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American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > From Peacefulness to Peril, but Who’s to Blame?

From Peacefulness to Peril, but Who’s to Blame?

Details

Author
Deborah Vanderpoel
Topic/Subject Area
Military, Wars, Battles
Historical Era
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2019
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that a painter or author can carry bias in his/her work. Yet, students will develop the ability to form their own opinions on a historical account based on a compilation of various resources.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites
Books

Teaching Plan

  1. Pre-lesson: Students will have studied a Grant Wood painting titled The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Teacher has utilized Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) procedures to enhance the picture study. A class word splash of emotions and thoughts about the painting are put on a flip chart for all to view.
  2. Teacher passes out highlighted portions or shows from the website the primary document titled “Bloody Butchery, By The British Troops; Or The Runaway Fight Of The Regulars”. Tell students that this article was written for the Salem Gazette in April of 1775, and it is an account of events that happened during the Battle of Lexington and Concord. After the class does an oral reading of the document, the teacher takes a survey regarding the article. Teacher poses the questions: How many thought the article favored the colonists? the British troops? both sides? Put the results on the flip chart in the form of a tally chart.
  3. Teacher reads portions of the “Bloody Butchery, By The British Troops; Or The Runaway Fight Of The Regulars”  article again. Students decide whether each section is British favored or Colonist favored. They will see the sections vary a bit, but overall, the article favors the colonists.
  4. Looking at the original word splash based on Wood’s painting. Students will circle words that also came to mind after looking at the primary source. Connections between various mediums, the painting and the article, are made.
  5. Students gather for the teacher to read the picture book, Sleds on Boston Common: A Story from the American Revolution. This book shows the British as being a friendly sort of folk. After reading, the teacher asks the students again to make a word splash to describe overall feelings elicited from this text. Such words may be caring, friendly, Town Common, considerate, fun, human, and fair.
  6. Teacher puts the original Wood’s related word splash with circled primary source words shown taped on the board. The book word splash is also viewed. Students see where the ideas overlap. Such words such as community, fairness, Town Common, and human may be on both word splashes.
  7. Lesson is wrapped up with teacher reviewing the importance of looking at various sources to understand a historical event. A review of the Battle of Lexington and Concord is done.