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American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Student Investigator – “The Boston Massacre”

Student Investigator – “The Boston Massacre”

Details

Author
Anthony Ascolillo
Topic/Subject Area
Military, Wars, Battles
Historical Era
Revolutionary America, 1763–1783
Grade Level
High School (9–12)
Creation Date
2007
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

Students will understand that sources can be biased and need to be evaluated. They will examine various primary and secondary sources relative to “The Boston Massacre” and will record their observations about the sources. They will then form opinions about the events of the massacre based on their research and will write short essays stating their opinions (theses), and citing evidence and source information to support them.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites

Teaching Plan

  1. Introduce The Boston Massacre activity as a “cold case” being re-opened after many years. Identify the various parties and their roles in the events of March 5, 1770.
  2. Students will read and discuss their textbook section on The Boston Massacre. Does the author come to a conclusion about the case? Does the author cite any sources in his or her summary of the events?
  3. Provide students with the Paul Revere Engraving “The Bloody Massacre perpetrated on King Street, Boston on March 5th, 1770.” As a group record the author, date of publication, date of event, and possible motive for creating the piece. The information gathered may be easier to organize using a simple graphic organizer.
  4. Provide students with additional primary source evidence listed in the website links. Repeat the investigation described in step 3.
  5. Students will read the documents and highlight the parts they feel are most important. Then they will write a short summary of each piece and describe in sentence format the reliability of the evidence based on their investigations. The graphic organizer described in step 3 might be useful for recording summaries and reliability statements. Students should attach each document to their graphic organizer/notes.
  6. Working in small groups, the students will compare and contrast the content of each piece of evidence, including their reliability statements. Each student will record their own information. Each group will discuss and/or debate their findings. A comparison/contrast graphic organizer may be helpful to organize information.
  7. Students will each draft a 5-paragraph essay based on their findings and opinions. Paragraph 1 will include a thesis statement (Their idea about the events of March 5th, 1770). Paragraphs 2,3, and 4 will provide evidence supporting their theses and comparing/contrasting sources, (this should include citations (quotes) gathered from the sources they have investigated). The 5th paragraph will restate their theses and provide individual opinions about the massacre.
  8. Provide students with “Bloody Butchery, By The British Troops; Or The Runaway Fight Of The Regulars.” They will read the article and form opinions about it’s content and accuracy. Then they will discuss/debate their opinions and reflect upon if/how this student investigator activity has changed the way they evaluate information sources.