Unit Study for the Movie
National Treasure
by Wendy Asbell

Objectives: To explore and learn more about the historical information presented in the movie National Treasure
Grade levels: 6th-12th

1. Questions to ask before the movie:
What are some of the symbols on the one dollar bill?
Why is July 4, 1776 an important date in our country's history?
What is the Declaration of Independence?
How many people signed it and why was it brave of them to do so?
Name important places in Washington, D.C.
Who is Robert E. Peary and what is he known for?
Name a few things Benjamin Franklin is known for.
Where is the Liberty Bell kept?
What did Paul Revere do?
Why is history important?

2. View the movie.

3. Places visited in the movie:
North Pole click here for Live Cam
National Archives
Library of Congress
Franklin Institute
Independence Hall featuring the Liberty Bell and the Centennial Bell
USS Intrepid
Trinity Church
Old North Church (which is located on Freedom Trail)
Briefly mentioned: Library of Alexandria and Smithsonian
Seen in background: Capitol Building, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial and the Statue of Liberty

4. People of significance mentioned in movie:
Robert E. Peary http://www.pearyhenson.org/northPole1909/index.htm and http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/ice/sfeature/peary.html
Signers of the Declaration of Independence (specifically Charles Carroll and Benjamin Franklin and his invention of bifocal glasses)
Silence Dogood
Thomas Edison
Robert Newman
Paul Revere
Pass and Stow-"hired to recast the bell. These workmen were named Pass and Stow and their names are today inscribed on the bell." quote from timeline
Freemasons
Knights of Templar

5. Spelling and Vocabulary
Choose which will work best for your grade level.

6. Word Find
GPS AGENT ANTIQUE ARCHITECTURE ARCHIVE BRIBE CARGO CARTOGRAPH CIPHER CLUE CONSPIRACY CONSTITUTION CREDIBLE CURIOUS CUSTODY DETAIN DOCUMENT FAKE FATHERS FICTION GALA GUARDING HOSTAGE INVISIBLE LEGACY LEGEND MYTH PRESERVATION QUO REAGENT REALITY REVOLUTION SMUGGLED SOUVENIR STATUS SUSPECT SYMBOLS TREACHERY TREASURE VAULT

Q B G C D R B H M G U A R D I N G Z E P
Z U L C E S A C I L S D O C U M E N T P
P P O A T U E Q O F E D S A L Z Y Q E H
R K O R A O U T I N A U E U C Y L T B G
E G K T I I L P N R S L Q L S E T F I H
S A A O N R C G C E B T A I G P K N R K
E L R G P U V H G H G N I A T G E G B F
R A C R U C I O W S S A C T L N U C C I
V Y H A Q V A G C G A Y E V U L A M T C
A C I P E X T R E A C H E R Y T D Q S T
T A T H K G C A K R E V O L U T I O N I
I R E N P R R C U V E Z P G C Y N O O O
O I C S T N E G A U R Y D O T S U C N N
N P T T Z B D S V B U M X I D T D P R C
S S U A Z F I L U S S V L O L B V D K J
X N R T V S B O F I A A F U B Y H T Y M
E O E U B Y L B A R E F A T H E R S B G
G C T S R E E M K R R V B R E H P I C I
D N E G E L Q Y E X T E L B I S I V N I
H O S T A G E S A Z U R I N E V U O S C

7. Invisible Ink Activity

You will need: lemon juice, small glass, paper, q-tips, iron.

Pour a little lemon juice in a glass.
Write a message with q-tip using lemon juice as ink. Allow to dry.
Heat the message with iron to make it visible. The message should appear brown.

8. Word Jumbles

The word jumble puzzle aefglorvy (l and e were used twice) was solved to gain entrance to the National Archives. The following word jumbles were created from the Spelling and Vocabulary words.

9. Treasure Hunt
Hide a "treasure" and draw a map to the first of a series of clues that hint at a location. Let students go on their own treasure hunt!

10. Further Learning

Write an essay on how the Declaration of Independence is really protected. How does it differ from the movie?

Have students choose a person or location mentioned in the movie to write a report on.

If you had found the treasure what would you have done with it? How would you have spent any reward money?

'But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security' ('The Declaration of Independence') What does this mean?

Why is patriotism important?

Was stealing the Declaration of Independence the best option? Do two wrongs make a right?

11. Compliment this study using books from the library on the people, places and events mentioned.

12. Look up the meaning behind the symbols on the one dollar bill and write a report on it.

13. There are activities you can use on the official movie site.

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