Sixth Grade Sapient Scholars: Revolution!..or is it Just a PHASE ?

Role play is one of the more creative ways to allow students to experience the history that they are studying. Today the scholars practiced some expeditionary learning as they practiced the "luck of the draw" and were placed in categories based on their social class prior to the French Revolution. First estate clergy was only 10% of the class. 20% of the class fell into the second estate, or nobility and aristocrats and the rest fell into the bourgeoisie. They were required to pay taxes, many lost their homes and had to double and triple up to live with others. The aristocracy tried to help some of the peasants by offering to let them serve them and be their footrests. Other bourgeoisie that had income less than their tax burden were hired by clergy to fan them and keep them cool.

Eventually when the majority of the bourgeoisie had enough of the taxing and living paycheck to paycheck, they decided to come up with a plan that if the clergy and aristocracy did not accept, they would follow through and drag them to Madam de la Guillotine. Their offer to hold off the violence was that the first two estates would have to give back half the taxes they took, and they would pass a flat tax as a country where everyone would have to pay a percentage of their income to support the country, no matter how much they made.

Of course the clergy would not accept that because they did not work, but lived off of the tax funds from the third estate.
Chaos ensued and the bourgeoisie succeeded in taking power.

Later in the day we reviewed the phases of the moon with Mr.Lee's Moon Phases rap and took turns displaying the phases. Your scholar can tell you each phase from the photo.