A Glorious American Revolution Curriculum
Gaining independence through revolution in 1775
Over the past few years we have been struggling to find good, clear cut curriculum for American History. Our eldest child loves history and has already utilized a lot of the history curriculum out there.
After a lot of trial and error, trying to find books that were age appropriate but also interesting (not those 500 page biographies on one topic!) we finally found a good set. It wasn’t without failure. The first lesson was terrible – including books that were way too complex and did not match up. But after discussing it with him (a more opinionated 12 year old!) we got it figured out.
Funny enough, after all that – we had many of the books and resources right in our own library. A history curriculum of our own was born!
The American Revolution is a key time in history that every child should learn – the battles and pains of our forefathers who fought tirelessly for our independence and freedom. Many do not realize that even after the signing of the Declaration of Independence – that was only the beginning!
Quick Curriculum Breakdown
American Revolution
Objective:
Learn about the American Revolution through materials, note taking and analysis of conflicts that started the revolution.
Quality Books
Books with quality content:
Books and resources focused on the American Revolution including the different battles in the North, Middle and South of America.
Notetaking
Detailed Outlining:
Getting a good notebook for detailed notetaking. Teaching outlining, bullet point lists and focusing on key topics in notebook.
The Units
Unit 1
North Battles
Learn about the first major battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Trenton and Valley Forge.
Unit 2
Middle Battles
Learn about the major battles of the colonies in Pennsylvania and New York including Brandywine and Saratoga.
Unit 3
Southern Battles
Learn about the major battles in the South including the British invading Charleston, the Yorktown battles and Virginia.
Activities and Extensions:
I printed off these two maps to keep with his notebook to mark the battles of the multiple states (North, Middle and South) as he reads. Documenting each battle on the map as they read.
Key Themes
A good reference: American Revolution | Causes, Battles, Aftermath, & Facts | Britannica
- Declaration of Independence 1776
- Patriots and Loyalists – the militia involved
- Soldiers – types of equipment
- Leaders – George Washington, John Adams, Marquis de Lafayette
- Other Leaders – Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Casimir Pulaski
- Women- Martha Washington, Mercy Otis Warren
- African Americans – Phillis Wheatley, Crispus Attucks
- Articles of Confederation
- October 19th, 1781 End of Revolutionary War
Book List:
Top Books & Websites Used
Revolution in the Northern States Breakdown:
The Middle States Breakdown:
Revolution in the Southern States Breakdown:
Examples of Notetaking outlines and main concepts from books
Essays:
Teaching a 5 paragraph research essay is a good start for middle school. Especially when it comes to using a simplistic form of notetaking (a skill every child should learn!) and relating those notes into a paper. This was a rough start but allowed my eldest to grasp major concepts and use the “pyramid” effect in writing. I gave him samples of notetaking breakdowns to mimic the research paper style and then we took the main ideas and outlined them on the white board to give a general idea for a “theme” and “thesis” which he was learning for the first time. Although he writes a lot with IEW, this essay writing was a different ballgame.
The essay went well and since he had read the material and enjoys history, the content made sense after discussion together.
The Take Away – We Learn As We Create Curriculum
This curriculum is a work in progress. We are using multiple resources both old books, new books and websites to get a general overview of the Northern, Middle and Southern battles of the Revolutionary War. At the end of this three part unit spanned across months, another paper will be written.
Then a final summary essay to discuss how the three separate sections of the country battling convalesced into the overall victory of the Revolutionary War. It will also uncover why it is seen as the most triumphant and complex battle of years for the United States.