Curated OER
Colonials & Revolutionaries: Background Historical & Cultural Information
The four major trends of the 18th century (The Enlightenment, the Great Awakening, British global ambitions, and economic disagreements) are the focus of a PowerPoint that places in context such influences as deism, mercantilism,...
Curated OER
Unit 2: Post-Revolution: The Critical Period 1781-1878
The post-Revolutionary Period of 1781-1787, also known as the Critical Period, is the focus of a series of lessons that prompt class members to examine primary source documents that reveal the instability of the period of the...
Smithsonian Institution
A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Galileo: Revealing the Universe
To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...
Curated OER
Johnny Tremain/Boston Tea Party
Fifth graders understand chronological order of events. In this Boston Tea Party lesson, 5th graders compare the events surrounding the Boston Tea Party to current times. Students learn vocabulary and customs of the revolutionary times....
Curated OER
General Greene to General Marion: Your State is Invaded, Your All is at Stake
Third graders examine the contributions of Francis Marion and Nathaneal Greene. In this Revolutionary War lesson plan, 3rd graders use primary and secondary sources to research Marion and Greene and the accomplishments of their men...
Curated OER
Causes of the American Revolution: the Stamp Act Crisis
Fifth graders view primary documents to become familiar with the causes of the American Revolutionary War. In this Causes of the American Revolution lesson, 5th graders answer questions based on the documents. Students complete a...
Curated OER
Voices of the American Revolution - Primary Documents
Students use primary documents to examine the attitudes and positions of several factions leading up to the American Revolutionary War. They read documents, debate differing perspectives and write an essay exploring the reasons for revolt.
Curated OER
Revolutionary Tea Parties and the Reasons for Revolution
Students identify tea party protests other than the Boston Tea Party, state some possible reasons behind the tea protests, and explain the connection between the Boston Tea Party, other tea parties, and events that preceded and followed...
Curated OER
Simulation: Revolutionary Town Hall Meeting
Secondary historians simulate events leading up to the American Revolution. They assume the roles of patriots, loyalists, or neutrals in a town meeting set prior to the Revolution. As Patriots and Loyalists make their arguments, neutrals...
Smithsonian Institution
Lexington and Concord: Historical Interpretation
Learners view and analyze three different images related to the Battle of Lexington and Concord. They also answer a variety of questions in a graphic organizer to help keep the information straight.
Curated OER
Empire to Independence
Here is a wonderful presentation, perfect for setting the stage for the Revolutionary War. Containing great information and images, it acts as a timeline of events starting with the French Indian War and ending with the dawn of the...
Curated OER
The Father of Our Country
Explore United States history with this lesson on George Washington and the Revolutionary War. After reading biographical information about George Washington, learners make a list of ten reasons for the revolution. They create a timeline...
Curated OER
Ending the War, 1783
Students investigate how successful they were in obtaining their goals in the Revolutionary War. The peace feelers of 1775 are examined and the reasons for the British rejection of them explored. the main provisions of the Treaty of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Ending the War, 1783
The various peace proposals, made by both sides, to end the Revolutionary War come under scrutiny in this final lesson plan of a three-part series on the war. Class members read primary source documents and compare them with military...
Curated OER
The French Revolution
Starting with a quote by Charles Dickens from A Tale of Two Cities, the slides featured in this presentation go into thorough detail about the French Revolution. It includes portraits of key historical figures, maps, and demographic...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Satire or Slander
Encourage your young learners to analyze and think critically about how media portrays people or events. Upper graders analyze a political cartoon depicting President Obama as a Muslim and the First Lady as a revolutionary. Guided by...
Curated OER
What Portraits Reveal
Young scholars examine how portraits can tell us more about people of the past than just what they looked like. They compare three portraits of U.S. Presidents, analyze portraits of Americans from the Revolutionary War, and write a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The War in the North, 1775–1778
Using primary source documents, including maps, learners examine Revolutionary War events from 1775 to 1778. The focus here is on the challenges George Washington and the Continental army faced and how they persevered in spite of those...
Curated OER
Liberty for All: Voices from the Revolution
Did the Declaration of Independence really intend to grant liberty for all? Get your class thinking about historical perspective with documents relaying the experiences of women, white men, and African-Americans during the Revolutionary...
Curated OER
A Revolutionary War Sea Battle
Students study the battle for the Serapis. In this measuring distance lesson, students find the North Sea on a globe and find various locations.
Curated OER
The Revolutionary War People and Events
Fifth graders research events, institutions, and individuals that influenced history during the American Revolution. They create a four-frame cartoon depicting the information they have studied.
Curated OER
Revolution!
Students explore events of the Revolutionary War and George Washington's role in them. They examine the forces behind the war and create timeline.
Curated OER
Patriots and Loyalists
Fifth graders take a clear stance on the Revolutionary way by choosing the side of the patriot or loyalist. They compare and contrast the positions of both the loyalists and the patriots using a graphic organizer. Using the information...