{"id":999,"date":"2025-07-26T05:44:45","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T05:44:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discover.hubpages.com\/education\/American-War-for-Independence-Review"},"modified":"2025-07-26T05:44:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T05:44:45","slug":"american-literature-american-war-for-independence-review-for-kids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/?p=999","title":{"rendered":"American Literature &amp; American War for Independence Review for Kids"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><time datetime=\"2025-07-26T01:44:45-04:00\" title=\"Jul 26, 2025\">Jul 26, 2025<\/time><br \/><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"American War for Independence Review Lesson\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/d5c0bb6304c8ece9143da755f3b0e6ee.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>American War for Independence Review Lesson<\/p>\n<p>This is the 11th lesson in a series of 28 hands-on lessons covering American History through 1865. This lesson focuses on reviewing the Colonial Period &amp; the American War for Independence. I used this plan while teaching a 45 minute history class for children in Kindergarten, 1st, &amp; 2nd grades. Each lesson includes a biography report, history notebook page, history song, our favorite children&#8217;s books, YouTube video, a joke, &amp; a variety of hands-on activities (cooking, painting, dramatizations, etc.) to make each lesson engaging &amp; memorable. Use these fun lessons with your classroom, homeschool, after-school program, or co-op!<\/p>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Student biography presentation on Washington Irving\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/32e3e458da40c2081c06440bd4494444.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Student biography presentation on Washington Irving<\/p>\n<h2>Student Biography Presentation: Washington Irving<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Student biography presentation on Washington Irving<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Review &amp; American Literature<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Review: Who was in American before Europeans came? (American Indians) Who landed in America in 1492 &amp; is considered by some to be the first European to &#8220;discover&#8221; America? (Christopher Columbus) What is the name of the first successful English colony? (Jamestown) When you think of Jamestown, you should think of which 2 people? (John Smith &amp; Pocahontas) In Plymouth, Massachusetts which group of people arrived in the Mayflower? (Pilgrims) Who helped them? (Squanto) Eventually how many colonies were there? (13) A war broke out between the French &amp; British. What was it called? (French &amp; Indian War) Because of that War, King George III allowed the British parliament to collect taxes in America. What was one event that was a response to that? (Boston Tea Party or other event) Some American colonists decided they needed to break away from England &amp; form their own country. What letter did Thomas Jefferson write staying this? (Declaration of Independence). Then they had to fight for 8 years to win their independence. Who lead the American Continental Army? (George Washington) Tell me something about when General Washington &amp; his men had to spend the winter in Valley Forge (no boots, firecakes, Baron von Stuben drilled them, etc.) What was the last major battle of the American War for Independence? (Battle of Yorktown) Who had to surrender to General George Washington? (Cornwallis)<\/li>\n<ul>\n<li>Open your notebooks to your 13 Colonies map. Together sing 13 Colonies Song (Tune: <em>Yankee Doodle) <\/em>while pointing to each colony on your map.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/ol>\n<p>New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut<br \/>New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, little Delaware\u2026<br \/>Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina<br \/>South Carolina, Georgia, thirteen colonies!<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Just like [student&#8217;s name] shared with us during his\/her presentation, Washington Irving was a well-loved American author during this time period.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ul>\n<li>One of his books, <em>Rip Van Winkle<\/em>, talks about someone in New York when it was a colony. Rip is lazy and falls into a deep sleep. When he wakes up, everyone and every thing has changed. [You can show a picture from this story or you can show the book.]<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Another one of his books, <em>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow<\/em>, was based on a true story he heard about a Hessian\/German solider who was fighting for the British during the American War for Independence. His head was cut off. [If you have sensitive children, just say that he died.] A nearby farming couple buried him. Washington Irving wanted to have some fun with that information, so he made up this story. Read a shortened version of <em>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow<\/em>. Be sure to end with, &#8220;Who do you think dressed up like the headless horseman?&#8221; so that children are less likely to be left feeling scared.<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Rip Van Winkle&#8217;s Return<\/em> by Eric A. Kimmel or other book showing the story of Rip Van Winkle<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li><em>The Legend of Sleepy Hollow<\/em> (First-Start Tall Tales) by Patsy Jensen or other book (with mild illustrations) sharing the tale<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<p><a><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Creating a mini-book on the American War for Independence \" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/431838b34506e0a60bc0bfddf8adb787.