Road to the American Revolution

The French and Indian War through the Declaration of Independence

Planning this mini-unit

Road to Revolution is the first mini-unit of Unit 2: The American Revolution. This mini-unit is taught after “Forming Colonial Identity,” the third mini-unit in Unit 1: The American Colonies and before “The American Revolution,” the second mini-unit of Unit 2: The American Revolution. Click HERE to get a copy of my pacing guide.

Pacing

Teachers should plan three to five days to teach this unit on a traditional schedule with one-hour class periods. However, for those on a block schedule with 1 1/2 hour classes, teachers should plan for 2-3 days. An effective way to structure this unit includes:

Openers

French and Indian War
Boston Massacre
Pre-Revolution Acts
Common Sense
Second Continental Congress

This FREE resource includes 5 openers to use in order to supplement this unit. Begin each class with an opener question. Opener questions can be found on this webpage as an image (see “opener questions” at the bottom of this webpage) or free on TpT (

see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding.

Lessons

After the opener, begin the Google Slides lesson. Students can take notes on paper using the note-taking guide provided with the Google Slides lesson, or they may take notes digitally with the electronic version (also included with the Google Slides).

TEACHER TIP: I post a PDF version of the Google Slides to Google Classroom so that students can review their notes if they are absent. To do this, click “File, Download, PDF” on the Google Slide.
TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
TEACHER TIP: When pressed for time, I will edit the note-taking guides to include answers for some boxes or delete boxes and slides entirely. Teachers should feel free to modify the lesson to meet their students’ needs and individual learning targets.

After teaching a concept, take a break from the lecture and show a quick review video to reinforce the concepts. Suggested videos to enhance the lesson are on this webpage.
Mix up your unit by having the students complete the PROP (Point, Reason to lie or distort, Other sources, Public/private) analysis. For a free resource that reviews PROP, click HERE.
1. TIP TEACHER: Group students together to complete this activity. This strategy sparks conversation and encourages critical analysis. Discussed as a class.
Review additional suggested activities found on this webpage:

5. Print the Prove It activity included in the Google Slides lesson at the end of the unit. Students read statements and determine if they are true or false. If the statement is false, they correct it. This lesson encourages students to review their note-taking guides

key terms to know

People to Know

Patrick Henry
Benjamin Franklin
Alexander Hamilton
King George III
John Adams
John Hancock
Thomas Paine

Key Terms

Albany Plan of Union
Proclamation Line of 1763
Salutary Neglect
Sons of Liberty
Daughters of Liberty
Common Sense
Sugar Act
Navigation Acts
Stamp Act
Declaratory Act
Townshend Act
Intolerable Acts/Coercive Acts
Olive Branch Petition
Declaration of Independence

Events

The Boston Massacre
The Boston Tea Party
The First Continental Congress
Battles of Lexington and Concord
Second Continental Congress
Battle of Bunker Hill

What were some examples of salutary neglect prior to the French and Indian War? How and why did the British policy of Salutary Neglect change after the French and Indian War?

2. Explain the various reasons why colonists were against the Sugar and Navigation Acts? Were the colonists justified in their reasoning?

3. How did the Sons and Daughters of Liberty oppose the Stamp Act, Sugar Act, and Townshend Duties? Evaluate those methods.

4. What event led to a greater increase in colonial-British tensions: The Boston Massacre or the Boston Tea Party? Explain your reasoning.

5. Examine the causes and effects of the Battle of Lexington and Concord.

6. Examine the causes and accomplishments of the: Stamp Act Congress, First Continental Congress, and Second Continental Congress leading up to the Revolutionary War.

7. Evaluate the debate against signing the declaration of independence after the Battle of Bunker Hill.

8. Identify the four separate parts of the Declaration of Independence.

Google Slides & Note Taking Guides

Click image for link to source

First Page of PRINT
Note Taking Guide

37 Slides (editable) with graphic organizer note-taking guide and summative assessment worksheet. This Google Slides reviews how the 13 colonies changed from supporting the British in the French and Indian War to declaring Independence in 1776.

This Google Slides:

Editable
Has checks for understanding/thinking questions throughout the Google Slides
Interesting and varied graphic design
A variety of different sources to catch your students’ attention and engage them with the content: maps, charts, primary sources, quotes, timelines, etc.
Major Concepts Reviewed:
1. Effects of the French and Indian War
2. Proclamation Line of 1763
3. Salutary Neglect
4. Sugar and Navigation Acts
5. Different perspectives on taxation (Colonist and British)
6. Stamp Act, Declaratory Act, Townshend Act
7. Stamp Act Congress
8. Loyalist and Patriot perspectives
9. Boston Massacre
10. Boston Tea Party
11. First Continental Congress
12. Lexington and Concord
13. Second Continental Congress
14. Common Sense, Thomas Paine
15. Debates on declaring independence
16. The Declaration of Independence

Note-Taking Guide with a Teacher’s Key:

Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document, or handwrite)
Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
Great for IEP, 504, EL students or students who need modifications
Helps students be accountable for information during lecture
Comes with print and digital notetaking guides.

Post-Notes Analysis Worksheet with a Teacher’s Key:

Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document or handwrite)
Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
Has a True/False checking for understanding
Includes a document that connects to information from the slides.
Comes with print and digital post-notes analysis guides.
Students are asked to ” Prove It,” “Analyze It” “Personalize It” and “Explore Limitations.”

Helpful Videos for Your Students