Learning About Research and Writing Using the American Revolution

This group of seven lessons has students look at the American Revolution through storybooks, research, and writing poetry.  Students read a story about the American Revolution and then research a political figure.  Next, students create an acrostic poem about the person they research and present it to the class. This research unit can be used in correlation with an American Revolution study, providing students an opportunity for research, but also for creative writing and presentation of research.

Weblink address (URL): 
Learning About Research and Writing Using the American Revolution

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Students will:

  • Gain knowledge about the American Revolution by researching a specific figure from that time period
  • Learn research skills by observing the teacher model how to find information from a variety of sources
  • Apply the research skills they have learned by accessing historical information from a variety of sources, scanning those sources for the type of information they need, and verifying the information they find using multiple sources
  • Practice analysis by interpreting a historical figure's importance to the American Revolution and writing a poem about him or her that demonstrates this importance
  • Develop presentation skills by reading their acrostic poem to the class.

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 
  • Publish students' poems in a class book or website titled The Who's Who of the American Revolution.
  • Have students research and write acrostic poems about important battles, places, or events in the Revolutionary War.

Helpful Hints

Materials:

  • If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore (Scholastic, 1998)
  • Chart paper or transparencies
  • Computer with Internet access
  • LCD projector
  • Overhead projector

References

Contributors: 
Julie Lewis
Originator: 
Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation