I have a confession to make: As a first-year teacher, I often shortened or skipped my social studies lessons.
I felt terrible about it.
Although I love teaching about U.S. history, I felt pressure to focus instead on the subjects with state tests: ELA, math, and science.
Can you relate?
To solve my problem, I created this Quote of the Week resource, which integrates literacy and U.S. history. In this sample lesson, students study and respond to a Thomas Paine quote.
I’m so excited for you to take a look!
What is U.S. History Quote of the Week?
In this lesson, students study a quote from Revolutionary writer Thomas Paine:
“Of more worth is one honest man to society than all the crowned ruffians that ever lived”
–Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776
As students analyze the quote, they practice literacy skills like:
- making inferences
- researching & summarizing
- identifying the main idea, historical context, and author’s purpose
- and responding to prompts
This free lesson comes from my year-long U.S. History Quote of the Week resource.
Why use a Quote of the Week?
For students, it’s an engaging way to learn about history. Instead of dry textbooks and lectures, they see history through the eyes of those who lived it.
The carefully selected quotes will also chronologically take students through U.S. history. So, no matter what your curriculum covers, this resource helps fill in the gaps by giving students a big picture of American history.
As a teacher, you’ll appreciate how easy it is to prepare for these lessons. All you need is the quote, task cards, and some student worksheets. In minutes, you can plan an entire week of meaningful mini-lessons.
Free Thomas Paine Quote of the Week Lesson
This resource is designed to be used over four days (M – Th).
Day 1: Infer (10 minutes)
Objective: can make inferences about a historical figure and time period using a primary source quote.
Display the poster for the week’s quote. Read the quote aloud to the class.
Students study the quote. They use their background knowledge and context clues to answer the following questions:
- Author: Who wrote the quote? Who do you think this person was?
- Date: When was this quote written? What do you know about this time in history?
- Meaning: What do you think the author meant by this quote?
Day 2: Research & Summarize (20 minutes)
Objective: I can research and summarize key details about the person, place, and time period of a primary source quote.
Print the four task cards. You could give each student a set of cards or tape several sets of cards around the room.
Students read the task cards for more context about the quote.
Next, they identify essential ideas from each task card and write them in bullet points on the worksheet.
Day 3: Main Idea, Context, & Purpose (10 minutes)
Objective: I can analyze the author’s purpose, main idea, and historical context of a primary source quote.
Students study the quote again and review the task cards from yesterday. Then, they use what they learned from the task cards to answer the following questions:
- Main Idea: What do you think the author meant by this quote?
- Historical Context: What was happening in history that may have influenced the author’s ideas?
- Purpose: What do you think the author’s purpose was?
Day 4: Respond (20 minutes)
Objective: I can respond to questions about the primary source quote. I can use supporting evidence and correct spelling/grammar in my answer.
Finally, students read the quote one more time. Then, they respond to one of the following writing prompts:
- How does this quote relate to your own life? How does this quote relate to the modern world?
- What historical events were happening when this quote was written? How does the historical context help you understand the quote?
- What is the author’s perspective? What other perspectives could there be about this topic?
- What are three questions you have about this topic? How could you find out more?
Where does the U.S. History Quote of the Week fit in your busy day?
This resource is versatile and is easy to modify for different teachers’ schedules.
U.S. History Quote of the Week can be used:
- as a bell-ringer/morning work
- as an early finisher/enrichment activity
- in literacy rotations/centers
- in jigsaw groups
- to introduce a new unit
- to wrap up a unit
- for test prep
- as group work
- & more!
Furthermore, the Quote of the Week posters can be printed and added to your walls as visuals for students.
Download your FREE Thomas Paine Quote of the Week Lesson
I hope this resource saves you time and engages your students. Enter your email below to have the free lesson sent straight to your inbox.
Need more Quotes?
Check out all my U.S. History Quote of the Week resources:
U.S. History Quote of the Week: Part 1 (1492–1871)
U.S. History Quote of the Week: Part 2 (1877–1964)
Money-saving Bundle: U.S. History Quote of the Week (Parts 1 and 2) – 10% off!
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