American Revolution

I am just briefly covering this week as it coincides so nicely with the 4th of July, but since we are in the process of moving, I don't have enough time to cover it as I would like to, so we will start next year with the American Revolution again.

Military Drills

We have had fun practicing Revolutionary War military drills.

Military Rank Game

We have learned military rank, using a version of version of the old card game "war," but these cards had names of the various military ranks on them instead of numbers. They are learning which rank is higher or lower by looking at a ranking list and determining which wins in a skirmish. The lower rank in each round has to salute the winner.

Simplified Ranking of Continental Army Soldiers, 1775-1781

General

Colonel

Major

Captain

Lieutenant

Sergeant

Corporal

Private

Ensign

Narration Variations

I also want to show you some interesting variations of narrations that can be done for history topics. One of my students wrote a newspaper article about an incident in the Revolutionary War. She typed it out on the computer in a column and then stained the paper with a tea bag to make it look aged.

She even made it look more like a newspaper clipping by including a piece of article on the opposite side, and some ink stains, which were not uncommon in those days of printing.

Another similar type of narration is to make a letter as if from a soldier to his family, including some factual information. This also was typed on the computer in a handwriting type font and aged with tea bags.

The third example is more of a cultural narration, a recipe written as they were then and made to look like a piece of aged torn paper.

Next...
Ideas we will explore next:

Examining the problems of Eyewitness Accounts.

Maps, of course.

Reporting the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War and the events within it.

Tea (tasting) Party

Define Liberty...it was what the war was about, so what is it?

Facts about the 18th Century -what was it like then?

Spies and spying-how hard it is to retain oral information -could you remember facts you heard correctly?

Codes and Cyphers

Paper Doll of a Revolutionary figure

A Revolutionary figure's pocket...what would you find there? Can you match the item to the person?

Paul Revere's Ride

Battle of Bunker Hill Reenactment

You're the General...what would you have done?

Winter Encampment Writing Exercise

Gunnery Drills

Sketch of George Washington's Portrait

Make an Almanac.

Music of the period.