Lesson Plans
The Ten Crucial Days
In this lesson, students will read about the events that took place during the Ten Crucial Days, a turning point for the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War. The lesson culminates in an activity in which students outline the actions of the Army on a blank map.
This lesson is intended for upper elementary and middle school students.
Download The Ten Crucial Days Lesson Plan
Colonial-Era Games
In this lesson, students will learn about the daily life of children during the colonial period. This lesson focuses on the games colonial children once played and complements the curriculum taught during a Colonial Days field trip to Washington Crossing Historic Park. At the end of the lesson, students will create their own “cup and ball” game.
This lesson is intended for students in third through fifth grade.
Download the Colonial-Era Games Lesson Plan
Durham Boats
In this lesson, students will learn more about Durham boats: the primary vessels used by George Washington and his troops to cross the Delaware River on Christmas. Students will practice measuring and estimating lengths in this lesson.
This lesson is intended for students in fourth through sixth grade.
Download the Durham Boats Lesson Plan
George Washington’s Teeth
This lesson plan focuses on the picture book George Washington’s Teeth by Deborah Chandra and Madeleine Comora. The lesson plan includes a reading guide and worksheets focusing on math and literature.
This lesson is intended for students in Kindergarten, first and second grade.
Download the George Washington’s Teeth Lesson Plan
Leutze Painting: Washington Crossing the Delaware River
In this lesson, students will learn about the world-renowned painting created by Emanuel Leutze: Washington Crossing the Delaware River. Though it’s one of the most iconic and recognized paintings in American history, students will learn that some of the painting is more fiction than fact.
This lesson is intended for students in fourth through eighth grade.
Download the Leutze Painting Lesson Plan
Making Butter
In this lesson, students will learn how to make butter using the same technique used during the colonial era. This will help students better understand the daily life of colonists by illustrating how they had to create lots of things that most people purchase at the store in the twenty-first century.
This lesson is intended for students in Kindergarten through fifth grade.
Download the Making Butter Lesson Plan
Making Johnnycakes
In this lesson, students will learn how to make johnnycakes, a breakfast food made during the colonial era. Johnnycakes were especially popular among soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Students will learn how to read and interpret a recipe and measure out ingredients.
This lesson is intended for students in third through fifth grade.
Download the Making Johnnycakes Lesson Plan
“No Taxation Without Representation”
In this lesson, students will learn what the phrase “no taxation without representation” means as they discover why colonists wanted to become independent from England. Students will also learn about the Stamp Act and the Boston Tea Party. This lesson plan also includes an activity simulating the taxation colonists faced.
This lesson is intended for students in third through sixth.
Download the “No Taxation Without Representation” Lesson Plan
Patriots and Loyalists: Opinions Regarding the Revolutionary War
In this lesson, students will learn about the different factions of thought during the Revolutionary War: patriots, loyalists, and neutralists. The lesson will end with an activity that challenges students to use imagination and creative thinking in imagining a colonial persona.
This lesson is intended for students in fourth through seventh grade.
Download the Patriots and Loyalists Lesson Plan
Reading and Interpreting a Primary Source: Washington’s Dispatch
In this lesson, students will learn the definition of a primary source and then interpret a dispatch sent by George Washington in 1776 from McConkey’s Ferry Inn, a building students can tour during a field trip to Washington Crossing Historic Park.
This lesson is intended for students in sixth through eighth grade.
Download the Reading and Interpreting a Primary Source Lesson Plan
Reading a Map
This lesson educates students on how to read a map. Using the Washington Crossing Historical Park map, students will learn the definition of key terms, including a compass rose, map symbols, keys, and scales. At the end of the lesson, students will create an original park map to test their understanding of maps. This lesson may take two class periods depending on how the teacher structures it.
This lesson is intended for second through fourth graders.
Download the Reading a Map Lesson Plan
Soldier Life
In this lesson, students will study the life and struggles of a soldier in the Continental Army while learning the definition of a primary source. Students will be taught to analyze primary sources on this topic in order to create a poster.
This lesson is intended for students in sixth through eighth grade.
Download the Soldier Life Lesson Plan
Spies in the American Revolution
In this lesson, students will learn about the use of spies during the Revolutionary War, focusing on the Culper Spy Ring. Students will learn the code that the Culper Spy Ring used and create their own coded messages for fellow students in invisible ink.
This lesson is intended for upper elementary and middle school students.
Download the Spies in the American Revolution Lesson Plan
Timeline Activity
In this lesson, students will move around the classroom to different stations and learn about major events leading up to and during the Revolutionary War. The lesson plan culminates in a timeline activity in which students must create a timeline of Revolutionary War events with pictures and descriptions.
This lesson is intended for students in fourth through eighth grade.
Download the Timeline Activity Lesson Plan
Trade in the Colonial Era
In this lesson, students will learn about trades common in the colonial era and the apprenticeship process. The lesson ends with an activity in which students research and create their own journal as if they were an apprenticeship during the time period. The trades discussed in this lesson complement field trip programming at Washington Crossing Historic Park.
This lesson is intended for students in third through fifth grade.
Download the Trades in the Colonial Era Lesson Plan
Women of the Revolution
In this lesson, students will learn about notable women in the Revolutionary War and the general role of women during the war. Students will be divided into groups and participate in a WebQuest, creating a poster about one historical figure at the end.
This lesson is intended for students in fourth through eighth grade.
