Lesson Plan #2
Early Battles of the American Revolution
Introduction: Students will be learning about the early battles of the American Revolution. Activities
such as role playing, graphing, mapping, and writing will all be implemented to help the students obtain
a better understanding of the importance of these events. The time frame goes from Paul Revere’s Ride
to the Battle of Saratoga.
Objectives:
Content/Knowledge:
1. Students will be able to describe the major battles at the beginning of the war and their
overall importance to the war as a whole
2. Students will be able to identify key characters from the battles
3. Students will be able to construct an image of a minuteman and understand the
hardships they dealt with on a daily basis
Process/Skills:
1. Students will be able to create diary entries from the perspective of a continental during
the war
2. Students will be able to analyze a document and figure out its historical flaws and truths
3. Students will be able to create a graph showing tendencies of military victories vs.
casualties
Values/Dispositions:
1. Students will be able to reflect upon their beliefs and opinions based on their knowledge
of the situation to conclude whether or not supporting the American Revolution was a
good idea, or a foolish fantasy.
Standards:
State – Illinois Learning Standards
1. 16.A.4a Analyze and report historical events to determine cause and-effect
relationships.
2. 16.A.3c Identify the differences between historical fact and interpretation.
3. 16.A.5a (US) Analyze historical and contemporary developments using methods of
historical inquiry (pose questions, collect and analyze data, make and support inferences
with evidence, report findings).
National – National Council for the Social Studies Standards
1. Time, Continuity, and Change – History
National – National Standards for History
1. Standard 1C Appraise George Washington's military and political leadership in
conducting the Revolutionary War.
2. Standard 1C Compare and explain the different roles and perspectives in the war of men
and women, including white settlers, free and enslaved African Americans, and Native
Americans.
3. Standard 1C Explain how the Americans won the war against superior British resources.
Syntax – Procedures (2-Day Lesson)
DAY 1:
1. Naturalist and Bodily/Kinesthetic:
a. Teacher Instruction:
i. Students will be informed that class will be conducted outside
ii. Students are to listen to all procedures that are told to them, otherwise class
will be moved back to the classroom. (Must bring notebook and pencil/pen)
iii. Students will be getting a basic idea of what some of the colonial soldiers dealt
with in terms of attire and weathering the conditions.
iv. Students will take off their shoes an wrap the rags they were told to bring to
glass around their feet and secure them. (If people don’t want to use the rags
they will have to go barefoot)
v. Students will then line up behind the teacher two-by-two and MARCH outside to
the outdoor classroom area to the teacher’s cadence
vi. Students are to think about the following themes/questions while marching
1. How would I feel if I had to walk like this in the winter for several miles
at a time while also carrying supplies?
2. Why did the colonists have to use these rags? Why didn’t they just get
more shoes?
3. How difficult was it to stay in step with the teacher’s cadence?
b. Resources:
i. Rags for using as shoes
ii. Rhythmic cadence for marching
iii. Watch to keep track of the time
1.
c. Student Activity:
i. Come into class and take off shoes and secure rags to feet
ii. Listen to the procedures given by the teacher to ensure no problems arise while
having class outside (Bring a notebook and pencil)
iii. Line up two-by-two behind the teacher
iv. March in-step with the teachers cadence to the designated outdoor classroom
area
v. Think about the following themes/questions while marching
1. How would I feel if I had to walk like this in the winter for several miles
at a time while also carrying supplies?
2. Why did the colonists have to use these rags? Why didn’t they just get
more shoes?
