3rd Grade
Paul Revere
Issue 3.3
This year, third graders will learn about several Americans who expanded our rights
and freedoms in our democracy. The first individual we will study is Paul Revere.
Paul Revere was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1734. He grew up to become a
silversmith and made a wide variety of items from tea sets to false teeth. He also joined secret patriot
organizations that worked to bring independence to the American colonies. He was a skilled rider and often
delivered messages for these groups to New York and Philadelphia on horseback. Among the important
information Revere transported was news of the Boston Tea Party, an event in which colonists threw chests
of tea into Boston Harbor as a protest against unfair taxes. Revere knew the details of the event well since he
had participated in the Boston Tea Party himself. However, the most important and most widely known
message that Paul Revere carried was his warning that the British were marching to Lexington,
Massachusetts to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. While the sexton of the Old North Church hung
two lanterns in a church bell-tower to signal to local patriots that the British were rowing across the Charles
River, Revere headed to Lexington by horse. Along the way, he awakened as many colonists as he could to
warn them that the British soldiers were on their way. He made it to Lexington in time to warn Adams and
Hancock. Just one day after Revere’s historic ride, the Revolutionary War began.
The “Midnight Ride” of Paul Revere was a dangerous mission that he made to help bring freedom
to American colonists. His work was inspired by the patriotic atmosphere of Boston and the rest of New
England in the days leading up to the Revolutionary War. Today he is remembered as an American hero
who displayed the character traits of cooperation, diligence, a love of liberty, and freedom of conscience and
expression.
discuss how Paul Revere helped the United States gain independence from Great Britain
explain the obstacles that Paul Revere had to overcome and how he overcame them
identify Boston, Massachusetts on a map of the United States
explain how the patriotic atmosphere of Boston contributed to Paul Revere’s actions
describe how Paul Revere spread important information to his fellow colonists
1) Which of these things did Paul Revere do?
A. started the first democracy in Athens
B. started a newspaper to help end slavery
C. served as a judge on the United States
Supreme Court
D. warned colonists that British soldiers
were marching from Boston
2) When Paul Revere and other colonists
boycotted British good to protest taxes, they
A. paid less for the goods
B. paid more for the goods
C. refused to buy the goods
D. bought more of the goods
Check your answers on the back!
diligence – working hard for a long time
Can you put the fallen letters back into
place to reveal the hidden message?
Hint: Longfellow would solve this in no time!
Why did Paul Revere ride his horse all the
way from Boston to Lexington?
Because the horse was too heavy to carry!
Visit http://www.paulreverehouse.org/ride/virtual.shtml to take a virtual Midnight Ride
with Paul Revere.
Read And Then What Happened, Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz. This is an enjoyable
biography with the important details of Paul Revere’s life, but also some funny details. Did
you know it was illegal to own a dog taller than 10 inches in Boston in 1735?
Read William Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem “Paul Revere’s Ride” with your child. Some
of the words are tricky for 3rd graders, so check out an online version of the poem which
defines the new vocabulary and includes illustrations.
http://www.kidsandhistory.com/paulvm/h1_midride/ridepages_nosound/ridefset.html. How
does the poem compare to what you have learned about the real midnight ride?
2. C
Test Prep Answers: 1. D
colony – a place ruled by people in another country
colonist – a person who lives in a colony
boycott – to refuse to buy or use a product in order to make a point
protest – speaking out about an issue of concern
tax – money people pay to the government so that the government can provide services to
citizens
independence – freedom to make your own choices
revolution – a complete change that occurs suddenly
militia – people who work as soldiers when needed
liberty – freedom