Guide to American Revolution Project



Name: __________________________________ Class: _______________

THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION PROJECT: FACTS AND FICTIONS

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*** KEEP THESE DIRECTIONS IN A SAFE PLACE! This is the only copy you’ll get! ***

For this project, you will be working individually to research and report on an important battle or event of the American Revolution. After choosing your battle or event, your assignment is to then write a detailed, yet concise report that discusses what happened at the particular event you have chosen and why it was important or significant to the Revolutionary War. Using these same notes and much of the same information (as well as your CREATIVITY), you will then write a companion historical fiction piece (a series of diary entries or letters) that uses your event as the backdrop.

You may choose from the following events in the Revolutionary War, or choose another major Revolutionary War event (*as long as it is approved by your teacher beforehand):

The Battle of Lexington and Concord The Battle of Brandywine

The Battle of Germantown The Siege of Ticonderoga (Green Mountain Boys)

The Battle of Cowpens The Battle of Bunker Hill

The Battle(s) of Trenton/Princeton The Battle of Long Island (aka: Battle of Brooklyn)

The Winter at Valley Forge The Battle of Yorktown and Surrender of Cornwallis

The Battle of Monmouth The Signing of the Treaty of Paris, 1783

The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge The Battle of King's Mountain

The Battle of Charleston The Battle of Camden

The Boston Tea Party The accomplishments of the Second Continental Congress

Thomas Paine and Common Sense Ben Franklin’s Diplomacy with France

The Battle(s) of Saratoga (includes Ticonderoga and Bennington)

The Drafting and Signing of the Declaration of Independence

The Battle Between the Serapis and the Bonhomme Richard

After choosing your event, you should begin researching it, finding as much information as possible. You should be sure to include the following two key “pieces” in your report:

1) A detailed SUMMARY of the battle or event, including: Before: where does this event fit in the timeline of the Revolution? In other words, what was happening in the war when this battle/event took place? During: Where and when did the event happen? What exactly happened, and why? What were the names and roles of important people (generals, etc.) who took part in the event? Did anyone win? How? Is there any information available regarding casualties (soldiers killed or wounded in battle)?

2) Explain the SIGNIFICANCE of this battle or event: in other words, how important (or not) was it to the outcome of the war, in general? After: what other event(s) happened right after your battle or event? (Put this event in the context of the war.)

***IMPORTANT: See the Research Notes section and Scoring Rubric in this packet for more information on exactly what must be included in your paper, and how your paper will be scored.***

American Revolution Project: Facts and Fictions -- Research Notes

SUMMARY SECTION

BEFORE:

What was Happening in the War BEFORE This Event? Where does this event fit into the timeline of the war? At this point, which side had the momentum (or was “winning”)? What battle(s) or events came just before this?

Where in war’s timeline? What event(s) came just before?

Which side had the momentum and why?

DURING:

When the Event Happened: Exact dates and/or time of year; and the weather conditions if those were important.

Exact Date(s):

Time of Year:

Weather Conditions, if important to event:

Where Exactly the Event Happened: City/town and colony where it took place. If it was a battle fought on a specific hill, in the woods, by the sea, etc., be sure to mention that as well.

City/Town/Colony:

Specific locations of battle or event:

For Battles only:

Which Side Won and Why (if possible):

Number of Casualties (dead/wounded) for each army that took part in this battle:

Continental Army:

British Army: Hessians:

What Happened and How:

For Battles: Was it close, or was it a rout for one army? How long did it last? Which side attacked the other first? What strategies were used in the battle? Were there any others fighting, such as the Hessians or the French?

For Non-Battles: Please describe the major happenings at your event chronologically. What was the reason for this event? What actions took place during this event?

Description of major happenings and actions:

Important people: Identify the key people in this battle or event, such as the generals (for both sides) who led the armies, colonial or British leaders who played the largest roles, etc.:

Continental/Colonial Side:

British Side:

“SIGNIFICANCE” SECTION

AFTER:

What was Happening in the War AFTER This Event? What battle(s) or events immediately followed this? How were they related to your event? If yes, how?

Battle(s)/Event(s) immediately following:

How were these related to your battle or event?

What was the importance or significance this battle or event had in terms of the “big picture” of the Revolutionary War? Did this battle/event change the momentum of the war? Did it have an impact on what happened next? How or how not:

Significance of battle or event:

Momentum shift?

Impact on further events? How?

Part I: Battle or Event Research Report: FACTS

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PROJECT EXPECTATIONS:

Your finished report should be approximately one page typed, single-spaced. It should be typed using a standard font (such as this one, which is Times New Roman) in black ink. Your font should be no larger than 12 and your margins should be standard width.

Much of the research for this project will be done in school, though you are free to do as much outside research as you like. The actual writing and typing of the paper will be done on your own time, outside of school. Make sure you allow for enough time in your afternoons and evenings to do a good job on this project.

The entire report must be written in your own words. Be absolutely certain not to copy information word-for-word into your paper from a source unless it is a direct quote (in which case you must put it in quotation marks and mention the author). Otherwise, what you are doing is called plagiarizing another author's work. This means you are using someone else’s ideas/words as if they were your own original words or ideas. Plagiarizing is not acceptable and will result in a failing grade.

In addition to being typed neatly, your paper must be edited and proofread carefully for correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Take the time to do this; it is important and it will count toward your grade.

You should have a very basic cover for the first page of your research report, with your name, class, and the date going in the bottom right-hand corner and your title ("The Battle of Brandywine") listed somewhere on the cover. You may also choose to add a picture or illustration to your cover, although this is not required and will not be graded, so do not spend much time on it!

