A webquest for use in a fifth grade lesson on the American Revolution

1. Mira Spurgeon
Grade 5
Topic: The American Revolution
Learning Objective: Work in pairs to investigate the causes and key events of the American
Revolution.
The United States of America is an independent country, but it wasn’t always. The first states were
originally colonies of England. So how did we become a separate country?First, let’s find out how
America was colonized.
1. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/index.html
Click on “Jump Back in Time”, then on “Colonial America”.
a) What were the first two English colonies established in America? When was each one
founded?
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b) What was the Virginia’s main crop?
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How did this peaceful colonial life become violent revolution? Let’s find out.
2. http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/causesrevwar.htm
a) Pick one action done by the British and explain how it helped lead to the revolution.
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b) Pick one action done by the colonists and explain how it helped lead to the revolution.
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2. One of the events that led to the American Revolution was the Boston Tea Party. Let’s find out
more about it.
3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwEX_YVyAS4
Watch the short video.
a) What did the British do to cause the Boston Tea Party?
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b) How did the British respond to the Boston Tea Party?
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c) What effect did this response have on the colonists?
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Who were the people who led the Revolutionary Movement? We call them the Founding Fathers.
4.http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_founding_fathers.html
Scroll down to the list of Founding Fathers. Choose one and read his biography.
Choose one Founding Father and explain why he was important.
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One of the most famous Founding Fathers was George Washington. Let’s explore a portrait of
him.
5. http://www.history.org/history/paintings/george_washington/
Click on the blue dots on the painting to find more information.
a) What was the name of the army that Washington commanded?
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b) Whom did Washington defeat at the Battle of Trenton?
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c) What city is pictured in the background of the painting?
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But how did the fighting begin?

3. 6. http://www.ushistory.org/us/11c.asp
a) Why did the British want to seize Lexington and Concord?
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b) What was the name of the militias that defended Lexington and how did they get their
name?
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The American Revolution was more than just a war. It was also an independence movement.
Let’s look at an important document of that movement.
7. http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/
Click on “Document” in the menu on the left.
a) What are the “unalienable rights” to which everyone is
entitled?___________________________________________________
b) Why did the colonists feel that they were not being given these rights?
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The language of that document is kind of confusing because it was written a long time ago. Let’s
look at a simpler version.
8. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/government/declaration.htm
a) Why did the colonists write the Declaration of Independence?
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b) In your opinion, what was the worst thing that the King of England did to the colonists
and why?
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Now that America was independent, it needed its own Constitution.

4. 9. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/government/constitution.htm
a) What was the purpose of the Constitution?
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b) Which part of the government makes the laws? ____________________________
c) Which part of the government commands the army? _________________________
d) Which part of the government judges whether the rest of the government is following the
Constitution? _______________________________________
But the Constitution alone was not enough. The new nation also needed a Bill of Rights
10. http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/northamerica/after1500/government/billofrights.htm
a) What was the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
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b) In your opinion, which right is the most important and why?
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Finally, the United States of America had become an independent country, with its own
government.

5. Answers
1. a) Jamestown (1607) and Plymouth (1620)
b) tobacco
2. a) Answer will depend on event chosen.
b) Answer will depend on event chosen.
3. a) The British repealed all taxes except the one on tea.
b) The British closed Boston harbor.
c) Many colonists lost their jobs.
4. Answer will depend on Founding Father chosen.
5. a) the Continental Army
b) the Hessians
c) Princeton, New Jersey
6. a) They wanted to capture Sam Adams and John Hancock and take the colonists’
gunpowder.
b) They were called Minutemen because they could be ready to fight in minutes.
7. a) Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
b) The colonists felt oppressed by the British government and military (or similar ideas).
8. a) They wanted to explain why they were splitting from England.
b) This answer is based on opinion, but should be an item from the list on the website.
9. a) The purpose of the Constitution was to set up the structure of the American
government.
b) Congress
c) the President
d) the Supreme Court
10. a) The Bill of Rights was made to protect the rights of individual people.
b) This answer depends on which right is chosen.