British in their language, their laws, their customs, could the American colonists fight a war with England, their Mother Country? Why were freedom and independence so important? Take students on a journey through the historical events leading to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. This unit is designed for students to learn to make judgments and decisions based on facts, and to use informational and imaginative speech to present their personal viewpoint and opinion to others. Students experience, first hand, taxation without representation, and will develop a very real sense for the need to preserve the inherent freedoms of man. Using the American flag as a graphic organizer, students will develop a clear understanding of the actions and reactions of the American colonists to British rule and to our most important national holiday, the 4th of July. Historically significant events will be studied and organized through exploration of facts and opinions and interaction with informational text and class discussion. The unit is presented in Reading Block Framework design with integrated lessons throughout each day. There are two types of lessons in this unit. First there are numbered lessons (1,2,3, etc.). Most often, these are the lessons where the content area standards are taught. The second set of lessons is identified with letters (A, B, C, etc.). Most often, these are the lessons where the speaking standards are taught. Although this is the general rule of thumb, the learning of all the standards is intricately infused in all lessons.