10.2B – Read the Text #2: Building Comprehension
Read the module text again as a class.
Students take turns reading a paragraph (or a few sentences).
After each paragraph, STOP to go over vocabulary and questions about the reading as a class.
READING TEXT
Module 10: Declaration of Independence and American Revolution
PARAGRAPH 1
Beginning in the early 1600s, the first immigrants from Great Britain began to settle, or make their home, in the Americas. Over time, more and more people immigrated there for personal and economic reasons. By the 1700s, there were 13 British colonies in the Americas with names like New York and Virginia. The British king controlled these colonies. At this time, the population consisted of the British people and other European settlers. There were also enslaved and free Black people from Africa. Of course, the Indigenous communities had already lived in the Americas for thousands of years.
- Why did people settle in America?
- Who controlled the original colonies?
- Learn the phrase CONSIST OF: (verb) describes the parts that make up the whole. [Note it is usually used in passive form so does not have a TO]
- What is the phrase in your home language?
- Examples:
- A soccer team consists of 11 players.
- The Senate consists of 100 senators.
- Complete the sentence: My life consists of activities such as ________ and ________.
- What types of people were living in the original colonies? What did the population of the colonies consist of?
PARAGRAPH 2
The British government made the laws in the colonies, but the British usually left the colonists in America alone to make their own decisions. However, by the mid-1700s, Britain began to pass many laws with new taxes for the colonists living in America. By 1764, Britain needed money because it was involved in expensive wars. The colonists now had to pay taxes on everyday items like paper, tea, and legal documents. Therefore, many American colonists started to boycott, or refuse to buy, products from Britain as a protest.
- Learn the word TO INVOLVE: (verb) to be part of an activity or process
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- Learning a language involves a lot of practice in writing, speaking, listening, and reading.
- We are involved in our children’s school because we help in the classroom.
- Complete the sentence: I am involved in my community because I do ________ and ________.
- What years are included in the “mid-1700s”?
- Why did Britain need money in the mid-1700s?
- What did the British do to get more money?
- What do you think the word “tax” means?
- What does “to boycott” mean?
- What did the colonists think of the new laws that the British passed? What did they do?
American colonists were so upset with British taxes on many items that they threw boxes of tea into the river in Boston, Massachusetts. This protest was called the “Boston Tea Party”. [Credit] 
PARAGRAPH 3
American colonists were becoming angry because the British king and government were passing laws and making decisions without including the colonists. Colonists wanted to have the same rights as all British citizens and be represented in the British Parliament; therefore, colonial leaders met in 1774 to discuss these unfair policies. However, the British government did not accept the colonists’ demands. They sent soldiers to America to fight against them. In April 1775, American colonists and British soldiers fought in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. This event was the start of the American Revolution.
- Let’s review: what does revolution mean?
- Learn the word TO DEMAND: (verb) to ask for something forcefully; (noun) a forceful request
- What are these words in your home language?
- Examples:
- The workers demand a fair wage and health insurance.
- There is a growing demand for sustainable resources.
- Complete the sentence: The colonists demanded ________________ from Great Britain.
- Why were the American colonists upset? Which policies were unfair?
- Why were the colonists upset with the British laws?
- What did the British do when they heard what the colonists wanted?
- What do you think the word “accept” means?
- What started the American Revolution?
American colonists and British soldiers fought in many battles during the American Revolution. [Credit] 
PARAGRAPH 4
After Lexington and Concord, many colonists wanted to declare independence from England. The colonial leaders wrote a Declaration of Independence and shared it on July 4, 1776. This document said that the American colonists choose to become independent from Great Britain and that people have the right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It listed all of the complaints that the Americans had with the British and said that the government must get its power from the people instead of a king.
- Let’s review: what do declare and declaration mean?
- Let’s review: what do independence and independent mean?
- Learn the word A COMPLAINT: (noun) to say that you are unhappy about something
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- My apartment is very cold. I emailed my complaint to my landlord.
- Her complaint is about slow internet service.
- Complete the sentence: Some of the complaints of the colonists were ________ and ________.
- What did the colonial leaders do on July 4, 1776?
- What does it mean to declare independence?
- Remember what the word “rights” means. Which rights does the Declaration of Independence state?
- What important document begins with the words “We the People”?
- Where did colonists say that a government must get its power from?
- When is Independence Day in the U.S.? Why do we celebrate it on that date?
PARAGRAPH 5
The colonies declared their independence, but America was not an independent nation immediately. The British and the American colonists fought for many years along the East Coast of North America. While most soldiers were white men, women also supported the war as spies, nurses and community caretakers. Black and Native Americans fought on both sides of the conflict, depending on their social, economic, and political contexts. Some American colonists, called “loyalists,” were loyal to the British monarchy, or king. Because of economic and political reasons, they wanted to keep America under the British government.
- Learn the word IMMEDIATELY: (adverb) describing an action that happens right away, without delay
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- When the fire alarm sounded, students left the classroom immediately.
- Did America become independent immediately?
- Learn the word A CONFLICT: (noun) a fight in which two sides do not share the same ideas and have a disagreement
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- There can be a conflict in a home about how to spend money.
- Nations may have conflicts about the territories they control.
- Complete the sentence: An example of a conflict at home or work is ________________.
- During the American Revolution, who were the two main groups in the conflict?
- Learn the word THE CONTEXT: (noun) the background events that shape an activity or problem
- What is the word in your home language?
- Examples:
- Nations make decisions based on their economic and political contexts.
- To understand past events, we must also think about the context of those past events.
- Complete the sentence: Give an example of economic, social, or political contexts of Black Americans during the Revolutionary War. (For example, think about how they earned a living, what rights they had, and where they lived.)
- How did women contribute to the American Revolution?
- What do you think the words “loyal” and “loyalist” mean?
- What group did not want independence or to go to war with Great Britain? Why?
Women would have many responsibilities during the American Revolution. [Credit] 
PARAGRAPH 6
Americans won the war against the British in 1781. Then, they signed a peace treaty that ended the American Revolution. The United States was now an independent country. It became a representative democracy with a constitution and an elected government. However, for many people, the ideas of freedom in the Declaration of Independence did not apply. Slavery continued and expanded after the American Revolution, and many groups had to keep fighting for freedoms in the new United States. People in other countries around the world saw the American Revolution and started to question their governments. They saw the need to give the people more power in making decisions.
- What ended the American Revolution?
- What do you think “a peace treaty” means?
- What do you think “to continue” means? What continued after the American Revolution?
- What did other countries think about the American Revolution?
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