American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Battles of Lexington and Concord Poetry Comparisons

Battles of Lexington and Concord Poetry Comparisons

Details

Author
Lynn Gebo
Topic/Subject Area
Media, Periodicals, Communication; Politics, Government, Law, Civics; Civil Rights, Protest, Dissent; Military, Wars, Battles
Historical Era
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5), Middle School (6–8)
Creation Date
Last Revision Date
2024

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About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

The students will understand that poets use language to create powerful mood in a piece, although the poem may not be historically accurate, by comparing “Paul Revere’s Ride”, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and ” A Funeral Elegy, to the Immortal Memory” found at the end of the propaganda poster from “Bloody Butchery, By the British Troops” from my digital collection. 

Materials & Resources

Collection Items:
Websites:

Teaching Plan

  1. Have copies of “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (see Materials & Resources section) available for students to read.
  2. Discuss with the students that the poem was written in 1860.
  3. Practice choral reading so that the students get the opportunity to see, hear and recite the poem.
  4. Read the propaganda article from the American Centuries website, “Bloody Butchery, By the British Troops;Or The Runaway Fight of the Regulars” (see Materials & Resources section), reciting the elegy at the end of the article.
  5. Have the students make a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the two poems.
  6. Using their diagrams, the students will write essays comparing and contrasting these two poems, being sure to focus on mood, purpose and historical accuracy.