Lesson
Course of the American Revolution for 3-5
Guiding questions
Lesson Plan PDF
Essential Question:
How did Americans show courage in their fight for liberty during the American Revolution?
Guiding Questions:
- How were colonists courageous in the battles of the American Revolution?
- How did the American Revolution impact Americans?
- How do we remember the American Revolution today?
Learning Objectives
- I can define and use the words liberty and courage.
- I can create a map of American Revolution battles.
- I can use online and/or print sources to conduct research on important people.
- I can create a timeline of the life of an American from the American Revolution.
- I can create a product to showcase my learning and understanding of the American Revolution.
Content Objectives
- I can locate significant events of the American Revolution on a map.
- I can identify major events and battles of the American Revolution.
- I can explain the impact of major events and battles of the American Revolution
- I can identify important individuals and describe their views of the Revolution.
- I can identify examples of how individuals participated in the Revolution and explain the contributions of different people throughout the Revolution.
Materials
Teacher Materials
- Vocabulary Cards
- Teacher Prep Resources
- Lesson Slide Deck
- Timeline Game Video Explainer
- Battles of the American Revolution Map
- Battle of Yorktown Map
- Ride of Paul Revere Map
- It’s About Time Game
- Lesson Rubrics
- Lesson Video
Student Handouts
- Handout A: Vocabulary Word Study
- Handout B: Scavenger Hunt Stations Student Handout
- Handout Set C: American Revolution Battles Scavenger Hunt Stations
- Handout D: Revolutionary Americans Research
- Handout E: Performance Assessment Handout
- Handout F: Lesson Reading
- Virtual Field Trip
- Bingo Board
- Handout G: Student Self-assessment
Lesson Components

A template to help students define key vocabulary words.

Short readings the explore the major battles of the American Revolution.

An activity to help students discover facts about the major American Revolution battles.

A research project to guide students understanding of individuals from the time period.
A concluding activity that guides students through the creation of a map or a timeline.

Readings documenting the course of the American Revolution.
A self-reflection activity that allows students to internalize their learning.
Lesson plan
More Information
This lesson is designed around inquiry questions. There is one essential question, and several guiding questions around which the content is based. The lesson takes place in 5 stages:
- Anticipate- Students build background knowledge needed to be successful in the lesson.
- Engage- Students are ‘hooked” into the lesson.
- Explore- Students grapple with the main content of the unit (usually 2-3 parts).
- Assess- Students demonstrate their knowledge through a performance assessment.
- Reflect- Students reflect on their learning in the lesson.
- The sections below provide a brief overview of the unit’s structure. It offers a snapshot of the organization and flow of the entire unit.
The following detailed sections break down the five stages of the lesson. Each stage is discussed thoroughly with actionable steps to guide you through the teaching process effectively.