Revolutionary War Unit

 

This unit is ©Copyright 2008 by Cindy Downes. All rights reserved. Permission is given to homeschooling parents to use these units free of charge in their own homeschool only. These units may not be reprinted in any other form or used for any other purpose (commercial or otherwise) without permission from Cindy Downes. Contact her at cindy@oklahomahomeschool.com.

Revolutionary War Unit

This unit can be used with all ages by substituting children's nonfiction and biographies for the Internet research and assigning ability-appropriate composition projects. ENJOY!

NOTE: For those of you who have The Checklist, you can check off these topics as your children complete their studies; however, I have included many more topics here than are listed in The Checklist. You can either write in the extras or print out the revised Checklist pages.

Index:

Timeline of Major Events:

The following information is included as background information in order to introduce your children to some additional reasons the Revolutionary War was fought. It is not necessary to go into this in great detail at this point in their studies unless they are studying for the CLEP on American History!

_______ 1663, Navigation Act of 1663
_______ 1675, King Philip’s War
_______ 1675, Bacon's Rebellion
_______ 1690, King William’s War
_______ 1696, Navigation Act of 1696
_______ 1713, Queen Anne's War (aka War of the Spanish Succession)
_______ 1744, King George's War (aka War of the Austrian Succession)
_______ 1754, French and Indian War (aka Seven Years War)
_______ 1760, King George III Crowned
_______ 1763, Treat of Paris (1763)

Timeline of the Revolutionary War:

_______ 1763, Proclamation of 1763
_______ 1764, Albany Plan
_______ 1764, Sugar Act
_______ 1765, Quartering Act
_______ 1765, Stamp Act
_______ 1765, Sons of Liberty Formed
_______ 1766, Stamp Act Repealed
_______ 1766, Declaratory Acts
_______ 1767, Townshend Acts
_______ 1770, Boston Massacre
_______ 1772, Committee of Correspondence Formed
_______ 1773, Tea Act
_______ 1773, Boston Tea Party
_______ 1774, Intolerable Acts (aka Coercive Acts)
_______ 1774, First Continental Congress
_______ 1775, Paul Revere, “The British are Coming!”
_______ 1775, Battle of Lexington and Concord
_______ 1775, Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys Seize Fort Ticonderoga
_______ 1775, Second Continental Congress
_______ 1775, George Washington Made Commander of Colonial Troops
_______ 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill
_______ 1776, Thomas Paine Publishes Common Sense.
_______ 1776, Nathan Hale Executed
_______ 1776, States Draft Individual Constitutions
_______ 1776, Declaration of Independence Completed
_______ 1776, Washington Crosses the Delaware and Captures Trenton
_______ 1777, Battle of Brandywine Creek
_______ 1777, Burgoyne Surrenders, Battle of Saratoga
_______ 1777, The Winter at Valley Forge
_______ 1778, France Enters War
_______ 1778, Battle of Monmouth
_______ 1780, Benedict Arnold’s Plan to Cede West Point Discovered
_______ 1781, Articles of Confederation Ratified
_______ 1781, Cornwallis Surrenders, Battle of Yorktown
_______ 1782, Congress Adopts the Great Seal of U.S.
_______ 1783, Treaty of Paris (1783)
_______ 1783, House of Burgesses Grants Freedom to Slaves Who Served

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People:

_______ Adams, John
_______ Adams, Sam
_______ Allen, Ethan
_______ Arnold, Benedict
_______ Attucks, Crispus
_______ Blackstone, William
_______ Burgoyne, General (British, Canada)
_______ Clay, Henry
_______ Clinton, Sir Henry (General)
_______ Cornwallis, General George
_______ de Lafayette, Marquis
_______ Dickinson, John
_______ Franklin, Benjamin
_______ Gage, Thomas (royal governor of Massachusettes)
_______ Gates, General Horatio (Continental, New York)
_______ Green, General Nathanael

_______ Hale, Nathan
_______ Hamilton, Alexander
_______ Hancock, John
_______ Henry, Patrick
_______ Howe, General (British, New York, New Jersey, Maryland)
_______ Jay, John
_______ Jefferson, Thomas
_______ Jones, John Paul
_______ King George III
_______ Madison, James
_______ Marshall, John
_______ Mott, Lucretia
_______ Paine, Thomas
_______ Pitcher, Molly
_______ Revere, Paul
_______ Ross, Betsy
_______ Sherman, Roger
_______ von Steuben, Baron
_______ Washington, George
_______ Wheatley, Phillis
_______ Witherspoon, John.