3. How difficult was it to stay in step with the teacher’s cadence?
2. Musical/Rhythmic:
a. Teacher Instruction:
i. Have the students sit in a circle
ii. Discuss why the students are wearing rags on their feet and marching to the
area
iii. Give a brief outline of Paul Revere’s ride and the battle of Lexington and
Concord for background information
iv. Give the students the poem of Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow
v. Students are to read the poem silently and fill out the Historical Accuracy
worksheet
vi. Students will then discuss the poem and the worksheet in the circle
vii. After the discussion students will line back up two-by-two and march back to
the classroom with the teachers cadence
b. Resources:
i. Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
ii. Historical Accuracy worksheet
iii. Discussion
c. Student Activity
i. Once outside sit in a circle in the designated area.
ii. Take notes in your notebook while the teacher introduces Paul Revere’s Ride
and background information
iii. Silently read Paul Revere’s Ride and fill out Historical Accuracy worksheet
iv. Once you have read the poem and completed the worksheet a discussion will
begin over the poem and its importance/accuracy
v. Line up again two-by-two and march to the teacher’s cadence back to the
classroom.
3. Interpersonal
a. Teacher Instruction:
i. For homework, tell the students to create a dialogue for a family of four who
have just been informed by Paul Revere that “the regulars are coming.”
ii. Hand out the prompt for the dialogue: Paul Revere has just visited your house
and informed your family that “the regulars are coming.” Write a 3-5 minute
dialogue detailing the reactions the different members of your family have to the
information. Think about the following questions while writing your dialogue.
1. Does your family support the Patriots or Loyalists?
2. Is the father of the family a member of the militia, if so is he suiting up
to go fight?
a) If so, how does this affect the rest of the family?
b) If not, does hearing this news make him want to go fight for the
cause, why or why not?
3. What do the mother and children think about hearing this news?
a) Are they afraid of the regulars (British soldiers)?
b) Are they for or against having their father go fight?
c) How are they going to be affected by the father leaving or not?
i. If he is not leaving, do they believe the down will look
down on him for not helping?
iii. Remind the students to bring a printed copy of their dialogue to class the next
day
b. Resources:
i. Reaction to Paul Revere dialogue prompt
c. Student Activity:
i. Listen to the teacher as they describe your homework for the next class
ii. Read over the prompt for creating a dialogue.
iii. Create dialogue at home, and bring back a printed copy to next day’s class
End Day 1
DAY 2:
1. Logical/Mathematical and Visual/Spatial:
a. Teacher Instruction:
i. Have the students take a seat and introduce them to the power point
presentation on early American Revolutionary battles
ii. Click on the battle area on the map to go to the slide on that event, click bottom
right corner to return to battle map
1. Click on rider in first slide for slide on Paul Revere
2. Click on Concord
3. Click on New York
4. Click on Bunker Hill
5. Click on Boston
6. Click on Long Island
7. Click on Washington’s Retreat
8. Click on Trenton
9. Click on Princeton
10. Click on Saratoga
iii. Hand out “Casualty vs. Victory” worksheet
iv. While giving a seminar using the power point have the students fill out the
worksheet
1. Mark down the number of casualties each side had after each battle,
and keep a running total. Also, mark which side won each battle
v. When the presentation comes to the Crossing of the Delaware and the Battle of
Trenton tell the students to take out their other worksheet titled “George
Washington: Escape Artist”
1. Students will follow the instructions given on the worksheet
a. In red draw a path showing Washington’s movement starting
from the Crossing of the Delaware leading all the way to his
escape to Morristown. In blue draw a path showing Cornwallis’
attempt to catch Washington. Be sure to mark battle sites, and
label the cities that appear on the map.
2. Have the students answer these questions at the bottom of the page
a. Why were these victories important to the colonists moral?
b. How could have Cornwallis caught up to Washington, or was it
an impossible task?
c. Other than these small victories, why did the British retreat
after Washington’s escape to Morristown?
vi. Have the students hold onto the “Escape Artist” worksheet and return to the
“Casualty vs. Victories” worksheet.
vii. Once the “Casualty vs. Victories” work sheet is finished students will create a
line graph showing the increasing number of casualties after each battle.
1. The students will mark a star at each reference point (each new battle)
and mark which side won the battle as well.
2. Have the students look at the relationship between numbers of
casualties vs. number of victories.
viii. Have students answer the following questions
1. How did the colonials keep surviving with so many casualties and
losses?
