American Revolution History Unit

“War is when the government tells you who the bad guy is; Revolution is when you decide that for yourself.”

-Ben Franklin

Welcome to our American Revolution History Unit! This page should serve as a guide for you, if you are teaching your elementary and middle school students or children all about the beginnings of America and the war of Independence! This unit plans focuses on events leading up to and the American Revolution and the war itself. If you are unfamiliar with what a unit study is, or how it works, I recommend you read my post about it here.

This homeschool unit encompasses a bit of history, geography, and art. Before studying early American History, we spent some time studying the European Vikings and the Middle ages and The Renaissance.

I designed this unit for my homeschool children, however many of the activities could be adapted to a school environment as well. At the bottom of the page, you can find a find a suggested schedule and list of supplies. So, let’s dive into the unit.

Books

Throughout out study of the early America’s we read several chapter books. If you’re completing this unit in a short timeframe, I would recommend choosing one or two of the chapter books. These can be done independently or as a family read-aloud. I definitely recommend also getting one of the project books, especially if you have elementary aged children. These are great for coming up with ideas and fun rabbit trails. Some of the books have YouTube video links if I could locate them. Below are books for age 3rd grade and up and below is a list for the younger ones.

• King George – What what his problem – by Steve Sheinkin – this is a great “textbook” for the American Revolution. It’s thorough and written in a fun way. This is my top choice for kids to read; it’s very detailed.
• American Kids in History – Colonial Days – by David C. King. This book is filled with projects and games from early America
• Great Colonial America Projects by Kris Bordessa
• The Kidnapped Prince – by Ann Cameron – follows the journey of a boy from Africa on a slave ship
• Projects about Colonial Life & Projects about the American Revolution -by Marian Broida
• A Lion to Guard Us – by Clyde Robert Bulla -.follows the Journey of two children on a boat to America
• Ben & Me – by Robert Lawson – A book all about a mouse called Amos who is the advisor to Ben Franklin. Great for 4-6th grade.
• History Smashers – by Kate Messner – The Mayflower & The American Revolution. This one is a graphic novel.

Shorter Books for Younger Kids

Have K-2nd Graders? Try a few of these books instead.

• Revolutionary War on a Wednesday (Mary Pope Osborne) – This classic Magic Tree House book tells the story of the American Revolution and is great for those in early elementary school
• If You Were a Kid During the American Revolution – by Wil Mara
• George Washington and the General’s Dog (Step-Into-Reading) – by Frank Murphy
• The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence by Judith St. George
• The Boston Tea Party by Russell Freedman
• Leave it to Abigail by Barb Rosenstock
• They Called Her Molly Pitcher by Anne Rockwell
• Our Flag Was Still There: The True Story of Mary Pickersgill and the Star-Spangled Banner – Jessie Hartland
• Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Everything by Maira Kalman

Lesson Topics & Videos

In addition to the books, I enjoy using videos in our homeschool to reinforce and explain topics. (Please screen all videos prior to showing to students. Many videos are not appropriate for young children.) The topics below were the main topics we covered – each one taking up a lesson. After viewing the video, we would discuss and then the girls would write a paragraph or do another writing/drawing assignment about the topic. Next to the video are some ideas of what to write about!

• The Slave Trade – Triangular Trade – Print a World Map. Then draw a diagram of the products moved during the Triangular Trade time.
• The French and Indian War – Indicate on a United States Map the territory gained by Great Britain after the French and Indian War. What was the treaty called?
• Franklin’s Spark – Write about your favorite Ben Franklin invention.
• The Stamp Act – Explain why the Colonists felt the Stamp Tax was unfair.
• The Boston Tea Party – Describe the events leading up to and the Boston Tea Party itself.
• The Boston Massacre – Explain the Boston Massacre and it’s significance.
• The Declaration of Independence – See Below Project
• The Revolutionary War Animated Battle Map – Mark on a United States Map the most important battles in the Revolution
• Women in the American Revolution – Choose one woman from the American Revolution and write about her.

