Freedom Curriculum Overview


In addition to Cries of Freedom we have other curriculum under "Miscellaneous Materials." In fact, all of our materials are educational and can be classified as curriculum.

Cries of Freedom
Frequently Asked Questions
 
Cries of Freedom is organized like a six act play with scenes (lessons) in each act. The Acts tell the story of the founding of America--Act One: Cries of Tyranny, Act Two: Cries of War, Act Three: Cries of Anarchy, Act Four: Cries of Reform, Act Five: Cries of Protection, and Act Six: Cries of America. The Art History and Document History section contains interesting information about every painting and document in the Freedom Gallery. The Cries of Freedom program has 74 lessons that include 41 Readers’ Theaters, 6 Narrative Lessons, 5 Video Lessons, 7 Constitutional Reading Lessons, 7 Constitutional Bowl Lessons, 6 Art History Lessons, 4 Document History Lessons, and 4 Interactive Experiences.
 
  1. Question: How can I implement this program when required curriculum is taking all my time?
Answer: Our readers’ theaters are excellent for teaching two things at the same time: social studies/American History and language arts. They can literally replace lessons in language arts while teaching social studies/American History! They teach fluency and comprehension of subject matter that will prepare the students for your state core tests. Your time is precious and an excellent way to get it all done is to focus on activities that are fulfilling multiple requirements!
 
  1. Question: What is contained in the full teacher’s kit?
Answer: The following items should be in your kit: 
*     1 teacher’s manual with lesson plans and scripts, quizzes, assignments, programs, exams, glossary, and bowl questions (see below) and one student manual with all of the scripts that can be copied for the students. Both are in the same binder.
*      10 Freedom Bowl study manuals  
*      24 11x17 posters of Founding Fathers with quotes
*      10 11x14 images and twelve 8x10 storyboards of the Freedom Gallery  
*      30 11x17 copies of the Declaration of Independence and thirty 11x17 copies of the Constitution without signatures for students to sign and keep  
*      30 student booklets containing the founding documents that students can study and keep  
*      1 “A More Perfect Union” DVD  
*      1 “Spirit of America” CD by the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps  
*      1 postcard album of the Freedom Gallery  
 
If you didn’t get all of these materials, call us at (801) 224-8505, and we will send your missing items.
 
  1. Question: Where should I begin?
Answer: Read through the Preface, Curriculum Overview, and Introduction to become acquainted with the curriculum. The last section, The Universal Cry of Freedom, prepares readers for the first scene, and it may be something you want to share with your class. In addition, each Act has an introduction that you should read. It will help you introduce the concepts to the class before beginning a new Act. There is also a table of contents below each introduction.
 
 
  1. Question: What age group is this program for?
Answer: It is targeted for 5th grade, 8th grade, and the high school government and civics class.
 
  1. Question: How much of the core curriculum does it cover?
Answer: Generally speaking it covers about 40% of 5th grade social studies, 60% of 8th grade American History, and 80% of high school government and civics core curriculum. Fifth graders may be challenged because it is the first time they have heard most of the material. Eighth graders and high school students should be able to handle it fairly easily. 
 
  1. Question: The same material is taught every year. Won’t that cause problems?
Answer: In fifth grade the students are being introduced to the information. In eight grade the students begin to really internalize the information and by high school they have forgotten most of it and need to be reminded. The information is so critical that hearing it two or three times is really a great benefit. After writing the book the author found that he needed to refer back to it often to remind him of the information he had forgotten.
 
  1. Question: How many lessons are there and should I do them in order?
Answer: This program has 74 lessons. Try to get through the entire program in order as each lesson/scene in the six acts is chronological and prepares the students for the next lesson. The Art and Document History lessons can be taught in whatever order you would like.
 
  1. Question: How do I present a Readers’ Theater?
Answer: Students are chosen or volunteer to act out parts, and the Readers’ Theater is read/acted out in class. Each lesson has Teaching Tips that help you have a successful Readers’ Theater.
 
  1. Question: What are the benefits of a Readers’ Theater?
Answer: Readers’ Theaters teach language arts, public speaking, and dramatics, and they personalize the subject matter to the students. They are also fun!
 
  1. Question: What if my students are too shy or can’t read well enough to do a Readers’ Theater.
Answer: There are many ways to involve students such as chorale reads, very small parts, and preparing outside of class. This is a way to get students outside of their comfort zone and to give them confidence in public speaking.
 
  1. Question: What is a Narrative Lesson?
Answer: It is a lesson that one student or the teacher reads while the students either listen and/or fill out an assignment.
 
