Twisted Sister and the Declaration of Independence

What does the 80s rock band, Twisted Sister and the Declaration of Independence have in common? More than you might imagine...

So I wanted to get my 8th grade civic students to be more engaged in studying the meaning of the Declaration of Independence...

Then, I remembered Twisted Sister, the 80s band and their song "We're Not Gonna Take It".  It has rebellion and reasons for rebellion written all over it.

So, after the students reviewed the grievances Mr. Jefferson listed in the Declaration of Independence, I had the students read the lyrics from "We're Not Gonna Take It".  Then, they highlighted lyrics from the song that were similar to the Declaration of Independence, and they I cited direct connections to the Declaration of Independence. 

We then shared answers, and debriefed from our activity.

Then, I showed the student the rock video of the song...
This part of the lesson made all sorts of connections for the students!

Finally, I love this assignments since it incorporated the music section of Multiple Intelligence.  And, these music learners will remember this lesson too!

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