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Summary and Objective
Students will understand that liberty poles were used as gathering places for those who wanted to celebrate freedom from oppression. They will use primary resources to read about and see an image of a liberty pole. Students will also have the opportunity to practice their reading and recitation skills as they gather around their own liberty poles.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
Print out the booklet "An Old Custom" and make copies for each of your students. Do the same with the image of the Greenfield Liberty Pole.
Step 2.
Explain the history of the booklet and how it was used in the 1940's to get people excited about liberty all over again. Discuss public morale in both the 1770's and 1940's and why it might have needed a boost.
Step 3.
Explain the history of the height of the liberty pole, as explained in the booklet.
Step 4.
Based on the reading level of your students, have them either read the booklet aloud, silently, in pairs, or listen as you read it to them. Stop along the way and discuss what was read. Discuss and explain any new vocabulary as it comes up.
Step 5.
When you get to the poem on page six, instruct them to commit it to memory. Work on reciting it as a whole class.
Step 6.
Pass out the image of the liberty pole from Greenfield. See what they notice about the scenery around the pole.
Step 7.
Have the class construct a liberty pole somewhere at school. You could build a scale model one in the classroom or a full-sized one outside.
Step 8.
Have the class stand around their liberty pole and recite the poem they learned. Post the poem on the liberty pole.
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