Oklahoma Social Studies 5.C.4.5.E
The Standard
- 5.C.4
- Examine the struggles of the Revolutionary War and ultimate victory to gain independence.
- 5.C.4.5
- Identify the contributions of key individuals influential to the American Revolution in the fields of
ideological writing (e.g., Thomas Paine, Mercy Otis Warren, Phillis Wheatley).
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Social Studies (2026) · 5.C.4.5
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Read short passages by writers from the American Revolution. Explain what each writer believed about freedom or British rule and point to words that show it.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain Paine's case for independence and Warren's criticism of British rule using a line from each text. They can explain how Wheatley questioned slavery while others called for liberty.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think every writer meant the same thing by freedom. They may miss Wheatley's criticism of slavery or treat Warren's play as entertainment with no political message.
How to Assess It
- Print the line “God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom” from Wheatley's letter to Samson Occom. Ask: What does she claim about freedom, and how might that challenge slavery?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs short excerpts from Common Sense, The Group, and Wheatley's letter to Samson Occom; have them cut out and sort each writer's claims.
Ask: Who was promised freedom in these writings, and who was left out? Have students cite one line from Wheatley.
Play a quote match game with three author cards and six short passage cards; students explain each match.
Have students write a two-sentence letter asking for longer recess, then underline the reason they used to persuade their principal.
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Printable 5.C.4.5.E Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 8.C.10.3.A
Assess the impact of the work of notable abolitionists, such as Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Sojourner Truth.
- 2.C.2.6.D
Public Service (e.g., Harriet Tubman, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt, Mary McLeod Bethune).
- 5.C.4.5.B
politics and diplomacy (e.g., Patrick Henry, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Nancy Ward “Nanyehi”)
- 8.C.2.2.D
Describe how the promise of political equality impacted the views of women, by examining the writings of Mercy Otis Warren and Phillis Wheatley.
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