2. Why did the British not finish off the colonials each time they had the
chance?
3. Is there a relationship between numbers of casualties and number of
victories, and what is it?
b. Resources
i. “American Revolution: Early Battles” power point presentation
ii. “Casualty vs. Victories worksheet
iii. “George Washington: Escape Artist” worksheet
c. Student Activity:
i. Look over the handout given to you before the seminar
ii. During the seminar answer the questions pertaining to casualties and victories
on the worksheet
iii. Take out the “Escape Artist” worksheet when the Crossing of the Delaware is
mentioned during the seminar.
1. Follow the instructions given on the worksheet
a. In red draw a path showing Washington’s movement starting
from the Crossing of the Delaware leading all the way to his
escape to Morristown. In blue draw a path showing Cornwallis’
attempt to catch Washington. Be sure to mark battle sites, and
label the cities that appear on the map.
2. Answer these questions at the bottom of the page
a. Why were these victories important to the colonists moral?
b. How could have Cornwallis caught up to Washington, or was it
an impossible task?
c. Other than these small victories, why did the British retreat
after Washington’s escape to Morristown?
iv. Once finished with the “Casualty vs. Victories” work sheet create a line graph
showing the increasing number of casualties after each battle, and a running
tally of victories for each side.
v. Think about the following questions while you are working
1. How did the colonials keep surviving with so many casualties and
losses?
2. Why did the British not finish off the colonials each time they had the
chance?
3. Is there a relationship between numbers of casualties and number of
victories, and what is it?
2. Intrapersonal:
a. Teacher Instruction:
i. Once the presentation is finished tell the students to take out a piece of paper
to write a reflection.
ii. On the board have the following prompt shown:
1. Based on all the information you have been given so far from the
reasons for fighting this war and the outcomes of the battles leading up
to Saratoga reflect on the following; why would you or why wouldn’t
you support the colonist’s revolutionary campaign. Provide reasons
pertaining to the themes of economy, military, and civics in your
reflection.
b. Resources:
i. Prompt posted at the end of the power point presentation.
c. Student Activity:
i. Take out a piece of blank paper
ii. Read the following prompt projected on the board and write a reflection.
1. Based on all the information you have been given so far from the
reasons for fighting this war and the outcomes of the battles leading up
to Saratoga, reflect on the following; why would you or why wouldn’t
you support the colonist’s revolutionary campaign. Provide reasons
pertaining to the themes of economy, military, and civics in your
reflection.
3. Verbal/Linguistic
a. Teacher Instruction:
i. Tell the students that they will be creating a diary with 5 entries for homework.
ii. Each entry will pertain to an event during Washington’s successful attacks on
the British from Trenton to Princeton
1. Create 5 diary entries (no longer than a page each) from the perspective
of a colonial soldier serving under George Washington. The first entry
will be written just after learning that Washington is having you cross
the Delaware for a surprise attack at Trenton. The second will be a
reflection on the Battle of Trenton the night of the victory. The third
diary will focus on Washington’s sneaky maneuver to move the colonial
troops during the night to attack Princeton. The fourth entry will be
written on the night after the victory at the Battle of Princeton. The final
entry will detail Washington’s maneuver to move the troops up to
Morristown for the winter while avoiding Cornwallis and the British
troops.
iii. Remind the students that the entries should be typed out for legibility and every
entry should contain a proper date and a signature after each entry.
1. Also, remind students to include their actual name on their work if they
create a fake name for the entries
2. Every entry should be written on a separate page, and stapled together
to receive full credit.
b. Resources:
i. Colonial Soldier Diary prompt sheet
c. Student Activity:
i. For homework create 5 diary entries from the perspective of a soldier serving
under George Washington during the successful attacks on Trenton and
Princeton
ii. Follow the following prompt to help write the entries.
