Carolina K-12
Causes of the American Revolution
Beginning with the experience of hearing that lockers in school will be taxed, through analysis of political cartoons and informational text, and culminating in a debate between loyalists and patriots, your class members will engage in a...
K20 LEARN
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death: The Journey to Revolution
The words of "Common Sense" and Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death!" speech ring throughout history. Scholars explore the nuances of each patriot's argument using excerpts from the famous pamphlet and speech and a recorded...
Carolina K-12
Revolutionary War Era Tick-Tack- Toe
So many fantastic activities on the American Revolution! From drawing political cartoons illustrating events of the Boston Massacre to writing a diary entry as a shopkeeper during the Boston Tea Party, your young historians will...
Center for History Education
Should the Colonists Have Revolted Against Great Britain?
Should the Americans have taken the plunge and revolted against Great Britain? Using documents, including the famed Common Sense and a Loyalist response, pupils conduct a lengthy investigation of the question. The interesting resource...
Nemours KidsHealth
Head Lice: Grades 3-5
Keep lice away with a lesson plan that focuses on best practices. Scholars discuss what lice are, where it can be found, how it can be prevented and cured. A worksheet challenges pupils to examine items they use every day. A quiz gauges...
PBS
Thomas Paine: Writer and Revolutionary
Is the pen really mightier than the sword? Scholars analyze the impact Thomas Paine's book Common Sense had on the American Revolution. Video clips and primary sources investigate the role Paine had on dissent in the colonies. They...
Alabama Learning Exchange
American Revolution
Introduce learners to the key players of the American Revolution. Each slide provides biographical information on the following people: John Adams, Samuel Adams, Crispus Attucks, King George III, Lord Cornwallis, Thomas Paine, Polly...
Curated OER
Claims in "The Crisis, No. 1"
"The Crisis, No. 1" is the focus of a series of exercises that ask learners to read closely and annotate Thomas Paine's text. Groups identify claims and evidence in the essay and present their arguments to the class. Teacher background...
Curated OER
The Enlightenment: Matching #1
Matching exercises can help learners build a functional vocabulary related to many different concepts. They match ten ideas and key players commonly associated with the Enlightenment to their definitions. Ben Franklin, Edward Gibbon, and...
Curated OER
The American Crisis, Number 1
Use this presentation about Thomas Paine's The American Crisis series to guide any number of assignments. The slides provide instructions for a literary terms assignment, an open response journal entry, two research writing projects, and...
Curated OER
The Revolutionary War
March your students off to war with this presentation, which provides details to the American Revolution such as important figures (Jefferson, Franklin, Henry), facts about the Declaration of Independence, and definitions of key terms. A...
Curated OER
The Road to Revolution: (1770-1776)
Posing a guiding question about the inevitability of the American Revolution, the presentation guides students through the circumstances leading up to "The shot heard 'round the world" up to the Declaration of Independence. Teachers can...
Curated OER
The War for Independence: 4th Grade
Colonial Independence is a hot topic in the 4th and 5th grade; this PowerPoint highlights the victories, the decision for Independence, and the forces for and against colonial independence from England. This PowerPoint presents scant...
Curated OER
The Beginnings of Constitutional Government
Students examine excerpts of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. In this early American history lesson plan, students read Paine's pamphlet and analyze the information according the rubric provided.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Common Sense: The Rhetoric of Popular Democracy
Young scholars identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of...
Curated OER
Lesson 2: Using Common Sense
Tenth graders explore the impact of Thomas Paine on the American Revolution. In this colonial America lesson, 10th graders analyze Common Sense and then paraphrase selected excerpts of the pamphlet. Students also respond to discussion...
Curated OER
Deism: Paine and Jefferson Student Worksheet
In this Deism instructional activity, students read an article about the opinions of Thomas Paine and Thomas Jefferson. Students then respond to 12 short answer questions.
Curated OER
The Road to Democracy
Eleventh graders examine the road to the American Revolution. In this American Revolution lesson, 11th graders read Thomas Paine's works and identify the issues that the colonists had with the British government.
Curated OER
The Human Jigsaw
Fourth graders, using Thomas Paine's "The Crisis, No. 1" from The American Crisis, form a human jigsaw.
Curated OER
English 3 Final Word Search
In this language arts instructional activity, high schoolers locate and identify various vocabulary terms related to English literature. There are 29 words/names located in the puzzle.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Teacher Serve: Divining America: Religion and the American Revolution
The National Humanities Center offers an article on religion and the Revolutionary War with suggestions for projects. It is full of information about how religion influenced people to support war.
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Thomas Paine
The complete original text of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" originally published in January 1776.
Henry J. Sage
Sage American History: Common Sense, Thomas Paine, 1776
Excerpts from Thomas Paine's Common Sense, in which Paine makes a powerful case for American independence.
PBS
Pbs Liberty!: Independence! Philadelphia 1776
The newspaper layout makes it simple to read the accounts of the reaction to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The article includes valuable links including an introduction to Thomas Paine and his role in this event.