Lexington and Concord, Thomas Jefferson, and Declaration of Independence Lesson Plan
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American Revolution Unit: Lexington & Concord, Thomas Jefferson, and Declaration of Independence
This is week 3 of a 6 week hands-on unit study on the American War for Independence. Make tin can lanterns, reenact the Battles of Lexington and Concord, make ink and sign the Declaration of Independence with a quill pen, eat ice cream with Thomas Jefferson, and more!
My lessons are geared toward 2nd-3rd grade level children and their siblings. These are lessons I created to do with a weekly homeschool co-op. We meet each week for 2 ½ hours and have 14 children between the ages of 0-12. Even if you're not meeting with a co-op, you can still use these fun lessons with your family or classroom!
If you'd like more information on how you can start your own homeschool co-op or if you're curious how I operate my co-op, check out my lens: How to Start a Homeschool Co-op.
My lessons are geared toward 2nd-3rd grade level children and their siblings. These are lessons I created to do with a weekly homeschool co-op. We meet each week for 2 ½ hours and have 14 children between the ages of 0-12. Even if you're not meeting with a co-op, you can still use these fun lessons with your family or classroom!
If you'd like more information on how you can start your own homeschool co-op or if you're curious how I operate my co-op, check out my lens: How to Start a Homeschool Co-op.
Introduction & Making Ink
*Please bring a hammer for each of your children and any extras you may have to share with those who might forget theirs. We will be using these to make tin can lanterns.*The day before you do this lesson, you will need to get a can (like one used for canned vegetables) for each child, fill it with water, and freeze it for activity 6.
1. Stretch & pray.
2. Discuss Psalm 35:1-3
3. Sing The 13 Colonies Song (Tune: Yankee Doodle):
Virginia, Georgia, Delaware, and North Carolina;
Massachusetts, Maryland, and South Carolina.
Pennsylvania, New York,
New Hampshire and New Jersey,
Rhode Island and Connecticut:
These were the thirteen colonies!
TEACHER/PARENT 1: YOU WILL NEED: Words printed off for the children to read & sing along
4. Begin making ink: Let each child take a handful of pecans and have them crack the shells by putting them in a kitchen towel and smacking them with a hammer. Have them place the shells in a saucepan and eat the pecans (if desired). Pour in 1 1/2 cups of water and bring the shells to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 60 min. until most of water is gone. Cool.
TEACHER/PARENT 2: YOU WILL NEED: 1 1/2 pounds of nuts in shells (pecans, walnuts, etc.), 10 kitchen towels (used for activity 6 as well), hammers, & a saucepan
The Midnight Ride and Tin Can Lanterns
5. Read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ill. by Christopher Bing.6. Make tin can lanterns like the ones used to hang in the church tower (be sure to freeze water in them the day before). Use 1 towel to go under the frozen can to keep it in place and let children have a second kitchen towel to hold the cold can. Hammer holes in the can all over. Children ages 6 and under needed adult assistance. The ice in the can keeps it from collapsing.
TEACHER/PARENT 3: YOU WILL NEED: (per child): 1 tin can with water frozen in it, 1 regular nail, 1 hammer, 1 piece of wire cut from a clothes hanger, 2 kitchen towels, and 1 tea candle. For the whole group you'll also need a set needle-nose pliers to assist with the handle.
7. (If you have extra time) Read Let It Begin Here! by Don Brown.
Dramatize Paul Revere's Ride
8. Dramatize Paul Revere's Ride using costumes, stick horses, canoe paddles, tin can lanterns, and nerf guns. Mom reads Let It Begin Here! by Dennis Fradin through April 19, 1775, 1AM as children act out what mom is reading.TEACHER/PARENT 4: YOU WILL NEED: costumes, stick horses, canoe paddles, tin can lanterns, and nerf guns
Let It Begin Here!: Lexington & Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution
Amazon Price: $3.98 (as of 06/03/2012)
Used Price: $4.62
This is the best book on the Battle of Lexington for narrating a drama. Have a mom read from this book and then have the children (who have already been assigned characters) act out what the mom reads from this book.
Our Favorite Picture Books on Paul Revere's Ride
Maps & Pictures
9. Show picture of Paul Revere's route & British route from The Story of America by John Scott (p. 72). Show picture of powder house & magazine from A Window on Williamsburg by John Walklet and children explain what they were used for. Discuss British military formation vs. Native American/Colonial battle formation. Show picture of Concord wall on p. 73 from The Story of America by John Scott. Show Concord battle scene on pp. 52-53 of The Revolutionary War by Bart McDowell.
