Class Activities

All-American Lunch

Serve typical American fare- fried chicken, corn on the cob, potato salad, apple pie, ice cream, Coca-cola, and lemonade.  Invite parents to donate parts of the meal.

or  

Students can brainstorm what they consider “American Food” then volunteer to bring their favorite item.
or

Since America is made up of such diverse cultures, students can bring a dish based on their family’s heritage.  It may be neat to compile the recipes into a class cookbook.  Decorate in red, white and blue and play Patriotic music. 

Follow-up Activities from the Teacher Booklet

Math

Research colonial currency or monetary systems such as bartering, trading, wampum, specie, commodity money or cash crops, and foreign currencies.
Create a bar graph comparing populations of the 13 colonies to their current populations.

Language Arts

Write a letter to a Tory or the British Parliament convincing them of the importance of American independence from England .

Make a mini vocabulary book defining the Expert Words discussed in the Walk Through.  Define each word, write it in a sentence, and draw a picture to show its definition.

Social Science

Create a class time line of the events leading up to and during the Revolution.  Students research important events including the date, location, and the main people involved.

Learn the history and symbolism of flags such as the Bedford , Culpepper, Gadsen, Grand Union, Navy Jack, Betsy Ross, Stars and Stripes, Bennington, and Washington Cruiser.

Science

Investigate Benjamin Franklin’s inventions (bifocals, lightning rod, odometer, Franklin stove, catheter) and scientific discoveries (electricity, Daylight Savings, fire department).

Research colonial gardens.  Design a colonial garden and create a diagram of it.  Include fruits, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and hedges.  Consider planting a class garden.

Art

Practice writing with a quill pen.  Have an adult make a quill pen by cutting the tip of a large feather at an angle.  Dip into thinned tempera paint.  Use historical documents as examples of fancy cursive letters.

Create “Walk Through the American Revolution” trading cards.  Include information about the characters such as their birth dates, places of birth, achievements, and anything else that seems important.

Drama

Write a play that illustrates what would happen when your Walk Through character is transported to the present.  Describe your character’s reactions to life in America today.

Create a scene where Walk Through characters interact with each other and talk about their lives during the Revolution.

Technology

Produce a digital slideshow of your Walk Through Experience or life as an American patriot during the Revolutionary War.

Use a computer to create a colonial newspaper.  Include interviews with patriots, advertisements, advice columns, editorials, and political cartoons.