John Paul Jones Lesson Plans

Students explore John Paul Jones. His sense of adventure brought him to America. His bravery made him the country's greatest naval hero.

Eighth graders discuss as a class what a "hero" is and watch a PowerPoint presentation about George Rogers Clark and John Paul Jones. They then turn in their books and discuss some of the technology available to soldiers during the time of the Revolutionary War.

Students read about the accomplishments of John Paul Jones and the Continental Marines. They explore famous quotes and mottos, i.e. "Semper Fidelis." Students discuss other quotes or mottos by famous people in history. They discuss the function of well known quotes and mottos in creating a national culture.

Sixth graders work as Biographical Scene Investigators. In this investigative reporting lesson plan, 6th graders identify heroic individuals selected from the provided list and keep their own evidence notebooks regarding the actions of their subject. Students research print and Internet sources for evidence of the subject's heroic actions.

Fourth graders complete a five-week unit of lessons on the American Revolution. They examine causes, major battles, and famous people, conduct research, label maps, play a Revolutionary Body Parts game, reenact a battle, and complete handouts.

Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.

Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book People of the American Revolution. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer questions, have discussions, and more.

Sixth graders research the Constitution and complete activities for the topic. In this US Constitution lesson plan, 6th graders visit the given websites to read about the history of the Constitution and start a KWL chart. Students view the Constitution online and role-play parts of the Constitutional Convention. Students construct a puzzle for the topic using the websites given.

Sixth graders become members of the BSI in this research simulation. They apply for Biographical Scene Investigator membership, investigate an individual, keep an evidence notebook and write an investigator's report.

Young historians interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources in this American Revolution lesson. They select topics from the time era that they are interested in researching. Additionally, they follow the provided directives to conduct research and write research papers on their topics.