Student+Activities

Benjamin Franklin  This page lists your assignments for April 14th through April 18th. The Web sites will provide you with valuable information for each assignment. Group projects and presentations are due on April 21st.


 * Monday: Franklin's Success as a Printer and Writer **

Benjamin Franklin was one of the founding fathers of the United States. Among many of his successes he published the "Poor Richard's Almanac" and "The Pennsylvania Gazette". "Poor Richard's Almanac" "The Pennsylvania Gazette"

-Read p. 263-270 in your book. -Then go to [|Benjamin Franklin: Writer and Author] and read how the "Poor Richard's Almanac" was invented. -Get into groups of 3 and create your own written documents on Microsoft Word (ex: newspaper, magazine, almanac, etc.). -You may use existing templates or create your own authentic look. -After completing the reading in your book and investing the link above, you will have an idea of what was written about in Benjamin Franklin's times. -Create at least 3 different sections of your written document. (Ex: in a news paper at least 3 different articles) -Be prepared to share your written documents with the class tomorrow. -Extra Credit! : Do a little more researching and see if you can find anything else that Benjamin Franklin helped write that is important to our country!


 * Tuesday: Franklin's Success as a Public Servant **

Franklin had many contributions to society, especially as a Public Servant. This included nothing short of starting the first fire department, started a public library, founded a University and much more.

-Read p. 271-277 in your book. -See what [|Other Contributions] Benjamin Franklin made as a Public Servant. - Own your own, pick 3 of Benjamin Franklin's contributions as a Public Servant and write about how they affect you today. Would your life be the same if he had never thought of these things? Are they still useful to us today? -Hand in "Assignment" box before you leave class today.


 * Wednesday: Franklin's Role as an Inventor and Scientist **

Benjamin Franklin was a man of many ideas. One of his most famous roles was for the invention of the lightning rod. But that wasn't the only thing Franklin cooked up!

-Watch this short video:

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-Then visit [|The Inventions and Scientific Achievements of Benjamin Franklin]. -What other inventions was Benjamin Franklin responsible for? -Were you surprised by any of them? -Still Interested?! Benjamin Franklin has [|even more inventions] ! -In the same groups used to create the written document on Monday, use Powerpoint to create a presentation of your top 5 favorite inventions of Benjamin Franklin. -Be sure to include pictures, reasoning for why it is one of your favorite inventions, and is it still around and used today? If so, how? -Be ready to present your Powerpoint presentations next week!

 **Thursday: Franklin's Role in Politics** 

What more can this guy do right?! It just so happens that Benjamin Franklin has played an ENORMOUS role in our country's history and our path to Independence. Starting from just representing a colony in the Americas to helping draft the [|Declaration of Independence], Franklins has help many Political and Leadership positions.

-Read p. 278-288 in your book. -See what [|Other Political Roles] Franklin held. -Did Franklin work his way up from lower political positions to higher ones? -Get into your group of 3 and create a flow chart using Inspiration to illustrate a timeline of Franklin's Political Career. (You only have to pick 4 main positions, but include what the position was, what was required of Franklin, and in what order were these positions held? Dates?) -If you do not finish today, I will give you time to finish later. -Extra Credit ! : If you can finish your flow chart by today !


 * Friday: Show What You Know! **

As all of you have now learned so much about about Benjamin Franklin it is exciting to see what each of you took from the lesson and what all of you have learned!

Today, in your groups of 3 that you have been working with all week, you will present your written documents (made from Microsoft Word), your Powerpoint Presentations on your top 5 favorite inventions, and if your group has completed it, your inspiration flow charts of Benjamin Franklin's political careers!

-Once all of your classmates have presented, you are to individually write a one paragraph reflection on the thing you enjoyed learning the most about Benjamin Franklin.

I can't wait to see all of your wonderful creations!!!


 * Other Useful Links: **

-[|Benjamin Franklin] -[|The World of Benjamin Franklin]