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Creating a mini-book on the American War for Independence <\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Now that we finished studying the American War for Independence, we&#8217;re going to create a miniature book so you can take it home &amp; share it with your family. Allow children to cut out &amp; then the pages of the book. Walk around and hole punch &amp; staple together the pages as children color. The booklet can be added to their 3 ring history binder.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>a copy of <a href=\"http:\/\/teacher.scholastic.com\/lessonrepro\/reproducibles\/profbooks\/americanrevolution.pdf\">this American Revolution mini-book<\/a> for each child<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>stapler<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>3 hole punch<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>children&#8217;s class supplies: crayons &amp; scissors<\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Review game: Print out some or all the questions from the end of each of the past 10 lessons. Cut the questions onto individual pieces of paper. Divide the class into 2 teams. (I did boys vs. girls.) Have each child take a turn, draw a piece of paper, &amp; try to answer the question. If they can&#8217;t answer it, the other team gets to guess to steal the point. Record the points on the board. The winning team gets their first pick in a treat at that time: fruit leather. The losing team gets to pick second.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><strong>You will need:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Some or all the questions from the end of each of the past 10 lessons printed on individual strips of paper<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>A fun looking container to hold the strips<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>A prize such as fruit leather or fruit roll-ups, which was a common treat during this time period <em>(optional)<\/em><\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<ol>\n<li>Since we&#8217;ll be having a class party next week, there will not be an assigned biography report.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>A Book to Read Each Day<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Optional Homework<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff - Book images are from amazon .com.\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/cd9d864361e9664abe767b78dcf08955.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution by Don Brown\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/archived\/aae8ee40359f25e90932b6e2770cee13.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Molly Pitcher: Young American Patriot (Graphic Biographies) by Jason Glaser\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTg4Mjg1MTQ1MjY1NzQyOTcw\/american-war-for-independence-review.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Patience Wright: American Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy by Pegi Deitz Shea - This image is from goodreads .com.\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTg4Mjg1MTQ1MjY1MzQ5NzU0\/american-war-for-independence-review.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Yankee Doodle by Steven Kellogg\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTg4Mjg1MTQ1MjY1NDE1Mjkw\/american-war-for-independence-review.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Nathan Hale: Revolutionary Spy (Graphic Biographies) by Nathan Olson\" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTg4Mjg1MTQ1MjY1Njc3NDM0\/american-war-for-independence-review.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Rebel with a Cause: The Daring Adventure of Dicey Langston, Girl Spy of the American Revolution by Kathleen V. Kudlinski \" src=\"https:\/\/images.saymedia-content.com\/.image\/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:eco%2Cw_80\/MTg4Mjg1MTQ1MjY1NTQ2MzYy\/american-war-for-independence-review.jpg\" style=\"max-height: 500px; width: auto;\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff &#8211; Book images are from amazon .com.<\/p>\n<p>1 \/ 7<\/p>\n<p>Even though we didn&#8217;t introduce new information (beyond the Washington Irving &amp; American Literature information, there are a few other great children&#8217;s books on the American War for Independence that can be included. These were some of our favorites:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gingerbread for Liberty!: How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Henry and the Cannons: An Extraordinary True Story of the American Revolution by Don Brown<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Molly Pitcher: Young American Patriot (Graphic Biographies) by Jason Glaser<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Patience Wright: American Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy by Pegi Deitz Shea<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Yankee Doodle by Steven Kellogg<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Nathan Hale: Revolutionary Spy (Graphic Biographies) by Nathan Olson<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Rebel with a Cause: The Daring Adventure of Dicey Langston, Girl Spy of the American Revolution by Kathleen V. Kudlinski <\/li>\n<p><\/ul>\n<h2>Liberty&#8217;s Kids The Man Who Wouldn&#8217;t Be King<\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Joke: What do you call an American revolutionary who draws cartoons?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Yankee Doodler!