American Revolution Battles


Social Studies American History American Revolution American Revolution Battles
Students identify the Minutemen. Then they explore timelines of battles of the War of Independence and focus on four battles. Next they learn about several African Americans who contributed to the war effort, and they reflect on why this population isn’t better represented in history books. Finally, they read Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” and explain why it has remained so popular.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for American Revolution Battles:

Preview - Scene 1
Exploros Learnign Experience Scene Navigation


Overview

In this experience, students identify the Minutemen. Then they explore timelines of battles of the War of Independence and focus on four battles. Next they learn about several African Americans who contributed to the war effort, and they reflect on why this population isn’t better represented in history books. Finally, they read Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” and explain why it has remained so popular.

Estimated duration: 60 minutes. You may choose to teach this experience over two days:

  • Day 1: Scenes 1-3, about the actual war
  • Day 2: Scene 4, a study of Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” and the quiz

 

Vocabulary words:

  • militia
  • minutemen
  • ammunition
  • mercenary
  • surrender
  • perspective

Objectives

  • Describe key battles of the American War of Independence.
  • Identify contributions of African Americans to the American Revolution.


Engage


Conflict between the colonists and the British grew until finally war broke out. The American War of Independence started with the Battles of Lexington and Concord in April 1775 and ended with the Battle of Yorktown in October 1781—over six years of war and battles. In this experience, you will explore a few key battles.

Objectives
  • Describe key battles of the American War of Independence.
  • Identify contributions of African Americans to the American Revolution


painting of George Washington and soldiers rowing across river rapids; one soldier is holding an American flag

Washington Crossing the Delaware, by Emanuel Leutze (1851)


By 1775, the conflict between the British and the colonists had grown, and it looked like there might be war. The American colonies were not yet an independent country, so they could not form an army. Instead, they organized militias. A militia is a group of ordinary people who are trained to fight. Most of the militia members were farmers or tradesmen.


One special group of militia was called the Minutemen. Based on the name, what do you think was special about their training? If you don’t know, use your imagination.



They were trained to be ready on a minute’s notice. The speedy response helped the colonists respond to the British military threat.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

End of Preview
The Complete List of Learning Experiences in American Revolution Unit.
Would you like to preview the rest of this learning experience, and get access to the entire functioning American History course for your classroom? Sign up using your school email address below.
Back to top