Title:  Thomas Jefferson and King George III – Could they have been friends?
Subtitle or Challenge question: In these lessons, High School students will research the views of Thomas Jefferson and King George III in preparation for a simulation ‘social media discussion’ after their meeting in London in 1786 – this will enable students to understand and debate some of the key ideas and events of the American Revolution and post war US/UK relations.
Grade level: High School (11-12)
NB- In the UK, this would be an activity suitable for A Level students studying American History and Politics
Topic/subject:

Tags: American Revolution, King George III, Thomas Jefferson and Britain, Social Media lesson, Simulation

Author Information:

Name: Stuart Baker
Email: sbaker@bedmod.co.uk
School: Bedford Modern SchoolLesson type:  Pair activity based in a computer room

Duration:  3 lessons – total time could be 90-120 min

Challenge Question or Lesson plan overview:

In three lessons students should research the views of King George III and Thomas Jefferson a variety of topics in preparation for a ‘social media debate and rebuttal discussion’.

Lesson 1 – The students work through the power-point presentation watching embedded videos etc. Then the students should start with areas of mutual interest such as books and architecture etc. They should record their research using the character sheets provided. They can start the social media activity if possible on areas of agreement

Lesson 2– The students should carry on working through the research sheets and using the links provided then they should start the social media disagreements

Between Lesson 2 and 3 the discussion should continue to take place

Lesson 3 – The students should review their discussion and prepare for a presentation of their main findings and start planning for an essay.

Prior knowledge:

Student should complete this task after learning about the events of the American Revolution as a review tasks also to extent their understanding of the characters involved

Objectives/Rationale: This is an extension activity maybe at the end of the American Revolution topic to extend students understanding and learn doing role play and debate

Outcomes:

By the end of session students should understand how more about the personalities of Thomas Jefferson and King George III and how they viewed events in the 1780s and 1790s

Steps:

Lesson 1 – Research and preparation

Teacher input should be to guide the students in their research and also display the powerpoint to discuss practicalities and ideas if required

1. Students should start by working in pairs and take either Thomas Jefferson and King George III – research topic areas they would share similar ideas on and then how they would view other events.
2. Watch the Monticello video to see how academics have viewed the relationship between Jefferson and King George.
3. Use the research sheet to prepare your role and discussion
4. Show students how to prepare the fake twitter account on Todaysmeet.com and prepare the first set of tweets

Between Lesson 1 and 2 – Monitor the tweets

Lesson 2 – Research and Social Media discussion

1. Students should research topic areas they would disagree and consider how they will attack the position of the other character during the next set of tweets and discussion. They should use any images if possible and other sources from their research.

Between Lesson 2 and 3 – Monitor the tweets

Lesson 3 – Presentation of student’s work and essay planning

1. Students should present their work to the class – they should choose two or three tweets to show an aspect of the relationship
2. Help students prepare for one of the essay titles based on their research and work

Materials: The lesson needs students to have access to computers or laptops to work through powerpoint and also research sheets printed off. They need to use headphones in Lesson 1 and other note paper would also be helpful.

Assessment criteria:

The student should prepare a review presentation for Lesson 3 and also be ready to plan one of the essay style questions.

Accommodations: Students should be placed in pairs of similar ability and also possibly a ICT assistant should be used to help students login to the todays meet account.

RESEARCH AND INFORMATION SHEET       

Use this sheet to research your character

BACKGROUND DETAILS (Age in 1786, Family etc)

AREAS OF SIMILAR INTEREST

• Books
• Gardening
• Architecture
• And any others….

AREAS OF DISAGREEMENT

• British actions in America
• Declaration of Independence
• State and Religion
• French Policy
• Taxes and Finance

Use this sheet to research your character

INFORMATION SHEET

BACKGROUND DETAILS (Age in 1786, Family etc)

AREAS OF SIMILAR INTEREST

• Books
• Gardening
• Architecture
• And any others….

AREAS OF DISAGREEMENT

• British actions in America
• Declaration of Independence
• State and Religion
• French Policy
• Taxes and Finance