Are your students struggling to understand the difficult words in the Declaration of Independence? I have a solution for you – vocabulary instruction! It may seem simple, but taking the time to explicitly teach vocabulary words can greatly increase comprehension and critical thinking skills.
To help get you started, I have created a Declaration of Independence vocabulary list – complete with definitions and teaching suggestions!
Why Teach Declaration of Independence Vocabulary?
Vocabulary is the key that unlocks understanding. If students don’t know certain words, there are just some concepts they will not understand.
For example, imagine you are teaching a lesson about the precedents set by George Washington’s presidency. If your students do not have a solid understanding of the word precedent, most of your discussion will go right over their heads! Sure, students can use context clues and pull together a meaning. But without being explicitly taught the vocabulary word, they will not be able to grasp the full meaning of the word – with all of its nuances and deeper implications.
In this blog post, Lauren Brown illustrates the power of vocabulary. She said:
Students often whine about vocabulary tests. They just don’t see the point about memorizing a bunch of words that to them just mean the same thing as other words they already know. “Why do we need to know squalid,” they ask. “Can’t we just say dirty?”
But the [immigrant] tenements weren’t just dirty. They were, according to one definition of squalid, “extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect.” This seven-letter word speaks volumes about the conditions of the urban poor at the turn of the century in a way that “dirty” or “really bad” just doesn’t convey.
According to Brown, “vocabulary is a tool of thought.” As such, student thought is simplistic if they do not have a rich vocabulary. When students develop a more complex vocabulary, they are able to have more complex thoughts. And more complex thinking leads to greater overall school success!
Tips for Teaching Declaration of Independence Key Terms
To develop a wide vocabulary, students need both direct and indirect instruction. In addition, it is important for students to be exposed to the words multiple times. As vocab words are studied repeatedly and in a variety of meaningful contexts, student understanding will increase.
Here are some of my favorite ways to teach vocabulary:
- It is important to teach students the explicit meaning, examples, and context in which historical terms are used. The Frayer Model is a graphic organizer that allows students to identify and define historical terms.
- In this graphic organizer, students write:
- the selected term
- characteristics of the term
- examples of the term
- non-examples of the term
- and a definition for the term in their own words
- In this graphic organizer, students write:
- Then, students check their meaning of the term with the dictionary definition.
- Click here to access a free Google Slides version of the Frayer Model graphic organizer!
- Play games with the terms. Playing games with vocabulary terms will help students understand and internalize word meanings in a fun and non-threatening environment. For example:
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- Jeopardy:
- Create your jeopardy template. There are several free jeopardy templates online that can be used with PowerPoint or Google Slides.
- When creating your questions, keep in mind how you want your students to respond. You can either have students read the definition and think of the correct vocabulary term or read the vocabulary word and come up with the correct definition. You can even do a mixture of both!
- Divide students into 3-5 teams.
- The teams take turns choosing a topic category and a question in that category. Each category is associated with a different point amount (50, 100, 150, 200, etc.).
- Give teams one minute to answer the selected question correctly. Teammates collaborate together to come up with the answer. If the answer is correct, the team earns the points! If the answer is incorrect, the question stays up on the board.
- After the answer is given, it is the next team’s turn.
- The game continues until each question has been chosen and correctly answered. The team with the most points wins!
- Create your jeopardy template. There are several free jeopardy templates online that can be used with PowerPoint or Google Slides.
- Jeopardy:
Why I Chose these Declaration of Independence Words
When searching for vocabulary words, I tried to include a mix of words students would experience throughout their study of social studies (like congress) as well as words that are more specific to studying the Declaration of Independence (like unalienable). I also chose words students would likely encounter multiple times in my Declaration of Independence Unit!
Road to Revolution Unit | Events Leading to the Declaration of Independence
15 Declaration of Independence Words
- Patriot – An American colonist who wanted independence from Great Britain
- Loyalist – An American colonist who stayed loyal to Great Britain
- Neutralist – An American colonist who remained neutral during the American Revolution; this means they did not side with the Patriots or the Loyalists.
- Colonist – A person living in a place that is under the control of another country; for example, the people living in the 13 American colonies were colonists under the control of Great Britain
- Britain – An island country in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Europe
- Congress – A formal meeting where delegates participate in a discussion
- Delegate – A person who is chosen to speak or act for others
- Proposal – An idea that is discussed and voted on by a group
- Repeal – To cancel a law or act
- Tyrant – A cruel or oppressive leader
- Unalienable – Something that cannot be taken away
- Abolish – To formally end a system, practice, or institution
- Declare – To say something forcefully
- Independence – When a country is governed by its own people, especially after having been a colony under the control of another country
- Liberty – The state of being free to choose how to live
Download the FREE Declaration of Independence Vocabulary List
I hope these tips and resources help to make vocabulary learning more exciting and meaningful in your classroom.
Download the free Declaration of Independence vocabulary list here!
Need more help teaching about the Declaration of Independence?
Are you looking for more resources to help you teach the Declaration of Independence?
- 3-Week Declaration of Independence Unit: This all-inclusive unit provides interactive lesson plans that will keep your students engaged and help them learn the information in a meaningful way.
- Declaration of Independence Primary Sources: An outline of 5 primary sources, complete with teaching suggestions. I have also created a compilation of primary sources for several other U.S. History topics as well!
- American Revolution Picture Books: 7 powerful picture books to help bring the colonial era to life in your classroom.
- Declaration of Independence Videos: An overview of 5 videos teaching all about the history of the Declaration of Independence.
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