<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for all of my American History Lessons?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>(My middle school level<\/p>\n<p>American History lessons can be found at https:\/\/hubpages.com\/education\/TeachingAmHistory .)<\/p>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>AMERICAN HISTORY FOR EARLY ELEMENTARY:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-Indians-and-Columbus\">Native Americans &amp; Columbus Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Jamestown-Lesson-for-Kids\">Jamestown Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Pilgrims-Lesson-for-Kids\">Pilgrims Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/13-Colonies-Lesson\">Thirteen Colonies Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/French-and-Indian-War-Lesson\">French and Indian War Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-Colonial-Period\">Colonial Period &amp; Revolution Rumblings Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Boston-Massacre-and-Boston-Tea-Party\">Boston Massacre &amp; Boston Tea Party Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Declaration-of-Independence-Lesson\">First Shots &amp; Declaration of Independence Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-War-for-Independence-Battles\">American War for Independence Battles Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Valley-Forge-Lesson\">Valley Forge &amp; Battle of Yorktown Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-War-for-Independence-Review\">American Literature Lesson &amp; American War for Independence Review<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Colonial-Christmas-Party-for-Kids\">Colonial Christmas Party<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Constitution-Lesson\">Constitution Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Branches-of-Government\">Three Branches of Government Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/President-George-Washington-Lesson\">President George Washington Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Jefferson-and-Louisiana-Purchase-Lesson\">Louisiana Purchase Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/War-of-1812-Lesson\">War of 1812 Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Monroe-Doctrine-Lesson-for-Kids\">Monroe Doctrine Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Andrew-Jackson-and-Indian-Removal-Act-Lesson\">Trail of Tears Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Oregon-Trail-and-Alamo-Lesson\">Oregon Trail &amp; Battle of Alamo Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/California-Gold-Rush-Lesson\">California Gold Rush &amp; Pony Express Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/American-Industrial-Revolution-Lesson\">American Industrial Revolution Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Underground-Railroad-Lesson\">Underground Railroad Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Abolitionists-and-Suffragists-Lesson\">Abolitionists &amp; Women Suffragists Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Civil-War-Lesson\">Civil War: The Confederate States &amp; Abraham Lincoln Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/Civil-War-Battles-Lesson\">Civil War Battles Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/US-History-End-of-Year-Party\">Civil War Party &amp; End of Year Review Game<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>BONUS LESSONS<\/strong> (if you have room for a few extra classes):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/reconstruction-lesson-plan-for-children\">Reconstruction Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/wild-west-lesson-plan\">Wild West Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/immigrants-lesson-plan\">Immigrants Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/tycoons-and-theodore-roosevelt-lesson\">Tycoons &amp; Theodore Roosevelt Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/world-war-i-lesson\">World War I Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/roaring-twenties-lesson\">Roaring Twenties Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/great-depression-and-new-deal-lesson\">Great Depression and the 1930s Lesson<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/world-war-ii-lesson\">World War II Lesson<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>ALL MY LESSONS<\/strong>:<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/fun-hands-on-unit-studies\">Fun, Free Hands-on Unit Studies (My Lessons in All Subjects)<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a9 2018 Shannon<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Comments<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Shannon (author)<\/strong> from Florida on July 31, 2018:<\/p>\n<p>Thank you so much!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Liz Westwood<\/strong> from UK on July 31, 2018:<\/p>\n<p>This is a fascinating series.  Great for keeping children interested in history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jul 26, 2025 American War for Independence Review Lesson This is the 11th lesson in a series of 28 hands-on lessons covering American History through 1865. This lesson focuses on reviewing the Colonial Period &amp; the American War for Independence. I used this plan while teaching a 45 minute history class for children in Kindergarten, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-999","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=999"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/999\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=999"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=999"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/shannon.wasmer.app\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=999"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}