The Revolutionary War Grade Level: 4 6 Teacher Guidelines pages 1 2 Instructional Pages pages 3 6 Activity Page page 7 Crossword Puzzle page 8 Answer Key pages 9
Classroom Procedure: 1. Ask: How many of you sometimes find the rules you follow, whether at home, school, or in your community, hard sometimes difficult to obey? Why? What would you do if you absolutely needed to get them changed? 2. Allow for responses and discussion leading to the rules and tactics the British used against the colonists before the Revolutionary War. 3. Distribute the Revolutionary War content pages. Read and review with the students, checking their understanding of the words in bold print, as well as the meaning of the images. 4. Discuss any questions the students may have and allow the students to give their opinions throughout the reading. 5. Once completed with the reading, saving the final question for the closing of the lesson, distribute the Activity pages. 6. Pair students and review the instructions. Assign each pair of students one of the events, battles, or person. 7. Remind students to use the Internet or other resources to gather details and facts, besides just using the content pages. 8. The length of the presentation is not as important as the quality of the facts and details related to the research topic. 9. Once all students have completed, allow each pair of students to present their findings to the class. This may take two days. (continued) Approximate Grade Level: 4 6 Objectives: The students will be able to explain the causes of the Revolutionary War, identify some of the major events, battles, and people, and define some of the terms related to the war. Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.5 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.7 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6.4 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6.10 Class Sessions (45 minutes): At least 2-3 class sessions Teaching Materials/Worksheets: The Revolutionary War content pages (2), Activity pages (2), Homework page Student Supplies: handouts, access to Internet or other resources Prepare Ahead of Time: Internet access for students or other resources, copy handouts. Additional Resources: http://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/americanrevolution-history (Content, video) http://www.historyrocket.com/american-history/revolutionarywar/summary-of-revolutionary-war.html (Content) http://www.kidport.com/reflib/usahistory/americanrevolution/am errevolution.htm#timeline (Content, timeline, etc.) http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/revolution/summar y.html (Summary) http://www.ushistory.org/march/phila/background.htm (Content and more) http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraid=3 (Content, videos, much more) VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8bwwbc571k (3 min.-animated song) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzgc1-nnoyu (15 min.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d727lw8genq (3 min-animated song, Shot heard ) http://www.kidport.com/reflib/usahistory/americanrevolution/vide o/amerrevsummary.htm (Several videos) Options for Lesson: Students may work alone for the activity assigning one event, battle, or person to each student. Increase the assignment for the activity to include a full written report for the battles, events, or people of the war. Assign the puzzle for in-class work. Use the videos from the additional resources as supplemental materials for students to get more information for their assignments. 1
Classroom Procedure (continued): 10. Other students will be taking notes about each battle, event, or person during the presentations. (An option would be to create a quiz the next day using the information presented, or have each pair of students create a question based on their research.) 11. Distribute Homework page puzzle and review it the next day. 12. Close lesson asking students this question from the content page: What would you have done to fight for your independence and freedom in the 1700s? Teacher Notes The Revolutionary War lesson will introduce the causes, events, battles, and people to your students. There is an abundance of information and content related to the war, and it cannot be taught in 2 or 3 class periods. It is important for students to understand the reasons the colonists wanted their independence, why it was important to them, and the way in which the British was not allowing it. They will also be exposed to some of the details of the battles and events, but a more in depth study is an option depending on the time available for the lesson. 2
The Revolutionary War Independence is the freedom from the control by others, and in the case of colonists in America during the late 1700s, citizens wanted independence from Great Britain. This is why the Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776. Unfortunately, this important and historical document did not immediately give America their independence from the British government. The result was the Revolutionary War beginning in 1775, which is sometimes referred to as the American Revolution, the American Revolutionary War, or the U.S. War of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence 3