You will receive a Social Studies grade for your report. In addition, you will be graded for the research skills you display in library this semester. Make sure that you put an excellent effort into all parts of this project, including your behavior and performance during library and computer lab times.

BIBLIOGRAPHY EXPECTATIONS

You must submit a bibliography with this paper, giving credit for the sources you used in doing your research. Remember, even if you borrow just one fact from a source, you must credit that source in your bibliography! In school, you will be shown how to create your bibliography using a specific, free website that helps you set it up easily and correctly (). User Name: czwatson Password: winners

You must include the following sources in your bibliography:

1. one or more source(s) from the Internet (list a specific web address, not just the name of the search engine you used, such as Google)

2. one encyclopedia (a traditional one, such as World Book Encyclopedia, or an electronic one, such as the very useful World Book and Grolier databases in our library).

3. at least one other book that is NOT an encyclopedia or your textbook

Most, if not all, of the resources you use will be available at school or accessible from school. You may also find useful sources at the Darien Public Library if you need additional information. No matter which sources end up using in your research, remember, you must give credit for the use of them!

NOTE: although it can be a useful and entertaining site, you may not use Wikipedia (a free Internet encyclopedia) as a source for this project. While certain Wikipedia articles may direct you to useful links, the articles written at Wikipedia are not always a reliable source of information.

Part II: HISTORICAL FICTION/CREATIVE WRITING PIECE: FICTIONS

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With this part of the project, you will take on the role of someone associated with "your" Revolution research topic. The assignment is to write a piece of "historical fiction" (in the form of detailed letters or series of diary entries) as if you were this particular individual writing at this particular point in history.

You may choose to take on the role of a) an actual historical character or b) an invented (fictional) character. Some examples of historical figures used by students in the past include John Paul Jones, George Washington, Nathanael Greene, Charles Cornwallis, and Molly Pitcher. Any major historical figure (no matter which side he/she fought on during the Revolution) is appropriate as long as this person can be linked to the particular event or battle you are writing about.

As far as inventing fictional characters, students have gotten very creative in the past, portraying wives or children of missing soldiers, African-American spies, nurses and doctors attending to wounded soldiers, etc. Any creative idea for a character is wonderful. Just make sure that you portray the character as realistically as possible.

The piece of creative writing should:

a) attempt to show how the particular person felt about and was affected by the war (the person’s “voice” should come through);

b) contain accurate information about the event this person was associated with (enough that we can basically tell what happened there).

In writing your letters or diary entries, be careful not to give the character more knowledge than he/she would have had at the time the letter was being written! For example, no one at the Battle of Bunker Hill would know anything about what was going to happen later in the war, and they certainly would not use modern expressions in the way that they talked!

Please understand that you are not writing a traditional story (with a problem, solution, beginning, middle, and end). In a way, though, your letter or diary entries will tell a story of someone who was there and what the experience was like.

Whether you write letters or diary entries, it is best to do at least 4-5. You may want to have several letters or entries written over a period of days or weeks, showing how the character's feelings and knowledge may have changed in that period of time.

You should sign your letters/diary entries not as yourself, but as the character you are portraying!

Name: ____________________________ Teacher: __________________________

Part I: Battle or Event Research Report: FACTS

Scoring Rubric

1. A detailed summary of your battle or event was included (1-2 paragraphs). You discussed how your event tied into the timeline of the war, where and when it happened, what exactly happened (and why), etc. Important people from your event were also discussed (generals, etc.), along with the roles of those people.

(60 points max) __________

2. In another paragraph, you explained how you believe your battle or event was important/significant to the Revolutionary War.

(15 points max)

3. You included a bibliography that was properly formatted and included all of the required sources (one encyclopedia, at least one web site, and at least one book other than your textbook or an encyclopedia).

(10 points max) _________

4. Your paper was carefully proofread and is generally free of spelling, punctuation and grammatical errors.

(10 points max) _________

5. Your paper was typed neatly and is the required length of one typewritten page, single-spaced, written in size 12 font. You included a basic cover for your report.

(5 points max) _________

TOTAL POINTS earned out of 100: _________

Name: ________________________________________ Teacher: __________________________

American Revolution Historical Fiction Piece: FICTIONS

Scoring Rubric

INC/NI GOOD EXC

You assumed the role of either a fictional character

or a real character from the event you researched.

Your writing reflected how this particular character

might have felt and how they might have been

affected by the event you researched.

Your letter or diary entries contained plenty of accurate

information about the battle you researched and gave the

reader a real sense of what happened there.

You attempted to make your piece “authentic”, being

careful not to use modern phrases or give the character

too much advance knowledge of what was going to

happen next in the war.

There are at least 4-5 letters or diary entries included

in an effort to show how your character’s feelings and

knowledge might have changed over a period of time.

You signed your letter/diary entries not as yourself,

but as the character you are portraying.

Your work was neat and presentable.

GRADE: _________

PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY TO YOUR TEACHER.

I have read the American Revolution project guide completely and I fully understand what is expected with this report.

_______________________________________ ________________________________________

Student Signature Parent Signature

Date _________________________________ Date __________________________________

I WOULD LIKE TO DO MY REPORT ON THE FOLLOWING REVOLUTIONARY EVENT:

____________________________________________

MY SECOND CHOICE FOR A TOPIC WOULD BE:

____________________________________________

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SCORING RUBRIC KEY

INC/NI= Incomplete or needs improvement

GOOD= Task basically completed as required

EXC= Excellent

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