Discovery Education



Student Objectives

• Examine the observations, thoughts and feelings of those who direct and fight wars.

• Write a journal entry in the character of a prominent person from the Revolutionary period

Materials

• Discovery School video on unitedstreaming: The Revolutionary War: The Fortunes of War

Search for this video by using the video title (or a portion of it) as the keyword.

Selected clips that support this lesson plan:

• The Military Strategy of General Burgoyne

• Fort Ticonderoga

• The Occupation of Philadelphia

• Textbooks, trade books, and reference books detailing battles of 1777 and 1778

• Computer with Internet access

Procedures

1. Help students appreciate the difficulty enlisted men and generals, on either side, faced during the Revolutionary War in keeping track of their experiences. In those pre-electronic and pre-electric days, even diaries and writing implements were hard to come by on the war front. Ask students to assume that they are at a battle site or in a camp and somehow have secured paper or parchment and a pen and ink. Their assignment is for each to write a diary entry that tells about the writer’s experiences on a significant day of the war during 1777 and up until July 1778.

2. To focus this assignment as much as possible, tell students that they must write from the point of view of one of the following men:

On the American side:

• Washington

• Gates

• von Steuben

On the British side:

• Howe

• Clinton

• Burgoyne

3. In addition, the writer of each diary entry must begin the entry with a specific date (anytime in 1777 until July 1778) and the name of the place where he or she is composing it. Students should choose one of the following locations:

• Brooklyn Heights

• Fort Ticonderoga

• Germantown

• Harlem Heights

• Monmouth Courthouse

• Philadelphia

• Princeton

• Saratoga

• Trenton

• Valley Forge

• White Plains

4. Provide resources about the battles of 1777 and 1778. Have students combine what they learned in the video along with their own research to describe the conditions at the campsite they selected. Along with the date and place, each diary entry should clearly state the person’s position and the significance of the battle. Explain that the diary entries should include both factual and invented information. Tell students that their entries should include three pieces of verifiable information and three pieces of invented information.

Assessment

Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.

• 3 points: Student’s diary entry includes date and place; three pieces of verifiable information and three pieces of invented information; totally coherent and unified paragraphs; error-free grammar, usage, and mechanics.

• 2 points: Student’s diary entry includes date and place; two pieces of verifiable information and two pieces of invented information; mostly coherent and unified paragraphs; some errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.

• 1 point: Student’s diary entry includes date and place; lacking at least two pieces of verifiable information and two pieces of invented information; paragraphs lacking coherence and unity; many errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Vocabulary

alliance

Definition: An association to further the common interests of the members.

Context: The French government agreed to enter into an alliance with the Americans so long as the war took place against the British.

consternation

Definition: Amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion.

Context: The American army was weak in numbers, dispirited, and with little ammunition. The country was in the deepest consternation.

entrenched

Definition: Placed in a strong defensive position.

Context: Washington entrenched his army at Brandywine Creek across Howe's path of advance to Philadelphia.

integrated

Definition: Characterized by racial desegregation.

Context: By 1778, one in twenty of Washington's soldiers was black. This was the last integrated American army until the Korean War.

Academic Standards

Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)

McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit .

This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:

• U.S. History—Revolution and the New Nation: Understands the causes of the American Revolution, the ideas and interests involved in shaping the revolutionary movement, and reasons for the American victory.

• U.S. History—Revolution and the New Nation: Understands the impact of the American Revolution on politics, economy, and society.

• Geography— Environment and Society: Understands how geography is used to interpret the past.

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to .

This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:

• Time, Continuity, and Change

Support Materials

Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools offered on the Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit

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Grade Level: 6-8

Curriculum Focus: U.S. History

Lesson Duration: One class period

Real War, Real People: The Warriors of the American Revolution

Lesson Plan

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