Taxes As with any war, there were several factors which led to the Revolutionary War, beginning with the British trying to overtax the colonists in America. In 1770, many of the colonists protested against the British because they were being forced to give money to the government in Britain, yet they had no say or vote in that government. This is called taxation without representation. Think of it this way: Imagine there was a club you could join in your town that costs $5 a month. You chose not to join the club, but you still had to pay them some money, even though you wanted nothing to do with the club. The Boston Massacre & Boston Tea Party The protests led to more violence in 1770 when the British soldiers fired at the colonists killing five men. This became known as the Boston Massacre. A few years later, the British passed the Tea Act which was a tax on tea, and the colonists had no choice to pay it because there was only one company selling tea. The tax was actually to help the company, so several people from Boston, who were dressed as Indians, went aboard some British ships and dumped the tea into the water as another protest. This became known as the Boston Tea Party. The British became extremely angry over the resistance and attempted to pass stricter rules, but the colonists continued to resist and the American Revolution began two years later in 1775. 4
The War s First Battles In that year, the Continental Congress voted to form the Continental Army with George Washington as its commander in chief. On June 17, the first fighting took place at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The colonial army killed many of the British soldiers during the battle, but it ended in a British victory, which only motivated the colonists to further fight for their independence. By the middle of 1776, the Revolutionary War led most of the colonists throughout the territories to demand independence from Great Britain. Due to this support, the Declaration of Independence was written, but the words themselves did not lead the British to give up. Instead, the British sent more troops to America to try and stop the rebellion, when 34,000 of them landed in New York, which caused Washington s troops to evacuate the city across the Delaware River. However, Washington fought back, crossing the Delaware again, with a surprise attack against the British on Christmas night during the Battle of Trenton. Over the next two years (1777-1778), there were several other battles with both the British and the Americans declaring victory, including the Battles of Princeton, Germantown, Brandywine, Saratoga, and a few others. The winter of 1777 also saw George Washington and his troops struggling to survive the snow and cold weather at Valley Forge. During that time. Though, instead of becoming weaker, the troops became stronger and were more ready than ever to fight the British. The second Battle of Saratoga was a turning point in the war when the American troops defeated the British in Saratoga, New York, and forced the regiment s surrender. More importantly, it led to France joining the American side in the war, which for over a year had been secretly providing help. France, though, did not officially declare war on Great Britain until June of 1778. In had now become nearly a world war. 5
The War s Final Battles A map of major Revolutionary War battles Following the winter at Valley Forge, Washington s troops attacked British forces who were trying to move from Philadelphia to New York. The battle basically ended in a draw or tie, and both sides became deadlocked, each waiting to see what the other side would do. This was during the summer of 1778. Between 1779 and 1781, American troops suffered some losses, including the defection of a general, Benedict Arnold, who initially was an American hero, became a traitor and switched sides to fight for the British. Still today, when people hear or use the words Benedict Arnold, it is referring to someone being a traitor. The battles continued between 1781 and 1783 when the war began to come to a close. The British still had a few victories, but the American troops overcame the losses and during the Battle of Yorktown, along with help from France, the troops surrounded the city of Yorktown. The French navy attacked the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay, as well as bombed the British on land. On October 19, 1781, 8,000 British troops surrendered. Following the Battle of Yorktown, the British government was concerned about losing the war and decided to negotiate an end to the war. On September 3, 1783, the United States of America truly obtained their independence when the Great Britain formally recognized America as an independent country in the Treaty of Paris. They also signed peace treaties with France, as well as Spain, which had entered the war in 1779. The Revolutionary War finally ended after eight years and many battles. The surrender of the British Army with General Burgoyne America gained their independence and were no longer under the control of the British government. Unfortunately, about 7,200 Americans died in battle, 10,000 died from other causes, and 8,500 died in British prisons. What would you have done to fight for your independence and freedom in the 1700s? 6
Activity Name Date Instructions 1. Below is a list of major events, battles, and people from the Revolutionary War. Your teacher will assign one or two of them to you and your partner to research and report to the class. 2. You will read aloud a short summary of the battle, event, or person as it relates to the Revolutionary War. Give as many details and facts as it relates to the war. 3. Once everyone is completed, you will take notes in the space provided, about each event, battle, or person as your classmates read aloud their short report. Boston Massacre Boston Tea Party Ride of Paul Revere Shot Heard Around the World First Continental Congress Battle of Lexington and Concord Capture of Fort Ticonderoga Battle of Bunker Hill Benedict Arnold Battle of Quebec Battle of Long Island George Washington Washington Crossing the Delaware Battle of Trenton Battle of Princeton Battle of Brandywine Battle of Germantown Battle of Bennington Battle of Saratoga General Horatio Gates Lord Charles Cornwallis Battle of Charleston Battle of Yorktown Treaty of Paris 7
Homework Name Date 8
Homework ANSWER KEY Name Date 9