The pitch: “Be immortalized in the annals of sixth-grade lore by being recognized for your ability to accurately recite the entire 121-word excerpt from the Declaration of Independence. Your face and certificate could grace a future MICDS Weekly News newsletter! »
These were the words offered by Middle School History Teacher D’Antay Mayes to his sixth graders, announcing a contest to recite an excerpt of the Declaration of Independence. This elective opportunity was designed to showcase students’ oral presentation skills, and six students stepped forward to accept the challenge.
« I created this activity as a fun way to encourage students to focus on the power of this foundational document that inspired America’s past and present, » said Mayes. « The students had to memorize the document outside of class time and recite the excerpt word for word to earn a certificate of excellence. »
Over two days, students in Mayes’ class stood before their peers and recited what they had memorized in the few weeks before the big day. Angela Yang ’31 was hesitant initially but opted in with a friend’s encouragement. « The last few sentences of the second paragraph were really hard to memorize because there were a lot of words commonly used in the olden days, so you had to memorize without really understanding what they meant, » she said.
Dominic D. ’31 felt inspired to participate in the bragging rights and found it equally challenging. He said, « It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. The second paragraph was long, and while I don’t have trouble with old-world language, the memorization was a bit hard for me. »
Coming in with a dual love for history and theater was Ruby Walker ’31. « I am very interested in history, and I’m also in the fifth and sixth-grade play, so I had a lot to memorize at the same time. Memorizing the middle bit was slightly challenging, although I found it a bit easier because I read a lot of correspondence between historical figures, and once I got my hands on it, I knew most of the words, » she said.
Caleb Meyers ’31 joined the ranks because he thought it would be fun to do in his free time. « The middle paragraph was the biggest challenge with the longest sentences and the most complex words. I had to look up the words, and learning the meaning helped me memorize them, » he said.
« I signed up because I wanted to do something extra and fun because I’ve always been into history, especially American history, » said Feigo Yin ’31. « I found memorizing the final part challenging, but I enjoyed it to have it as something useful later. »
Owen Harris ’31 jumped in with both feet. « I honestly didn’t know what I was signing up for and just wanted to be in the newsletter. It was pretty fun memorizing. I thought it would be shorter, but the long sentences in the middle part were really hard, » he said.
When asked about their biggest takeaways, Dominic said, « When I actually got into it, it was interesting to read part of the Declaration of Independence and the history of the first states of America. But definitely take off a good part of your day to try and memorize it. It takes more time than you think, like several days, » he said.
Angela shared the importance of using your time efficiently. She said, « There are certain times of day when I find it easier to memorize things, like in the morning or before bed. I did it little by little and learned that I didn’t have to do it all at once. I also enjoyed giving the speech in front of all my friends, with them supporting me. I learned a lot about the history of our country before we initiated the recital, so we had everything we needed to know about the Declaration of Independence. After memorizing, though, it kind of helped me more in class. »
Caleb shared that the most fun part was standing up there and doing it. « There were a lot of important things about the Declaration of Independence that led to what we’re studying in class, » he added. Fiego’s most significant takeaway: « The Declaration of Independence has a lot of really long sentences. »
The certificates of excellence were awarded to Ruby Walker, Angela Yang, and Feigo Yin. Runners-up included Dominic D., Owen Harris, and Caleb Meyers.
Mayes added, « It takes dedication to take on additional assignments at the middle school level. Each student should be commended for engaging with the Declaration of Independence in new ways. For some, it was getting a closer look at the period language. For others, it was a chance to show off their interest in history and sharpen their presentation skills. Whatever their motivation, I am proud of their commitment to deepen their understanding of this foundational document. The competition was a great success and will be rolled out again next year. »
Congratulations to the recital champions and all who participated in this historical adventure!
Would you like to try it for yourself? Below is the excerpt the students memorized.
In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.