Lesson Plan

I. A Letter Home

II. Lesson Essential Question(s): What was life like during the Battle of Trenton? How

would a soldier write?

III. Standards: 6.1 U.S. History: America in the World: All students will acquire the

knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and present interactions of

people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge

and skills enable students to make informed decisions that reflect fundamental rights

and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and global

communities.

IV. A. Learning Objectives and Assessments: Students will understand New Jersey’s,

George Washington’s, Freiherr von Steuben’s, and the troops’ roles in the American

Revolution. Teacher will be able to assess students’ understanding by a project

containing written responses.

B. Assessments:

Learning Objectives Assessments

SWBAT Explain why New Jersey’s TWBAT assess acquired knowledge by

location played an integral role in the examining students written responses.

American Revolution.

SWBAT Analyze the impact of George TWBAT assess acquired knowledge by

Washington as general of the American collecting and evaluating students

written responses.
 revolutionary forces and as the first

president of the United States.

SWBAT Analyze how prominent TWBAT assess acquired knowledge by

individuals and other nations contributed questioning students by starting a class

to the causes, execution, and outcomes discussion as well as examining

of the American Revolution. students written responses.

SWBAT Examine the roles and TWBAT assess acquired knowledge by

perspectives of various socioeconomic questioning students by starting a class

groups (e.g., rural farmers, urban discussion as well as examining

craftsmen, northern merchants, and students written responses.

southern planters), African Americans,

Native Americans, and women during

the American Revolution, and determine

how these groups were impacted by the

war.

V. Materials:

1. Color Pencils/ Markers/ Crayons

2. Paper containing blank postcard design

3. Sissors

VI. Pre-Lesson assignments and/or prior knowledge: Students will bring prior

knowledge of the American Revolution, learned in the past week, to class to

successfully complete this project.

VII. Lesson Beginning: Starts off with a recap of the battle of Trenton and who George

Washington and Freiherr von Steuben are. Then an explanation of the project, this

project is a post card written as if you, the student, were a soldier in Washington’s

army. After that an example of the post card can be shown and/or passed around,

followed by instructions and expectations.

VIII. Instructional Plan:

1. After materials are passed out and instructions are given, the teacher can clarify

using examples. These examples can be vocabulary used in the time period.

2. These examples should eventually lead into the discussion of how a person of

importance from another nation, von Steuben, impacted the lives of the troops and

his impact on the war.

3. After students appear to grasp his importance, the importance of the individual

soldier should be discussed. This should relate to the various socioeconomic

classes.

IX. Closure: This lesson will be brought to an end once everyone has completed their

post card. To tie this to their personal lives the teacher can discuss how the students

are putting themselves into another person’s shoes to see how their life was.

X. Citations:

State of New Jersey Department of Education. (2014). New Jersey student learning

standards for social studies. Retrieved February 21, 2018, from

http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2014/ss/standards.pdf