Lesson 7

Lesson Goals

Texts

Core

• • Hamilton: The Revolution, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter, Grand Central, 2016

• • “Aaron Burr’s Instructions to William P. Van Ness, 22–23 June 1804,” Aaron Burr, Public Domain, 1804
  • Excerpt from Burr Confronts Hamilton through Letters from Alexander Hamilton, Ron Chernow, Penguin Press, 2004
  • “From Alexander Hamilton to Aaron Burr, 22 June 1804,” Alexander Hamilton, Public Domain, 1804
  • “From Alexander Hamilton to Harrison Gray Otis, 23 December 1800,” Alexander Hamilton, Public Domain, 1800
  • “To Alexander Hamilton from Aaron Burr, 21 June 1804,” Aaron Burr, Public Domain, 1804
  • “To Alexander Hamilton from Aaron Burr, 22 June 1804,” Aaron Burr, Public Domain, 1804
  • “To Alexander Hamilton from Harrison Gray Otis, 17 December 1800,” Harrison Gray Otis, Public Domain, 1800

Materials

Tools

• Alexander Hamilton: Burr-Hamilton Note-Taking Tool

• Character Note-Taking Tool

• Comparison Organizational Frame

• Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Vocabulary Journal

• Vocabulary in Context Tool

• Word Map

• Word Sort - Closed

• Word Sort - Open

Reference Guides

• Academic Discussion Reference Guide
• Claims Reference Guide

Question Sets

• Alexander Hamilton: Section 3 Question Set

Editable Google Docs

• Alexander Hamilton: Burr-Hamilton Note-Taking Tool

• Character Note-Taking Tool

• Comparison Organizational Frame

• Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool

• Mentor Sentence Journal

• Alexander Hamilton: Section 3 Question Set

• Vocabulary Journal

• Vocabulary in Context Tool

• Word Map

• Word Sort - Closed

• Word Sort - Open

Activity 1: Discuss

We will share our mentor sentence analyses with our partners.

Work with a partner to discuss the mentor sentences you identified in your Mentor Sentence Journal during the homework reading. Use the following questions to guide your discussion:

1. Why did you select this sentence?

2. What is unique about the word choice in this sentence?

3. What is unique about the syntax in this sentence?

4. What mood does the author create in this sentence? How do you know?

5. What tone is conveyed by the author in this sentence? How do you know?

6. How does the sentence contribute to your understanding of the ideas in the text?

Activity 2: Discuss – Write

We will interact with the words we wrote down for homework in our Vocabulary Journal to cement our understanding of their meaning.

Join your small group and compare the words you wrote down in your Vocabulary Journal. Select one word from each group’s Vocabulary Journal and respond to the vocabulary exercises as directed by your teacher.

Activity 3: Discuss

We will complete a jigsaw activity for the letter we read for homework.

Step 1

Begin the class in expert groups. In your expert groups, do the following:

• discuss the letter you read for homework

• share the new vocabulary you defined

• respond to the questions in your Learning Log associated with your letter

• share one of your mentor sentences

Step 2

Go to your home groups and do the following:

• read the letter out loud

• summarize the central ideas

• report the new vocabulary

• share your thoughts on the assigned questions

When you are listening, take notes on the following:

• the central idea

• new vocabulary

• answer to the questions

After listening to each group, discuss your thoughts on the question and if you have any new ideas to include.

Activity 4: Discuss

We will go over our homework.

In small groups, do the following:

• discuss each letter and summarize a central idea of each

• share the vocabulary you each defined

• discuss the questions and answers

While doing this, you should take notes on the following:

• a central idea

• new vocabulary

• new information for the answers to the questions

Discuss the questions and answers as a class.

Activity 5: Write

We will infer character traits seen in the letters we read in the previous lesson.

With a partner, complete the Character Note-Taking Tool.

Find evidence in the excerpts that will help you analyze Burr and Hamilton. Use the following guiding question:

1. What character traits of Burr and Hamilton are revealed in these letters? Use evidence from the text to support your interpretation.

