Fair Or Unfair Tax Lesson At Bailey Intermediate

Role-playing puts war with England in perspective

In a taxation lesson, Toni Preston’s fifth-grade social studies class at Bailey Intermediate used Skittles as a hands-on lesson for ‘wages for the colonists.’ The King and Parliament charged taxes such as ‘transportation tax’ for riding the bus, an ‘eyeglasses tax.’ and an ‘athletic shoe tax.’ The tax collectors collected the taxes and divided them up between the King, Parliament, and the tax collectors. The students then had to write about their role, how they felt about their role, and why the colonist was angry enough to go to war with England. Playing the roles were Jaycee Cox, Jaidon Bostic, Emmah Klingler, Lily Greenwell, Summer Owens, and Carter Kuhlengel.