1. Create 5 diary entries (no longer than a page each) from the perspective
of a colonial soldier serving under George Washington. The first entry
will be written just after learning that Washington is having you cross
the Delaware for a surprise attack at Trenton. The second will be a
reflection on the Battle of Trenton the night of the victory. The third
diary will focus on Washington’s sneaky maneuver to move the colonial
troops during the night to attack Princeton. The fourth entry will be
written on the night after the victory at the Battle of Princeton. The final
entry will detail Washington’s maneuver to move the troops up to
Morristown for the winter while avoiding Cornwallis and the British
troops.
Paul Revere’s Ride
By: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Listen my children and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.
He said to his friend, "If the British march
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch
Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-One if by land, and two if by sea;
And I on the opposite shore will be,
Ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Middlesex village and farm,
For the country folk to be up and to arm."
Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar
Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her moorings lay
The Somerset, British man-of-war;
A phantom ship, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.
Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street
Wanders and watches, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around him he hears
The muster of men at the barrack door,
The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the grenadiers,
Marching down to their boats on the shore.
Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,
By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,
To the belfry chamber overhead,
And startled the pigeons from their perch
On the sombre rafters, that round him made
Masses and moving shapes of shade,--
By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,
To the highest window in the wall,
Where he paused to listen and look down
A moment on the roofs of the town
And the moonlight flowing over all.
Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,
In their night encampment on the hill,
Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That he could hear, like a sentinel's tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it went
Creeping along from tent to tent,
And seeming to whisper, "All is well!"
A moment only he feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
Of the lonely belfry and the dead;
For suddenly all his thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,-A line of black that bends and floats
On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.
Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,
Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride
On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.
Now he patted his horse's side,
Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,
Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,
And turned and tightened his saddle girth;
But mostly he watched with eager search
The belfry tower of the Old North Church,
As it rose above the graves on the hill,
Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.
And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height
A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!
He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,
But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight
A second lamp in the belfry burns.
A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
He has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.
It was twelve by the village clock
When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.
He heard the crowing of the cock,
And the barking of the farmer's dog,
And felt the damp of the river fog,
That rises after the sun goes down.
It was one by the village clock,
When he galloped into Lexington.
He saw the gilded weathercock
Swim in the moonlight as he passed,
And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,
Gaze at him with a spectral glare,
As if they already stood aghast
At the bloody work they would look upon.
It was two by the village clock,
When he came to the bridge in Concord town.
He heard the bleating of the flock,
And the twitter of birds among the trees,
And felt the breath of the morning breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.
And one was safe and asleep in his bed
Who at the bridge would be first to fall,
Who that day would be lying dead,
Pierced by a British musket ball.
You know the rest. In the books you have read
How the British Regulars fired and fled,--How the farmers gave them ball for ball,
>From behind each fence and farmyard wall,
Chasing the redcoats down the lane,
Then crossing the fields to emerge again
Under the trees at the turn of the road,
And only pausing to fire and load.
So through the night rode Paul Revere;
And so through the night went his cry of alarm
To every Middlesex village and farm,--A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to hear
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the midnight message of Paul Revere.
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Class: ____________________
Historical Accuracy: Paul Revere’s Ride
It is no secret that one cannot believe everything they read or hear, especially when it pertains
to history. Too many times historical facts are thrown out the window or contorted to make a
story more entertaining or action packed. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride”
is one of the most widely read poems in American history, and is considered to be historically
accurate, for the most part. While reading the poem try and deduce fact from fiction. Try to
find at least 3 pieces of information in the poem that is not historically accurate to Paul Revere’s
ride. Write the line from the poem that is inaccurate and then write what it should actually say.
1) ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2) ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3) ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Name: ______________________
Date: ______________________
Class: _____________________)
The Regulars Are Coming! What Do We Do?
Instructions: Paul Revere has just visited your house and informed your family that “the
regulars are coming.” Write a 3-5 minute dialogue detailing the reactions the different
members of your family have to the information. Think about the following questions while
writing your dialogue.
1) Does your family support the Patriots or Loyalists?