The below shows we just watched:

• John Adams the Series (on HBO Max)
• Histories Mysteries – spies of the American Revolution
• Spies of the American Revolution

Declaration of Independence Project

For a quick and fun project that ties in with the study of the Declaration of Independence – you can order your own set! Complete with quill and ink. Printed on the page is an imitation of the original declaration. You can read the entire thing (if you have good eyes anyway, the print is pretty small!) I purchased the set from Rainbow Resources. Note: I do not receive anything if you purchase; I’m just sharing the link we used.

Each of my girls experimented with writing with the quill and the provided ink. We discussed how difficult it would have been to hand write every document with no method to erase your writing. If you needed to re-word, you would have to start over! We found out that ballpoint pens weren’t mass produced until the 1900’s and that pencils weren’t manufactured until 1832.

Early American History Game

looking for a fun game to play while you study the revolution? Try Jacks! Of course this game has been played with stones for centuries – in ancient times called knucklebones and in colonial times called Jackstones – but it’s still a great game to blow off steam during school and work on coordination and fine motor skills.

American Revolution History Unit Research & Diorama

One of the projects during our unit study, was to create a diorama depicting a battle from the Revolution. We spent some time learning about the people, battles, and timeline of the war. For younger kids, this could just be a display of the war and not a specific battle, but for my middle schoolers, I wanted them to display something specific. They also wrote a Google Slides presentation to go with their display.

If you’d like to try this project at home, I recommend the following supplies:

• Shoebox or medium sized shipping box
• Construction Paper or Paint for the sides
• Scissors
• Hot Glue or Superglue
• Toob people for the British and American soldiers
• Craft Trees & Bushes (these came from Amazon)

American Revolution History Homeschool End of Unit Projects

Lastly, each child was to choose a project to complete on their study of the American Revolution. These projects they were to spend a few days on. I also feel that they could be simplified into a one day project, if you are on a time constraint. These were the options I gave them:

• Choice #1: Research and display the battles in the Revolution
• Choice #2: Create a visual timeline of the main events in the American Revolution
• Choice #3: Create wanted posters for all the outlaws of the Revolution
• Choice #4: Design trading cards for all the important people of the Revolution
• Choice #5: Create a newspaper with articles on all the important events of the revolution. Decide if it will be an American Paper or British Paper.

One of my daughters chose the trading cards and the other chose the “outlaw” posters: the spies, the women, and the people who worked underground to make the overturn of British Rule possible – even some of the traitors. We used cardstock and colored pencils, but your materials could be very flexible – anything from large posters to index cards would work. The girls had the option to draw the “wanted” personas on the posters or to print pictures from the internet.

If these projects are a bit advanced for your child, another way to learn about the American Revolution is to practice reading comprehension. I created a reading comprehension activities in my TpT store that can be used by students in 2nd up to about 4th grade.

America Revolution Homeschool Unit Wrap Up

That wraps it up for our American Revolution History homeschool unit! See below for suggested schedule and supplies.

For more history activities, don’t miss our previous unit on The Renaissance.

Suggested American Revolution History Unit Schedule

Week 1

• Monday: Choose & start reading a book about the American Revolution over the course of 2 weeks. Learn about Triangular Trade.
• Tuesday: Learn about the French and Indian War.
• Wednesday: Study Benjamin Franklin. Try to replicate one of his inventions.
• Thursday: Study the Stamp Act. Play Jacks or another colonial game.
• Friday: Study the Boston Tea Party & The Boston Massacre. Make a colonial recipe or tea.

Week 2

• Monday: Learn about and read some of the Declaration of Independence. Experiment with writing with a quill or feather and ink.
• Tuesday: Study the Revolutionary War including women in the Revolution & George Washington. Star Diorama of the Revolution.
• Wednesday: Continue to learn about the battles of the Revolutionary war, including Paul Revere and the midnight riders. Finish Diorama.
• Thurs: Start final hands on American Revolution Project.
• Fri: Complete Final Project.

Suggested Supply List:

• cardstock
• colored pencils
• quill & ink set
• Set of Jacks
• Shoebox or medium sized shipping box
• Construction Paper or Paint for the sides
• Scissors
• Hot Glue or Superglue
• Toob people for the British and American soldiers
• Craft Trees & Bushes (these came from Amazon)