Share your final observations about Burr and Hamilton with the class.

Activity 6: Read

We will read an excerpt from Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow.

As a class, we will read the first paragraph of the excerpt from Burr Confronts Hamilton through Letters from Alexander Hamilton.

While reading, annotate the text. Underline words or phrases that help you figure out Chernow’s representation of Hamilton and Burr and the events that led to the duel. Circle unknown words, add them to your Vocabulary Journal, and define them.

After practicing with the class, read the rest of the excerpt in your small group. Underline words or phrases that help you figure out Chernow’s representation of Hamilton and Burr and the events that led to the duel. Circle unknown words.

Activity 7: Write

We will use a Comparison Organizational Frame to make connections between the information in the sources and Miranda’s interpretation of Hamilton and Burr, as well as what led to Burr killing Hamilton.

Step 1

Gather the Burr-Hamilton Note-Taking Tool, the Character Note-Taking Tool from this lesson, and the annotations you made on the excerpts in your Learning Log.

In your small group, complete the Comparison Organizational Frame:

Prompt: Can I make connections between the information in the sources and Miranda’s interpretation of Hamilton and Burr in Hamilton and what led to Burr killing Hamilton?

What Are You Comparing:

• Side A:

  • What led to the duel, according to Miranda

• Side B:

  • What led to the duel, according to Chernow

  • What led to the duel, according to primary sources

Choose details about the dual that you can compare across the sources. Note these in the Point of Comparison columns.

Summarize What You Know:

• Side A:

  • Summarize what you know about Miranda’s interpretation of Hamilton and Burr and what led to the duel. Use the Burr-Hamilton Note-Taking Tool to aid you.

• Side B:

  • Summarize what you know about Chernow’s interpretation of Hamilton and Burr and what led to the duel.

  • Summarize what you know about Hamilton and Burr and what led to the duel according to primary sources. Use your Character Note-Taking Tool to help you.

Step 2

After looking at each individual text, look at the similarities in the representations.

Summarize the similarities between the three sources for each point of comparison.

Summarize the differences between the three sources for each point of comparison.

Form comparative observations or claims, taking into account the similarities and differences you noted.

Step 3

Form a Comparative Observation: In the bottom row, form a comparative observation or conclusion about Hamilton and Burr as seen in the texts and what led to the duel. Your comparative conclusion or thesis will be developed after thinking about similarities and differences among the sources. Your thesis might end up suggesting that the sources are as follows:

• similar, but with a few key differences

• different, but with a few key similarities

• very different, with one of the two sources being superior to the other, based on points of comparison and evidence

• related in a way that sets up a broader conclusion, claim, or thesis

Step 4

After completing the Comparison Organizational Frame in small groups, share your observations with the class.

Activity 8: Write

For homework, we will use the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool to form a claim about Miranda’s decision to choose Burr as the narrator.

Step 1

For homework, prepare for a small-group discussion scheduled by forming a claim in response to the following guiding question:

1. Why did Lin-Manuel Miranda choose to have Aaron Burr be the narrator of Hamilton: An American Musical?

Use your completed Comparison Organizational Frame and your Hamilton-Burr Note-Taking Tool to help you gather evidence and form your claim.

Use the Forming Evidence-Based Claims Tool to help you think through the following process:

• Identify three to four key details from the text that are related to the question, and cite where in the story you have found the details.

• Explain how the details you have identified are each connected to the question.

• Explain something you observe or understand from thinking about each of the details you have cited.

• Explain the connections you see among the details you have cited.

• Use what you have come to understand from your analysis of the details to form a claim in response to the question.

Step 2

Read your claim and ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the claim clearly stated?

2. Does the claim communicate your opinion or conclusion about your character?

3. Is the claim based on evidence that you gathered from the text?

4. Is the claim able to be supported by evidence?

If you answered "no" to any of the questions, think about how you might revise your claim.