Dramatize Battle of Lexington
10. Dramatize Battle of Lexington using costumes and Nerf guns as mom reads Let It Begin Here! by Dennis Fradin April 19, 1775, 5AM.TEACHER/PARENT 4: YOU WILL NEED: costumes and Nerf guns (same ones used for Paul Revere's Ride dramatization)
Books on the Battle of Lexington
Minutemen Drills
11. Practice being minutemen: Grab a backpack, gun, and hat & race to end mark. We divided the kids into 2 teams and had them hand off the items. The first person in line grabbed the items, raced to the tree, pretended to shoot a redcoat, and then ran back yelling, "The Redcoats are coming!" They handed the items to the next minuteman in line who would do the same thing. (To make the drill more fun, I put up 9 stakes and strung yarn around them so that the children had to crawl under them.)TEACHER/PARENT 1: YOU WILL NEED: 2 backpacks, guns, hats, and Nerf guns
12. Quickly summarize Battle of Bunker Hill, capturing of Fort Ticonderoga, and the Continental Congress using pictures from books.
Chapter Books on Ethan Allen and the Raid on Fort Ticonderoga
Thomas Jefferson
13. (If you have extra time) Read Thomas Jefferson's Feast by Frank Murphy.14. (If you have extra time) Make ice cream in a bag. You can use Thomas Jefferson's Recipe for ice cream.
15. Eat with Thomas Jefferson: Eat vanilla ice cream (a favorite of Thomas Jefferson) while listening to pp. 7-21 of Thomas Jefferson by James Giblin. (I didn't love this book but couldn't find a better one to read to the group.)
TEACHER/PARENT 2: YOU WILL NEED:Vanilla ice cream, 12 disposable bowls or cups, 12 disposable spoons
16. Quickly discuss facts about Thomas Jefferson. Let a child tape a miniature picture of Jefferson that has been pasted it to a small square of blue construction paper to Virginia on the 13 Colonies map.
TEACHER/PARENT 3: YOU WILL NEED:above image pasted to paper and tape
Favorite Picture Books on Thomas Jefferson
These were our favorite picture books on Thomas Jefferson. Which one do you like best? Did we miss any great ones?
Thomas Jefferson's Feast (Step into Reading) (Step #4) by Frank Murphy
Tells of Thomas Jefferson's trip to France in 1784 more...0 points
The Story of Thomas Jefferson (Story Of...) by Patricia A. Pingry
This title is intended for ages toddler and upward more...0 points
Thomas Jefferson: Great American (Graphic Library, Graphic Biographies) by Doeden, Matt
Tells the life story of President Thomas Jefferson more...0 points
Meet Thomas Jefferson by Patricia A. Pingry
This picture book begins with Thomas Jefferson as more...0 points
Thomas Jefferson: A Founding Father of the United States of America (Biographies) by Lori, Mortensen
Thomas Jefferson was one of the Founding Fathers o more...0 points
Thomas Jefferson by Cheryl Harness
In her sixth presidential biography for National G more...0 points
Thomas Jefferson: A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin
Thomas Jefferson was a soft-spoken man. But his co more...0 points
When Mr. Jefferson Came to Philadelphia: What I Learned of Freedom, 1776 by Ann Turner
What did I know of freedom, of all the wild talk of more...0 points
The Value of Foresight: The Story of Thomas Jefferson (Valuetales Series) by Ann Donegan Johnson, Steve Pileggi
A biography of Thomas Jefferson emphasizing his la more...0 points
Favorite Chapter Books on Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence
17. Read sections of the Declaration of Independence from The Declaration of Independence ill. by Sam Fink. Show replica of Declaration of Independence and mention how John Hancock was the first to sign it and signed it large "so King George III [could] read it without his spectacles." Show picture of the people of New York pulling down the statue of King George III after the Declaration of Independence was read in order to melt it into musket balls (except the head which was rescued by Loyalists). Emphasize the courage the men had in signing this and briefly mention what happened to some of the signers.
