Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence H www.uscis.gov/citizenship 1 

Reading Test Vocabulary

George Washington

American flag, government, right, 

states 

United States, U.S.

Independence Day

What, When, Where, Who, Why

do/does, has, is/are/was/be, lived, 

name 

a, for, in, of, on, the, to, we 

colors, many, one 

Writing Test Vocabulary

Washington

flag, free, President, states

Delaware, United States

July 

Independence Day

lived, want, was 

and, during, for, in, of, on, the, to

blue, fifty/50, one, red, taxes, white

L1

Civics Test Questions

#8—What did the Declaration of 

Independence do?

#9—What are two rights in the 

Declaration of Independence?

#61—Why did the colonists fight the 

British?

#62—Who wrote the Declaration of 

Independence?

#63—When was the Declaration of 

Independence adopted? 

#64—There were 13 original states. 

Name three. 

LESSON PLAN

Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence

Level: Literacy, Low Beginning

Suggested Length: 2 class periods, depending on class time and level

Related Test Items:

71. What territory did the United 96. Why does the flag have 13 99. When do we celebrate 

States buy from France in 1803? stripes? Independence Day?

97. Why does the flag have 50 stars? 100. Name two national U.S. holidays.

Objectives: 

Students will:

• learn about Thomas Jefferson and the importance of 

Jefferson’s role in U.S. history

• identify problems leading to the War of Independence

• identify the purpose, rights defined, author, and date 

of adoption of the Declaration of Independence

• identify Independence Day as a national U.S. holiday 

and the date of the holiday

• identify that the Louisiana Territory was purchased from 

France in 1803

• explain the reason for symbols on the American flag and 

identify the colors of the flag

Materials: 

U.S. nickels, world and U.S. maps, U.S. flag 

Crayons, colored pencils or markers

Handouts: Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, War of Independence, The 13 Original States, U.S. Symbols—Stars and Stripes, 

and Listen, Repeat, Circle

Optional handout (Literacy Level Writing Practice): Independence Day

Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence Lesson Answer Key
2 Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence H www.uscis.gov/citizenship

Lesson Overview and Notes to Teacher: 

In addition to teaching about Thomas Jefferson, this 

lesson covers background on the War of Independence 

and the Declaration of Independence. We recommend 

that you teach the unit on George Washington before 

introducing this lesson. The readings and pictures should 

help the students understand the new vocabulary. As with 

the other history lessons, the goal for the students is to 

comprehend and answer the Civics Test items correctly, 

not memorize details about Thomas Jefferson’s life and 

the War of Independence. There is a word search to help 

reinforce the new words in this lesson. In addition, there 

is a listening comprehension exercise focusing on the 

exact wording of eight Civics Test items. In a discussion 

of the U.S. flag, you will teach the word represent to 

explain flag symbols. As an extension activity about flags, 

the students can draw flags from their home country 

and identify the symbols and colors on them. Lastly, the 

Literacy Level Writing Practice handout Independence Day

helps beginners practice spelling and handwriting. 

Introduction: Review the information from the lesson 

on George Washington. Say We talked about George 

Washington. What can you tell me about Washington?

Write key words on the board from their responses. 

Hopefully, someone will mention independence. Write 

independence on the board and ask the class what 

it means (freedom, liberty, separation from Great 

Britain, etc.) Tell them Today we are going to talk 

about American independence. Ask the class Did your 

country fight for independence? (when?, from what 

country?, etc.) Have students list the countries and years 

of independence. Ask students What are some reasons 

a country wants independence? (religion, economy, 

politics, leaders, land, borders). On the board, list the 

reasons. Ask America fought for independence from 

which country? Have a student come to the world map 

and show where Great Britain (or England) is located. 

Tell the class you will talk about the reasons that America 

fought for independence and an important leader in that 

fight. 

Guided Practice: Have the students take out some 

nickels or distribute ones you bring to class. Ask them 

to look at the image and words on a nickel. Ask Who’s 

this?, What’s his name?, What does liberty mean?

Distribute the handout Thomas Jefferson. Discuss the picture 

of Thomas Jefferson on the handout. Read through the 

sentences for the students to hear and explain any new 

vocabulary. Then model each sentence for students to 

repeat line by line. Explain that they will not need to 

remember details about Thomas Jefferson’s life for the 

Civics Test but point out that Who wrote the Declaration 

of Independence? and What territory did the United 

States buy from France in 1803? are items on the Civics 

Test. Continue with the readings in handouts Declaration of 

Independence and War of Independence in the same manner. 

Review the following Civics Test items: What did the 

Declaration of Independence do?, What are two rights 

in the Declaration of Independence?, Who wrote 

the Declaration of Independence?, When was the 

Declaration of Independence adopted?, and Why did 

the colonists fight the British?

Practice: In the handout The 13 Original States, the 

students fill in the names of the states in the blanks. Have 

them refer to a wall map, if needed. Note that, during 

colonial times, the area now known as Maine was part 

of Massachusetts. Point out that on the Civics Test, they 

will need to name only three of the original 13 states, 

not all 13. The test item reads There were 13 original 

states. Name three. On the handout U.S. Symbols—Stars 

and Stripes, there is a section on flag symbols. Ask What’s 

a symbol? Ask for some examples of symbols around the 

school (restroom signs, handicap sign, etc.) and draw 

some on the board. Explain that a symbol represents

something; you can use an equals sign (=) to show the 

word represent. Ask What are the symbols on the 

American flag? (stars, stripes) Have the students look 

at the two different flags and compare the number of 

stars and stripes on each. Ask Why are there 50 stars 

and 13 stripes on the flag today? Point out that Why 

does the flag have 13 stripes? and Why does the flag 

have 50 stars? are items on the Civics Test. (See the 

Extension Activity for more on flags.) At the bottom of the 

handout, have the students solve a word search activity 

using vocabulary from the lesson. Review the words in 

the Word Bank and have the students find and circle the 

words.
Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence H www.uscis.gov/citizenship 3

Evaluation: Tell the students you will practice some 

Civics Test questions together. Explain that you will say a 

question and they will repeat it several times. After they 

have repeated after you several times, the students will 

circle the correct answer. (The point is for them to be 

sure what they heard by repeating each item several times 

before circling the answer.) Give this example—write 

New York, Washington, DC, and Philadelphia on the 

board. Ask the question What is the capital of the United 

States? Have the students repeat the question. Model it 

again and have them repeat. Point to the choices and ask 

Which is the correct answer? (Washington, DC) as you 

circle it on the board. Distribute the handout Listen, Repeat, 

Circle. Make sure they understand the instructions. Read 

the script of questions provided in the Answer Key. Go over 

the answers when you finish. At the bottom, there is a 

dictation exercise highlighting words from the Reading 

and Writing Vocabulary lists. Say the words several times 

with the students repeating after you. Then have them 

write the words.

Follow-Up Extensions: Distribute crayons and colored 

pencils and have the students draw the flag from their 

native country. Point out that on a U.S. flag, the symbols 

are stars and stripes. As the students draw their flag, 

circulate and help the students identify the symbols on 

their flags. 

Writing Practice for Literacy/Low Beginning 

Students: The handout Independence Day is included for 

optional copy work. Take the opportunity to discuss how 

and when the holiday is celebrated, and point out that 

When do we celebrate Independence Day? and Name 

two national U.S. holidays are items on the test.