year. So our mom came up with the brilliant idea: to save our money for college. She went out and bought quite a large piggy bank and we started to fill it. Whenever we came across cash it would automatically go into the piggy bank to save for college. This was the drill for almost two years. The pig got pretty full, so as kids we were proud of our accomplishment. One day, we came home from being out on errands to find the piggy bank was gone. We had been robbed. It was definitely a setback for my mom, no adult likes to loose a piggy bank full of cash. She was sad and told us to be on the lookout if any of our friends looked suspicious. However, the loss of this piggy bank hit me in a different way. I didn’t feel sadness, I mean of course I cried, I was like 6. It lit a fire in me. From that day to the end of high school, my entire life has been about getting to college for free. Dr. Radakovic would hate me for this but it was certainly a guess and check situation. At first, I thought I was going to play college soccer, which then tumbled into taking a free year at the local community college, to ultimately me earning a free ride to the College of Charleston. I’m not gonna lie, it was some shit. I made sacrifices others didn’t have to. I was up early and asleep late, but there wasn’t going to be anything in between me and my dream. It’s kind of weird to make such a heavy decision at such a young age, but that was hands down the turning point in my life that got me where I am today. The funny thing is I would give it all up in second if it meant that the people I left behind to get to this point could make it here with me. 
a pentagon. It seems like when I get going on a path all the sudden it switches directions. However, the pentagon is an accomplished shape, I mean after all it has one of the most important buildings in America modeled after it, and everyday houses take its form. In terms of events that got me to where I am, to be honest, I got where I am by getting in trouble. Throughout my childhood, I have been in and out of trouble whether it was the principles office or the law. Its funny, because I feel like you can’t judge your own life because its obviously a biased opinion, so to shape my story, I use the opinions of those closest to me. My roommate said something to me one day when we were drinking “sweet tea”. He was like,”Royce, man you are one driven person.” If I could sum up my ambitions at this point in my life, they would fall into two categories. The first one is to experience the world. How can I teach students everything they need to know in life if I haven’t learned everything that life entails? I need to soak up every challenge life throws at me and learn from that event. By learning from my mistakes, I can show kids the right steps to take to ensure their success. The other category my ambitions fall in is that I want to make sure every kid I teach knows that no matter what situation they may be in, education can be their way out. I’m an example of this kind of success. Being able to go to college for free is the crowning achievement in my life. I want my students to understand that through hard work and the willingness to give more effort than their peers they can go wherever they want to. You could call it freedom. To some this may seem like an impossible goal, like a never ending highway. However, that’s kind of what I like about it, only the best apply to make the drive.
things. When you think about food with green stuff on it, it doesn’t necessarily sound appetizing. In fact, most people won’t eat anything with green on it. Dr. Seuss uses green eggs as an example of something people aren’t normally comfortable with. Throughout the story, Dr. Seuss is trying to get his friend Sam to try these green eggs and ham, but he keeps avoiding him. As the story goes on, Dr. Seuss introduces other factors that might distract him from the fact that the food is green. He asks if Sam would eat the food in a box, or next to a fox. Dr. Seuss also offers the options of eating on a boat or with a goat. Still he refuses to eat the food Dr. Seuss has prepared. Finally, after pages of begging, Sam finally gives in and tries the weird looking food. To his surprise, the food actually tastes good and he likes it. Sam goes on to tell Dr. Seuss that he would eat the green eggs and ham with all the suggestions the doctor mentioned previously. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “don’t judge a boo
k by its cover” you can somewhat understand the message Dr. Seuss is trying to get across. He is trying to get Sam to try the green eggs and ham before he round-about writes them off as gross. Part of growing up is experiencing new things. Children are naturally curious, and they are going to get into new situations. What they learn out of those situations is what defines their character later on in life. Kids are also going to be naturally apprehensive to situations they aren’t comfortable with. As teachers, it is our duty to facilitate new growth through foreign experiences. An example might be a trip to the local aquarium. Many children will be apprehensive about sticking their hands in the water to touch stingrays or crustaceans. We have to encourage those students who might not want to to try it out. This new experience gives the child a new type of learning and exposure to sea life. Another example is helpi
ng students conquer their fear of heights. By taking students on a field trip to the local ropes course, they have the opportunity to overcome their fears. Challenging a student to learn through new experiences allows them to break down some of their pre-existing fears. This facilitates new heights of learning, producing a more well-rounded individual.
I first learned the definition of culture from my government and econ teacher. Mr. Ingles explained to us that culture was learned behavior. Writing about the behaviors I’ve learned over the years is difficult because summing up that many events in three hundred words is impossible. However, the best place to start is probably where I am from. I am from Greenville, SC. Its one of the bigger cities in South Carolina and is located in the upstate near the Blue Ridge Mountains. I mention the Blue Ridge Mountains because most Greenvillians know all the secret spots across the beautifal mountain range. We even have a place that is literally titled “Pretty Place.” From secret waterfalls, to a rock the Indians beleived the gods ate off of, one thing Greenville has is natural beauty.
royceherbert 