Books
Title: George vs. George: The American Revolution As Seen from Both Sides
Author: Rosalyn Schanzer
Ages: 9 and upAuthor: Rosalyn Schanzer
This narrative allows students to understand the American Revolution from both sides. I picked this text because the illustrations and engaging text will bring the conflict to life and will teach students about how the British king and American general had more in common than we often think.
Title: King George: What Was His Problem?: The Whole Hilarious Story of the American RevolutionAuthor: Steve Sheinkin
Illustrator: Tim Robinson
Ages: 10 and up
This book is filled with interesting antidotes, letters, maps, and all sorts of unusual trivia. I picked this book because it offers a wealth of information on the Revolution, but is also so entertaining to read. It would be a great read-aloud or independent read for students.
Title: The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism & TreacheryAuthor: Steve Sheinkin
Ages: 11 and up
This book is a biography on America's first and most notorious traitor, Benedict Arnold. It offers first hand accounts and surprising twists along the way. I chose this text because I find Benedict's story fascinating and I think it would be very appealing to my students.
Author: Janis Herbert
Ages: For teachers (activities appropriate for grades 4+)
Ages: For teachers (activities appropriate for grades 4+)
This book offers 21 activities to make teaching about the Revolution more memorable for kids. The activities range from a reenactment of the Battle of Cowpens to a protest where students practice having their voice heard in government. I picked this text because it offers some creative activities to accompany my lessons on the Revolution.
Websites
Sortify: American Revolution
Ages: 9 and up
An interactive game for students that accompanies the BrainPop lesson on the American Revolution. Students organize different people and events into bins, and can label the bins to reflect a number of categories. The more difficult the category, the more points! I think this website will help students organize different information about Revolution. However, I would advise using it after teaching about the Revolution, so it doesn't simply become a matching game.
Misson U.S.: For Crown or Colony?
http://www.mission-us.org/
Ages: 11 and up
This game provides students with an interactive journey through Boston in 1770, from the perspective of a 14 year old boy, Nat Wheeler, who has to decide where his loyalty lies. This is actually a series of games that take students thorough different eras of U.S. history. I like that it can be downloaded to a classroom computer, instead of just being streamed. The promo for the game is embedded below:
Interactive American Revolution Timeline
Ages: 9 and up
This interactive timeline is a really cool way for students to learn about the Revolution chronologically. It features a combination of text and images to explain the events leading up to the war, as well as a description of the events during and after the war. The timeline is aesthetically appealing and I like that it provides images of actual artifacts, rather than just illustrations.
Ages: 8 and up
A classic for all ages! Even my 8th graders love them. This song specifically focuses on the American Revolution and is really catchy. "The shot heard around the world, was the start of the Revolution..." I like the repetition in the song and I think it helps students remember some of the important details of the war, like Paul Revere, Lexington & Concord, minutemen, etc.
The Revolution: Interactive Guide
Ages: 12 and up
This free app is an interactive textbook/study guide on the Revolution. It offers interactive flashcards, images, biographies, war maps, audio narrations, and review quizzes. I like that it provides a variety of sources on the war and think it would be a great review resource for students. And it's FREE!
Pictures of the Revolutionary War
Ages: For teachers
I almost always use the National Archives website when making a PowerPoint for my social studies classes. They offer so many different photographs, paintings, and propaganda illustrations for just about anything you can think of. I prefer using the archives over a general web search, because it provides the highest resolution images and accurate dates/descriptions.
I am not a history fanatic, but the texts you chose seem very engaging for even the most timid history student! I think the book: King George: What's His Problem? would be a great "hook" for some students and would get them interested. Nice find with this text set! :)
ReplyDeleteGreat book choices! You always have great ideas for books to use to cover the subject from varying angles. I like the interactive using the boy's perspective. A great way to get the students thinking and see what it was really like during this time of conflict.
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