Revolutionary Chronicles
 
 

A Webquest for 6-8th Grade in Language Arts and Social Studies

  
 

Webquest created by Melody Lawrence with ideas shared by Dr. Constance Gordon, College of Education, University of Maryland, and Marilyn Barber, Technology Coordinator, Buck Lodge Middle School during the July, 2001 Computer Camp conducted at University of Maryland, College Park campus.

  
 
Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Teachers | Evaluation | Credits |
  
 
Introduction
  
 

Minuteman Statue

Lexington Green

You are living in an exciting decade of our country's beginning. The time is between 1774 and 1783. You are one of the inhabitants of the thirteen British Colonies in North America. You will examine the historical record of the people, places and events during the time of the American Revolution in order to write your own "chronicle" of this period. You will want to present a fair and accurate portrayal of your view of this time in your role as a London newspaper correspondent, His Majesty's Regimental Soldier, Colonial newspaper correspondent or Continental soldier. How did you see this conflict? What can you discover about how you might have felt and thought during this time? What images, maps, historical records and web documents can you locate, read and harvest to share the ideas and thoughts you discover with your classmates? This is your quest.

Welcome to the revolution!

 
 
   
The Task
   
  You will work as a team of researchers to find information on one of the important battles of the Revolutionary War. Each one of you
will have a role reflecting the different points of view that might be found during the revolutionary period of our country's history. You will find, scan or read primary documents of the images, maps, and historical records from real events of the war. You will look for secondary sources that might help you better understand the time. Each of you will summarize your findings in a letter or newspaper article sharing the information you have learned from your research and your point of view about one battle of the Revolutionary War in your own "chronicle." Then, you will meet as a group and share your findings with each other. Last, your team will create a PowerPoint or Web page presentation sharing what you have discovered about your team's assigned battle.
 
   
Top
   
   
The Process
    
   
You will draw a slip of paper for one of these four roles within your team:
   
 
1. His Majesty's Regimental Soldier
2. Continental soldier

3. Correspondent for the London Gazette in England
4. Correspondent for the Maryland Gazette in Annapolis
 
 
Your team will research one of these Revolutionary War battles :
   
 
1. Lexington-Concord
2. Bunker Hill
3. Valley Forge
  
 

 

Bunker Hill Flag

Valley Forge Flag

  
 
4. Princeton
5. Trenton (or Cowpens)
6. Brandywine-Germantown
  
 

Early Colonial flag

Thirteen Colonies Flag

Early Colonial flag

  
 
7. Savanna

8. Saratoga

9. Yorktown
 
 

 

Betsy Ross Flag

Continental Navy Flag

  
 
Top
  
 
Web Resource Sites to begin your search
 
 
Ask Jeeves
Britania Encyclopedia Online
Mega.com
 
   
Thinkquest
Yahooligans
  
 

 
Original documents during the beginning of the Revolutionary Period both here and in Britain. http://library.thinkquest.org/10966/docs.shtml
    
   

Major battles of the Revolutionary War

http://angelfire.com/md2/Ldotvets/revolution.html

http://library.thinkquest.org/10966/battles.shtml

http://webpages.homestead.com/revwar/files/index.htm

    
   

Recipes of the Period

http://library.thinkquest.org/10966/cookbook.shtml

    
   

Maps, Images, Flags of the Period

http://webpages.homestead.com/revwar/files/FLAGS.HTM

http://mccordfamilyassn.com/mapsof.htm

http://www.nevada.edu/~treed/trwebquest/

http://library.thinkquest.org/11683/

    
   

For music of the times http://users.erols.com/candidus/music.htm

    
   
   
   

Timeline of U.S. History

http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/index.html

    
   
Treaty of Paris document viewed here http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/treaty-paris.htm
    
   
Articles of Confederation viewed here : http://www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/revolution/confed.htm
    
   

View images

http://www.ibiscom.com/eyindx.htm

    
   

TOP

    
   
Credits
    
  This webquest was created as part of an internship at the conclusion of a M.S.Ed. degree in Technology for Educators at Johns Hopkins University July, 2001. Many of the ideas for activities on the Revolutionary War battles were suggested during a summer computer camp for Buck Lodge Middle School students conducted by Marilyn Barber, Technology Coordinator, Prince George's County Public Schools and Dr. Gordon, professor in the College of Education at University of Maryland, College Park. The camp was sponsored by the Maryland Cooperative Extension for Youth Development, Kendra Wells.