Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Yorktown and Treaty of Paris

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discuss the importance of battles fought during the Revolutionary War. They summarize the events, people, and strategies of significance in the Battle of Yorktown. They identify the significance of the the adoption of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early America

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders, in groups, study the differences between the 13 Original Colonies, then explore the relationship between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patriots v. Loyalists

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Students consider how colonial citizens chose sides in the American Revolution. In this Revolutionary War lesson, students role play Loyalists, Patriots, and undecideds in a classroom simulation. Students research their positions so that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sending Messages, Then and Now

For Teachers K - 1st
Students analyze how patriots created ways to communicate during the Revolutionary War. After reading about and discussing ways patriots communicated, students create a chart analyzing the way messages are sent today with the way...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ten Crucial Days- George Washington as a Hero Figure

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners identify the heroic qualities of George Washington. In this Revolutionary War lesson, students recognize heroic qualities and construct a Hero Hall of Fame. Learners construct posters that exemplify heroic traits.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Johnny Tremain/Boston Tea Party

For Teachers 5th
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....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One Room School House Reading Lesson

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore schools during the Colonial period. In this American history lesson, students participate in a simulation of school days in Colonial America. Learners visit a museum and use the schoolhouse as a setting for their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary Newspaper

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders write a newspaper article about an important event or cause of the Revolutionary War. In small groups they participate in a jigsaw activity, and return to their original group to report on their new information. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Revoluationary War Continues

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the events of the Revolutionary War. As a class, they read information from their text and discuss the allies' involvement in the war, conflicts in within the Continental Army, and economic challenges. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Revolutionary War People and Events

For Teachers 5th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taxed Tempers Toss Tea To Tides

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Engage learners in persuasive writing, research, and creative thinking. They research the series of events that led to the Boston Tea Party and create brochures that include propaganda intended to rally Patriot support or dissuade...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fine Tuning a Nation: Using Cartoons

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students examine political cartoons to gain an understanding of the political issues that George Washington faced. In this historical perspectives lesson, students analyze political cartoons about the National Bank, the title presidents,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wax Museum

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders put their research skills to work. In this Revolutionary War instructional activity, 6th graders research a famous figure from that era. Students use the information gathered to prepare for a wax museum experience.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Political Cartoons

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders identify a political cartoon and analyze a pre-Revolutionary War political cartoon. In this political cartoon lesson, 7th graders discuss cartoons and the historical beginnings of American politics using a PowerPoint...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Foundations of American Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine historical perspectives. In this Boston Massacre lesson, students watch "The Story Behind the Boston Massacre," and conduct further research on the event. Students debate the Patriot and British perspectives of the event.
Lesson Plan
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Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Benjamin Franklin and the Long Struggle for Independence

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore U.S. history by reading biographical material in class. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, students identify the life of Franklin and the events that led him to become one of America's first heroes. Students complete an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary War: The Battle of Oriskany

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students evaluate the decisions several New Yorkers made about which side to support during the Revolutionary War and analyze the Battle of Oriskany to determine whether the Tories or the Rebels won the battle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an essay...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Media and War

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students investigate how written media and word of mouth helped foment rebellion during the Revolutionary War. They compare and contrast that with the role of the news media in the war in Iraq focusing on cause and effect relationships.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes of the Revolution Newspaper

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the events that led to the Revolutionary War. Using the internet, they discover the advantages and disadvantages of each side. They use the information to produce a special edition newspaper on the war. They must include...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary Idea

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Young scholars take a field trip to watch a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. In groups, they participate in the same daily chores as the soldiers and examine the contributions of the colonies. To end the lesson, they eat a typical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recruitment

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze and then draw recruitment posters.  In this Revolutionary War lesson, 5th graders analyze recruitment posters and discuss the attitude towards African Americans.  Students analyze primary documents from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taking Up Arms and the Challenge of Slavery in the Revolutionary Era

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine a series of documents which discuss the contradiction in the Americans' rhetoric about slavery. They act as members of designated Committees of Correspondence in the five different colonies, communicating their...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

1862: Antietam and Emancipation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Was the Emancipation Proclamation a revolutionary document or just a military strategy? It proclaimed that all those enslaved in Confederate states would be "forever free." Logistically, though, it did little. The order, however,...