Setting the Stage for the American Revolution
Grade Levels: 3 - 5
Objectives
- Students will use vocabulary related to the American Revolution.
- Students will understand some of the causes of the American Revolution.
- Students will appreciate what life in the American colonies was like prior to the Revolution.
- Students will imagine how the Revolution could have been avoided.
Materials
Procedures
- Introduce key vocabulary: autonomy, boycott, export, imperial, import, nationalism, revolution.
- Have students work individually or with partners to complete the worksheet while they explore both websites.
- Set aside time for students to share and discuss the information they discovered.
Assessment
Use a rubric to assess students' understanding of the American Revolution.
Extension Activities
- Choose from a large collection of cross-curricular activities for all grade levels.
- Explore outstanding lessons and activities on Colonial Times.
- Have students work in teams to play the game The Road to Revolution.
- Have each team research one person or event from the game and write a brief report to be shared with the rest of the class.
- Encourage students to present their reports using visual aids.
Standards Correlations
National Social Studies Standards
Students develop an understanding of:
- their historical roots, and they are able to locate themselves in time.
- how human beings create, learn, apply, modify, and adapt to their cultures.
- historical perspective and are able to answer such questions as Who am I? and What happened in the past?
- the historical development of structures of power, authority, and governance and their evolving functions in contemporary American society.
- how reading about and reconstructing the past allows them to develop historical perspective.
National Educational Technology Standards
Students:
- practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
- use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
