American Revolution Grades 6-12

Resources to Help You Teach and Learn Wherever You Are!

This page offers a curated collection of web-based resources designed to help teachers introduce middle and high school students to the American Revolution in an engaging and age-appropriate way. It includes curriculum materials, lesson plans and ideas, educational videos, primary source materials, articles, and printable activities. These materials support classroom lessons by bringing historical events, key figures, and revolutionary ideals to life, while encouraging students to think critically about America’s founding story, and will serve as a complement to the themes and events covered in The American Revolution series from Ken Burns. 

NHPBS - The American Revolution
Learn more about the series and events across the state highlighting the events surrounding the American Revolution as we celebrate the nation's 250th anniversary..

PBS LearningMedia - The American Revolution
In advance of the premiere of THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION on November 16, see our first classroom resources drawing on content from the film. The full collection will feature more than 35 resources examining how the thirteen colonies on the Atlantic Coast united in rebellion, won their independence, and established a republic that still endures. Topics will include: Life in the British Colonies, Causes of the Revolution, Key Events, Key Figures, and Consequences and Legacies of the American Revolution.

American Revolution: A Resource Guide
The American Revolution (1763-83) was a rebellion by the colonies to win independence from Great Britain that led to the creation of the United States of America. This guide from the Library of Congress provides access to digital materials and a print bibliography.

Mini Lesson Plans
The Museum of the American Revolution offers a growing list of free, downloadable lesson plans that explore topics including the role of museums, types of revolutions, and the people, causes, events, and repercussions of the American Revolution. They are targeted at the middle school level but can easily be adapted for upper elementary and high school students.

A More Perfect Union
This site from the National Endowment for the Humanities features lesson plans and activities that explore the founding of our nation.

American Revolution Lesson Plans
You’ll find a collection of lesson plans at this site from The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History here.

The Coming of the American Revolution: 1764 to 1776
This site from the Massachusetts Historical Society offers a 3-4 day unit of study on the lead-up to the American Revolution. Students investigate the lives and events recorded in newspapers, official documents, and personal correspondence from the Society’s collection, and immerse themselves  in the past and discovering the fears, friction, and turmoil that shaped these tumultuous times

National Park Service – American Revolution Lesson Plans
You’ll find a collection of over 50 lessons from National Park sites around the country that focus on the Revolutionary War period.

Docs Teach – American Revolution
Explore textual documents from the Second Continental Congress, like the Lee Resolution, maps from the Atlas of Battles of the American Revolution, and Alexander Hamilton’s oath of allegiance taken at Valley Forge.  Among these records, and several copies of the Declaration of Independence, uncover the past through primary sources of the Revolutionary War at this site from the National Archives.

American Battlefield Trust
Featuring four modules with a total of twelve comprehensive lesson plans, this resource is designed to bring the history of the American Revolution to your middle school and high school students through engaging PowerPoints, primary source activities, interactive suggestions, and more. From exploring the causes of the revolution to delving into Washington’s soldiers and the Southern Campaigns, these lesson plans offer a wealth of resources ready for use today.

American Revolution Resources
These resources from Mount Vernon include video, interactive timelines, activity sheets, primary source materials,  infographics, and more.

Professional Development
Social Studies free online workshops and classroom video practices libraries from Annenberg Learner.
learner.org/subject/social-studies-history/

Daily Learning Themes for Grades PreK-12  from NHPBS  with a focus on the Revolutionary War Period

THE BILL OF RIGHTS

THE CONSTITUTION

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

THOMAS JEFFERSON

GEORGE WASHINGTON

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN

ALEXANDER HAMILTON

ABIGAIL ADAMS

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