Lesson Plan

The French and Indian War 1754-1763: How Did the War Set the Stage for the American Revolution? - Unit 6

The “Join or Die” cartoon that was developed during the French and Indian War.

Grade Level:: Upper Elementary: Third Grade through Fifth Grade
Subject:: Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
Lesson Duration:: 60 Minutes
Common Core Standards:: 6-8.RH.1, 6-8.RH.2, 6-8.RH.4, 6-8.RH.6, 6-8.RH.8, 3.RI.1, 3.RI.2, 3.RI.3, 3.RI.6, 4.RI.1, 4.RI.2, 4.RI.3, 4.RI.8, 5.RI.1, 5.RI.2, 5.RI.4, 5.RI.8
State Standards:: National History Standards: K-4 Topic 2: 3B, 3D, 3E; K-4 Topic 3: 4A, 4B, 4C; US Era 2: 1AB, 2A; US Era 3: 1A, 1C; World Era 6: 4A
Additional Standards:: Many more C3 standards can apply to higher grade levels.
The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards
D2.Geo.7.3-5
D2.Geo.6.3-5.
D2.Geo.2.3-5.
D2.Eco.14.3-5.
Thinking Skills:: Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience.

Essential Question

Guiding Questions: How did the French and Indian War set the stage for the American Revolution? What experience had the colonists gained? How had the political situation changed?

Objective

Student Objectives: Students will…
• List four ways the French and Indian War affected the American Revolution
• List one way the American Revolution affected the American Indians
• List one reason the "Join or Die" logo become popular during the American Revolution

Background

“How Did the War Set the Stage for the American Revolution?” is Unit 6 of the Teacher’s Education Kit “The French and Indian War: 1754-1763” has the students read a student reading that teaches four ways the French and Indian War set the stage for the American Revolution. The students also learn about the “Join or Die” logo.

Critical Content: At the end of the French and Indian War the British had a huge new empire to manage and a huge debt. To help pay for the soldiers stationed in North America the British Parliament began to tax the colonists. Upset with the taxes and other changes the colonist revolted. Many British colonists had gained military experience during the French and Indian War. Also the French join the colonists during the American Revolution partly to get revenge on the British, after losing the French and Indian War. When the Americans won the American Revolution new and drastically different leaders began to set the policies for how to interact with the American Indians.
This unit includes two lesson plans:
"The French and Indian War Sets the Stage for the American Revolution" has students learn four ways the French and Indian War affected the American Revolution. Also students learn about how the American Revolution affected the American Indians.
Join or Die" has students explore the Join or Die political cartoon drawn by Benjamin Franklin during the French and Indian War and draw conclusions about why it became popular during the American Revolution.

See the “Related Lessons and Educational Materials” section for links to the other units in the teacher’s guide.

Preparation

Print handouts for students.

Project or print the map.

Materials

The downloaded lesson plan includes and introduction (p 83), teacher instructions (p 84 and p 88), and the activity worksheets (p 85-86 and p 89).

Download Lesson Plan- How Did the War Set the Stage For the American Revolution?

The teacher background gives the teacher the information needed to teach all the lessons in this curriculum.

Download Teacher Background

This map will help the students understand the three cultures involved in the war and their geographical locations.

Download Map

Lesson Hook/Preview

After the French and Indian War had ended the British government decided to tax the American colonies making the Americans angry. Some of the people wanted to break away from the British government. The French and Indian War had taught the colonists a lot and they were ready. The 13 colonies banded together, signed the Declaration of Independence, started the Revolutionary War and eventually they were free to form their own new government. The forming of the United States is very important to our history and the French and Indian War had set the stage for it to happen.

Procedure

Lesson Plan: The French and Indian War Sets the Stage for the American Revolution
1. Hand out the Student Reading. Have the students read it.
2. Have the students answer the questions in he reading and discuss. The questions are opinion questions; however, the students should support their opinions.
3. Ask the students if they can name the four ways the French and Indian War helped set the stage for the American Revolution or influenced the outcome of the war.
Lesson Plan: Join or Die
1. Pass out the Activity Worksheet looking at the "join or Die" cartoon.
2. Hove the students answer the questions.

Vocabulary

Revolution - An uprising by the people to change the system of government.
American Revolution - the uprising by the 13 American colonies against the British government.
Revolutionary War - the war where the 13 American colonies fought the British to be a free country.
Representation - to have someone to speak and act for you.
Continental Congress - representatives from the 13 colonies that acted against the British government and governed the colonies during the Revolutionary War.

Assessment Materials

Answers:

Lesson plan: The French and Indian War Sets the Stage for the American Revolution
The four ways the French and Indian War set the Stage for the American Revolution:
1. The British gain a large amount of land from the French at the end of the French and Indian War. Since it was expensive to have soldiers in North America the British government began taxing the colonist to pay for the soldiers. The American colonists were up set by the taxes.
2. The American colonists had worked together during the French and Indian War making it easier to work together against the British government.
3. Many Americans gained military experience during the French and Indian War.
4. The French joined the American Revolution to get revenge on the British. They were bitter about losing the French and Indian War.

Lesson plan: Join or Die
1. What do you see? A chopped up snake
2. How many sections are there? eight.  What do the letters represent? The colonies with NE for New England, NY for New York, NJ for New Jersey, P for Pennsylvania, M for Maryland, V for Virginia, NC for North Carolina and SC for south Carolina.
3. What is the picture saying? The sections need to join together or they will die.
4. Why wasn't it popular at first? When the cartoon came out during the French and Indian war the colonists did not see any reason to join together. Later during the American Revolution they had a common enemy and the cartoon become popular.
5. What was one thing the colonists learned from the French and Indian War? That they could work together and be powerful.

Supports for Struggling Learners

The teacher can read the student reading to the struggling learners, or put the students in groups where one student reads the material aloud.

Enrichment Activities

Have the students make a list of generals in the Revolutionary War. Then have them research if they fought in the French and Indian War.

Additional Resources

Fort Necessity National Battlefield web site

A Charming Field for an Encounter the park's handbook

Becoming George Washington a curriculum about George Washington in the French and Indian War

Related Lessons or Education Materials

“The French and Indian War 1754-1763” Teacher’s Education Kit is broken into eight units and a Teacher Background section. Units 1 - 6 chronologically follow the war from start to finish, including how the war set the stage for the American Revolution.

Links to the other units:

Unit 1: Who Were the People Involved?

Unit 2: What Were They Fighting For?

Unit 3: How Did the Conflict Begin? (This includes two lessons on George Washington)

Unit 4: How Did the War Progress?

Unit 5: How Did the Conflict End? What Were the Consequences?

Unit 6: How Did the French and Indian War Set the Stage for the American Revolution?

Unit 7: Biography Cards (there are nine American Indian, nine French, nine British biographies)

Unit 8: Primary Documents and Artifacts

Introduction

French and Indian War Historic Sites in Western Pennsylvania