2) Is the father of the family a member of the militia, if so is he suiting up to go fight?
a. If so, how does this affect the rest of the family?
b. If not, does hearing this news make him want to go fight for the cause, why or why not?
3) What do the mother and children think about hearing this news?
a. Are they afraid of the regulars (British soldiers)?
b. Are they for or against having their father go fight?
c. How are they going to be affected by the father leaving or not?
i. If he is not leaving, do they believe the down will look down on him for not
helping?
Get creative with this assignment. Extra Credit will be offered to the writer of the skit who decides to
perform their piece in front of the class.
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Class: ____________________
Casualties vs. Victories
Instructions: During the presentation keep a running total of the number of casualties each
side occurs during the different battles. Also, mark which side one each of the battles discussed.
Once the presentation is over create a line graph showing the increasing casualty rates for both
the British and the Colonists. Mark on the graph the running total of casualties after each
battle. Next to each battles name along the X-Axis write the name of that battles victor.
Battles:
Lexington and Concord:
British Casualties _________
British Victory __________
Colonial Casualties _________
Colonial Victory __________
Fort Ticonderoga
British Casualties _________
British Victory __________
Colonial Casualties _________
Colonial Victory __________
Battle of Bunker Hill
British Casualties _________
British Victory __________
Colonial Casualties _________
Colonial Victory __________
Battle of Trenton
British Casualties _________
British Victory __________
Colonial Casualties _________
Colonial Victory __________
Battle of Princeton
British Casualties _________
British Victory __________
Colonial Casualties _________
Colonial Victory __________
Battle of Saratoga
British Casualties _________
British Victory __________
Colonial Casualties _________
Colonial Victory __________
Draw the graph in the space provided below:
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Class: ____________________
George Washington: Escape Artist
Instructions: Take a quick look at the map below. In red draw a path showing Washington’s
movements starting from the “Crossing of the Delaware” leading all the way to his escape to
Morristown. In blue draw a path showing Cornwallis’ attempt to catch Washington. Be sure to
mark battle sites, and label the cities that appear on the map.
Questions:
1. Why were these victories important to the colonists
moral?__________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. How could have Cornwallis caught up to Washington, or was it an impossible
task?____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Other than these small victories, why did the British retreat after Washington’s escape
to Morristown?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Diary of a Minuteman
Instructions: Create 5 diary entries (no longer than a page each) from the perspective of a
colonial soldier serving under George Washington. The first entry will be written just after
learning that Washington is having you cross the Delaware for a surprise attack at Trenton. The
second will be a reflection on the Battle of Trenton the night of the victory. The third diary will
focus on Washington’s sneaky maneuver to move the colonial troops during the night to attack
Princeton. The fourth entry will be written on the night after the victory at the Battle of
Princeton. The final entry will detail Washington’s maneuver to move the troops up to
Morristown for the winter while avoiding Cornwallis and the British troops.
Description
1 Point
2 Points
Content
Little to no
content is
prevalent
Minimal
content given,
with no
elaboration
3 Points
Student
understood the
material, but was
lacking in
amount of
content given
4 Points
Student has
good grasp of
content. Was
missing a few
elements in
each event
Creative and
plausible while
being well
written
Creativity
5 Points
Student shows
master of
content and
includes all
pertinent
information
for each event
Little to no
creativity
shown
Student added
some creativity
but basically
only gave facts
Student had a
few creative
additions to the
entries
Student was
creative to an
extent but it
slightly took
away from the
plausibility
1 Entry
2 Entries
3 Entries
4 Entries
5 Entries
Student only
had 1 part of
the format
correct
Student had
some parts of
the format
correct, but
more mistakes
than allowable
Only one
mistake in
formatting
present
No errors in
formatting the
diary entries
# of Entries
Format
Student did not
follow format
Grammar/
Punctuation
Over 5
grammar and
punctuation
errors
Total Score
4-5 grammar or
punctuation
errors
2-3 grammar or
punctuation
errors
Only 1
grammar or
punctuation
error present
_______ / 25
No grammar or
punctuation
errors