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Research:

John Dickinson's Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania.

Boston Massacre Print by Paul Revere.

Civilian Leaders of the Revolutionary War.

Revolutionary War Weapons.

Midnight Rider - Virtual Museum.

An American Revolutionary War Camp. A British Revolutionary War Camp.

Virtual Marching Tour of the American Revolutionary War.

Patrick Henry's speech, "Give me Liberty or Give me Death."

Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

If you Were a Soldier in the Revolutionary War - clothes, food, and more.

Obituary of Benedict Arnold.

Obituary of George Washington.

View maps of Early America and revolutionary battles.

Spy letters of the American Revolution.

Washington Gazette, Oct. 7, 1776.

Colonial Occupations.

Benjamin Franklin

Virtual Tour of Betsy Ross' House.

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Books to Read:

General Reading:

Liberty or Death by Betsy Maestro. The Story of the American Revolution. 64 pgs. K-6+

If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore, 64 pgs. color, K-6

The Declaration of Independence: The story Behind America's Founding Document by Rod Gragg. This is fun and authentic! It tells the story of our Independence with replicas of our original documents. All ages will enjoy.

Liberty!: How the Revolutionary War Began (Landmark Books) by Lucille Recht Penner. Illustrated beginner Landmark Book. 48 pgs. Color. (2002 edition), 4th-8th+

The Boston Massacre by Robert Allison. 72 pgs.

The Boston Tea Party (We The People) by Michael Burgan. 48 pgs. illus. 2-8+

Crossing the Delaware: A History in Many Voices by Louise Peacock. 40 pgs. 4-8+

Winter at Valley Forge by James Knight.

Biographies:

The Signers: Fifty Six Stories Behind the Declaration of Independence by Dennis Fradin. color illus, 160 pgs., 4th+

Crispus Attucks, Black Leader of Colonial Patriots by by Dharathula H. Millender. Childhood of Famous Americans, 2+

If you grew up with George Washington by Ruth Belov Gross. 64 pgs. color. All ages.

George Washington's World by Genevieve Foster. This classic not only provides the reader a true biography of the great American, but a view of the world in which he lived. Marvel at the lives of Benjamin Franklin, Frederick the Great, Voltaire, Napoleon, Catherine of Russia, Eli Whitney, Mozart, Bach, young Napoleon and many other notables of the 18th century.

Heroes of History: George Washington by Janet Benge. Christian-based biography of George Washington. 224 pgs. 4-12.

Nathan Hale: Patriot Spy by Shannon Zemlicka. The story of Nathan Hale, spy for General George Washington. 48 pgs. nice color. Step up Reader. 1-6

In Their Own Words: Paul Revere by George Sullivan. 128 pgs, illus, 4-8+

Paul Revere, Boston Patriot, COFA, 2+

America's Paul Revere by Esther Forbes. A children's version of Paul Revere and the World He Lived In.

Revolutionary John Adams by Cheryl Harness. 32 pg. oversize. nice color illus. 2003, K-6+

In Their Own Words: Betsy Ross by Peter Roop. 128 pgs. 4-8+

Culture and Society:

Your Travel Guide to Colonial America by Nancy Day. Begins with a brief introduction that provides background on the time period followed by information on each civilization's culture, geography, economy, and history. Recipes, games, time lines, and who's who lists are also included. Sidebars provide fascinating tidbits. 4-8+

Day in the Life of a Colonial Printer by Kathy Wilmore. 24 pgs. illus. K-4+

The Star-Spangled Banner by Catherine A. Welch. 48 pgs. illus. PreK-4+

Poetry: The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.

Historical Fiction:

A Young Partiot: The American Revolution As Experienced By One Boy by Jim Murphy.

George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley. 61 pgs. I Can Read History book. Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, which were the start of the American Revolution, as seen from the eyes of George, a British drummer boy. (Beginning Reader) 1-6

Phoebe the Spy by Judith Berry Griffin. 48 pgs. During the Revolution, Phoebe has a chance to save the life of General George Washington. K-6

Buttons for General Washington by Peter and Connie Roop. 48 pgs. Fictional story of fourteen-year-old spy who carried messages to George Washington's camp in the buttons of his coat during the Rev. War. Easy Reader. PreK-6

Can't You Make Them Behave, King George? by Jean Fritz. This is a fun series! Look for other titles about Sam Adams and Paul Revere. PreK-6

For more Revolutionary War reading suggestions, see my Revolutionary War e-Store.

