“Use this to create a worksheet for students 1. 🧩 Declaration of Independence Puzzle Targets: R.11-12.1, W.11-12.2 Give students the Declaration in short, numbered chunks. Cut the chunks apart and have students work in pairs to put them in the correct order. For each chunk, students identify: What is it saying? What is the main idea? What evidence supports that idea? What does this tell us about the colonists' point of view? Struggling-reader support: Put a simplified version underneath each original chunk. Example: Original: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…” Student version: “We believe these basic ideas are obviously true…” Students then match the original to the simplified version. 2. 🔎 Evidence Detective Targets: R.11-12.1, DOK 1–3 Give students a claim such as: Claim: The colonists believed the British government was treating them unfairly. Students become “evidence detectives.” Have them search the Declaration for evidence and highlight or underline phrases that support the claim. Give them an evidence sheet: Claim Text Evidence What Does It Show? The colonists felt the government was unfair. “He has…” This shows… The colonists wanted freedom. “…” This shows… Sentence frames: The Declaration states, “__________.” This evidence shows that __________. This suggests that the colonists __________. This is a very accessible way to practice R.11-12.1 without requiring students to independently navigate the entire document. 3. 🚶‍♀️ Four Corners: What Are They Saying? Targets: R.11-12.1, SL.11-12.3 Post four simplified ideas around the room: The government is treating us unfairly. People have rights. We tried to solve the problems. We want to be independent. Read a section of the Declaration aloud. Students walk to the corner that best represents what that section is saying. Then ask: What words from the Declaration made you choose that corner? Students must provide textual evidence before they can sit down. This adds movement while still requiring close reading.”