Founding Mothers Lesson Plan for 11th Grade Students

Topic: The Role of Women in the American Revolution

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will understand the pivotal role women played in the American Revolution and the fight for independence.

Materials

• 500-word essay prompt with sub-questions
• Collection of primary sources related to the role of women in the American Revolution (e.g. letters, diaries, speeches)
• Writing materials (pen/pencil, paper)

Warm-up

• Begin the class by asking students to brainstorm a list of important figures from the American Revolution.
• As a class, review the list of names and discuss the roles each person played in the fight for independence.

Direct Instruction

• Introduce the topic of the role of women in the American Revolution.
• Discuss the traditional role of women as homemakers and caregivers, and how this role was challenged by the events of the Revolution.
• Explain that women played a crucial role in the success of the Revolution, both on the battlefield and behind the scenes.
• Provide examples of women such as Deborah Samson and Molly Pitcher who played important roles in the war.

Guided Practice

• Have students work in small groups to research the stories of specific women who played a key role in the American Revolution.
• Have each group present their findings to the class.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose one of the women they learned about in the guided practice and write a short biography about her.
• Students can include information about the woman's role in the American Revolution, as well as details about her life outside of politics.

Closure

• Have students share their biographies with the class.
• Ask students to reflect on what they learned about the role of women in the American Revolution and how it has changed over time.

Assessment

• Collect and grade the biographies as a formative assessment.
• Administer a quiz at a later date to assess students' understanding of the role of women in the American Revolution.