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Mapwork:

Paul Revere's America.

Map of the world showing Britain, Spain, France, and the 13 Colonies of the U.S.

Map of the 13 colonies and areas of North America claimed by England, France, and Spain.

Map showing the location of major battles.

Map identifying the major cities of the 13 colonies.

Map of the United States of American after the Revolutionary War.

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Terms:

_______ Bill of Rights
_______ British East India Company
_______ Constitution
_______ Continental Army
_______ Declaration of Independence
_______ Federalist Papers
_______ Franklin's Almanack
_______ Hessians
_______ Liberty Bell
_______ Mercantilism
_______ Militiamen
_______ Minutemen
_______ Privatism
_______ Provincials
_______ Redcoats (Regulars)
_______ Taxation Without Representation
_______ The Cases of John Marshall

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Composition Projects:

Document Analysis Worksheets (Includes worksheets for analyzing written documents, photos, cartoons, posters, maps, artifacts, motion picture and sound recordings.

View Ben Franklin's Pennsylvania Gazette. Try creating your own newspaper!

American History Writing Prompts by Jeannette Sanderson, pgs 18-23, Revolutionary War, 4-8+

Multimedia Collection CD: American Revolution by Teacher Created Materials. This includes photos, video clips, sound clips of speeches, maps, clip art, etc. to use in reports and computer powerpoint presentations. Check local education stores. All ages.

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Music & Art of the Period:

Art:

Art, photos, and portraits of the Revolutionary War period.

Early American Painting

John Copley, Paul Revere

Edward Hicks, Peaceable Kingdom

The Battle of Saratoga.

Birth of a Nation: More photos of the American Revolution.

Teaching American History with Art Masterpieces, (Revolutionary War). For your artist students, you'll love learning history using art masterpieces. This one covers the Revolutionary War. 3-8+

Music:

Drum and Fife

Paul Jones.

Yankee Doodle Dandy.

America.

Revolutionary War music.

President Washington's March.

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Crafts, Recipes, Games, & Hands-on Activities:

Patriot Papers (Tile Game, Crossword Puzzles, Word Search and more, related to G. Washtington)

Loyalty or Liberty? A Web Adventure.

Independence and the Presidency (Online game)

George Washington: Portrait for Kids (Solve a puzzle.)

Road to Revolution (Game)

Revolutionary War Recipes.

Revolutionary War Costumes: Free Paper Dolls.

Frontier Forts in the American Revolution.

Craft Ideas:

Make a 5-Pointed Star in One Snip!

Revolutionary War Days: Discover the Past With Exciting Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History) by David C. King, K-8+

Revolutionary War: Hands-On Heritage, Hands On Heritage. This is my favorite for younger children's craft ideas when studying the American Revolution. Unfortunately, it appears to be out of print. There are a few used copies available. Get them while you can! K-6+

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Worksheets, Coloring Pages, & Quizzes

Worksheets/Lesson Plans:

History Pockets: American Revolution by Evan-Moor. I LOVE these! There are so many fun activities for your younger children to do. Check out the sample pages. K-4+

Everyday Life: Revolutionary War, Interesting activities for students in grades 4-8 Highly recommended. Check out the sample pages.

Revolutionary War Thematic Unit by Teacher Created Materials. Includes lots of worksheets and activities related to the Revolutionary War. 4-8+

Revolutionary War Lesson Plans for Elementary Age.

Revolutionary War Scavenger Hunt.

Revolutionary War Map Quiz.

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Audio Book:

1776 by David McCullough. In this stirring audiobook, David McCullough tells the timeless human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence. Listen while you travel and learn about our history.

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Videos to Watch :

Famous Moments in Early American History. Watch videos on:

  • The Life of George Washington, Part 2
  • Declaring Independence
  • Paul Revere Messenger of the Revolution
  • The Shot Heard Round the World
  • The Treason of Benedict Arnold
  • The Real Face of George Washington
  • Molly Pitcher. An American Hero.

Dear America: Winter of the Red Snow. When General George Washington's troops first set up camp near Abigail Stewart's home, During the long winter Abby sees for herself the hardships of war and must summon a newfound strength to help the soldiers. 30 min.

Johnny Tremaine starring Hal Stalmaster. 1957. All ages.

The Patriot starring Mel Gibson is very graphic, but it is an excellent movie about this time period. Not recommended for young children or the weak in stomach!

Hope you enjoy the unit! Don't forget to document what you learned in The Checklist!

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Copyright © 2004 - by Cindy Downes