  1. Question: What is a Video Lesson?
Answer: It is a lesson that uses a video as the core of the teaching. The only video we use is “A More Perfect Union,” and the students are filling out an assignment during the video.
  
  1. Question: What is a Constitutional Reading Lesson?
Answer: It is a lesson that focuses on reading the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Amendments. The students fill out an assignment during or immediately following this lesson.
 
  1. Question: What is a Constitutional Bowl Lesson?
Answer: It is a lesson that follows a Constitutional Reading Lesson and is a competitive quiz bowl in the classroom about the previous day’s reading. The questions and answers are handed out the day before for the students to study.
 
  1. Question: What is an Art History Lesson?
Answer: It is a lesson about one of the paintings in the Freedom Gallery, and it provides interesting art history information such as who the artist is, when it was painted, and what the painting is about.
 
  1. Question: What is a Document History Lesson?
Answer: It is a lesson about one of the documents in the Freedom Gallery, and it provides interesting information about the document such as how it was written, how it was printed, and who were involved in the creation and dissemination of the document.
 
  1. Question: What is an Interactive Experience?
Answer: It is a hands-on experience in which students take ownership of the lesson, such as receiving their own booklet of the founding documents, signing and receiving the Declaration of Independence, or signing and receiving the Constitution. Interactive Experiences are part of other lessons. There are four Interactive experiences in Cries of Freedom: Act 1 Scene 7, Act 3 Scene 12, Act 3 Scene 13, and Act 4 Scene 9.
 
  1. Question: How are the lessons organized?
Answer: Notice at the bottom of each page of the Table of Contents is a legend for Lesson Types. There are acronyms for each lesson such at RT for Reader’s Theater and AH for Art History. Each scene has a Lesson Type designation to help you know what the lesson is about. The acts and scenes are in chronological order and should be done in that order. However, the Art History and Document History sections are not in chronological order and can be done whenever you would like. Each scene (lesson) has Teaching Tips that will help you structure Readers’ Theaters and maximize the lesson’s effectiveness. Use them! The assessments are introduced at the beginning of each lesson also, and the assessments themselves are usually at the back of each lesson.
 
  1. Question: Where are the scripts for the Readers’ Theaters?
Answer: At the back of the Teacher Edition is the Student Edition, which contains the student scripts with all of the teacher information removed. You should copy these and hand them out to your students.
 
  1. Question: What is a Freedom Bowl?
Answer: The Freedom Bowls are “Jeopardy-style” competitions similar to “Knowledge Bowls” held at local schools. They are a fun and exciting way for your students to showcase their knowledge and love of country. A patriotic opening ceremony and closing ceremony set the tone for the bowls. There are two Freedom Bowls: one is called the Liberty Bowl (normally held in January or February of each year), and the other is called the Constitution Bowl (normally held in April or May of each year). These competitions are first done in the school and then with other schools throughout the Roots of Freedom program. Awards are given, and students are encouraged to further compete in essay contests and other patriotic events sponsored by Roots of Freedom.
 
  1. Question: Where are Freedom Bowls held?
Answer: They are held in a host school in your area. You can be a host school by calling Roots of Freedom at (801) 224-8505.
 
  1. Question: What do we bring to a Freedom Bowl?
Answer: Every school is asked to bring a set of buzzers, one moderator, and at least one parent to help keep score, etc.
 
  1. Question: How do we prepare to compete in a Freedom Bowl?
Answer: As you are going through the lessons, you will see which students are the most excited about this curriculum. You can either take volunteers or invite students to compete in the Freedom Bowls. These students will be issued an official Freedom Bowl Competition Manual and begin studying before school or after school with each other. All of the rules and general information about the bowls are in the manual. We will let you know when the next bowl is in your area.
 
  1. Question: What is the difference between the Liberty Bowl and the Constitution Bowl?
Answer: The Liberty Bowl includes Acts 1,2,3,6, and the Art History and Document History sections. It is about everything but the Constitution document itself. The Constitution Bowl includes Acts 4 and 5. It is only about the Constitution document.
 
  1. Question: Do the young students compete with the older students?
Answer: No. There are bowls for elementary age students (typically 5th, 6th, and even 7th grades), and there are bowls for secondary age students (typically 8th grade through high school).
 
  1. Question: Are there other programs that Roots of Freedom sponsors?
Answer: Yes! There are many Roots of Freedom offers such as character education, flag corps, assemblies, simulated experiences, clubs, dramatic performances, essay contests, and speech contests. Please contact us about our many opportunities to increase your school’s Americanism and patriotism and to showcase your students as great Americans!