Finish Making Ink
18. Finish making ink: Let the children watch while you strain the ink. If desired (we didn't), let one child add 1 tsp. vinegar (to keep the ink from fading) and let another child add 1 tsp. salt (to keep the ink from growing mold). Pour into 3 bowls.TEACHER/PARENT 1: YOU WILL NEED: 3 disposable bowls & strainer
Signing the Declaration of Indepedence & Review
19. Everyone signs their names using a quill pen and the homemade ink. Sign at the bottom of a copy of the Declaration of Independence. Click here to find out how to make quill pens. (We got our feathers from someone who owns chickens and turkeys, but you could also just buy feathers from the craft department at Wal-Mart. You don't have to slit the bottom of the feather. They will still write either way.)TEACHER/PARENT 3: YOU WILL NEED: 12 quill pens (or feathers) & 12 copies of the Declaration of Independence
20. Let children select a person to present on for their end-of-the-unit project.
21. 5 Minute Review of what we learned.
Making Homemade Ice Cream
My American War for Independence Lessons
Additional Links For More Activities, Games, & Ideas
- How to make beeswax candles
- How to make beeswax candles
- Sign modified Declaration of Independence
- Sign modified Declaration of Independence
- Tavern Recipes
- -Certain foods likely to be presented include carrot puffs, chicken fricassee, Virginia ham, Indian Meal Pudding, pickled red cabbage, and onion soup. Even though these foods sound fairly familiar, the seasonings tend to be different from those in 20th-century cooking. Colonists liked nutmeg, they especially enjoyed a sweet taste, and salt and pepper were de-emphasized. The carrot puffs, pickled cabbage, and Indian Meal Pudding on the appetizer plate all taste sweet.
The Shields menu also features fresh and regional foods such as crayfish soup, spit-roasted meats, and greengage plum ice cream.
Another food of yore is Syllabub. This dessert/drink tastes like fermented lemon chess pie. It has a thick portion which rises to the top of the glass. This section is eaten with a spoon, then the diner drinks the remaining wine mixture. - More colonial tavern recipes
- More colonial tavern recipes
- Paul Revere's Ride Reenactment On-Line Video
- Paul Revere's Ride Reenactment On-Line Video
- Paul Revere's Ride
- Paul Revere's Ride
- Children's Play on Paul Revere's Ride
- Child walks across stage, carrying Lexington and Concord April 18/19 1775 banner)
Whole cast: Listen, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. - Math Worksheet: Determine how far men had to travel to write Declaration of Independence
- Math Worksheet: Determine how far men had to travel to write Declaration of Independence
Konos Curriculum
Would you like to teach this way every day?
Konos CurriculumI use Konos Curriculum as a springboard from which to plan my lessons. It's a wonderful curriculum and was created by moms with active boys!
Konos Home School Mentor
If you're new to homeschooling or in need of some fresh guidance, I highly recommend Konos' HomeSchoolMentor.com program! Watch videos on-line of what to do each day and how to teach it in this great hands-on format!
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TransplantedSoul
Feb 22, 2012 @ 6:33 pm | delete
- This is awesome to share lesson plans. We cna all learn together.
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Heather_Todd
May 13, 2011 @ 7:32 am | delete
- Thanks for the Great article!
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JoyfulPamela
Feb 16, 2011 @ 7:41 pm | delete
- You have such great ideas! Thanks for sharing them. =D
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by iijuan12
I was an 8th Grade American History teacher and now I am a homeschooling mom of 5. I love finding activities that appeal to kinestic learners, storybo... more »
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Revolutionary War Deluxe Colonial Tricorn Hat / Pirate Hat
Amazon Price: $8.51 (as of 06/03/2012)
My kids love wearing their tricorn hats as they re-enact all the battles from the American War for Independence.
Declaration of Independence
Amazon Price: $4.99 (as of 06/03/2012)
Educational placemats are a great way to help your children memorize things. This laminated placemat has the signers of the Declaration of Independence on one side and the words to the Declaration of Independence on the other side. Since the placemat is laminated, you can also use a dry erase marker to mark it for games and activities.
Kentucky Rifle Full Size, Wood & Steel Frontier Rifle Designed After The Original Rifle, Fires Roll Caps Bulk
Amazon Price: $24.99 (as of 06/03/2012)
My kids have used it for dramatizing just about every battle in early American history -- including the battles at Lexington & Concord. It's quite durable and very realistic looking. My children enthusiastically endorse this product!
