Women's Experiences during the Revolutionary War Lesson Plan

The Revolutionary War affected everyone in some way. While armies fought on the battlefields, civilians on the homefront sometimes came in conflict with each other over their Loyalist beliefs or desire for independence. Women’s roles and the homefront efforts are sometimes forgotten, but they were part of the struggle for liberty and the founding of the United States of America.

This Lesson Plan can be used as a prepared resource by following this curriculum plan which aligns to NCSS and Common Core Standards.

This Lesson Plan's assets can also be used on their own as supplemental resources. The display format is prepared for easy access, exploring, and learning.

Curriculum Modules

Module | 3 Lesson Plans

Women & The American Revolution Module

This set of lesson plans focuses on the lives, political influence and experiences of women during the American Revolution.

Upon completion of this lesson, the students will be able to:

1. Knowledge

Explain some of the hardships and challenges that women faced during the Revolutionary War.
Describe how women responded and supported their side during the Revolutionary War.

2. Comprehension/Application/Analysis

Read through a primary source, study vocabulary words and consider the legacy of women from the American Revolution era.

3. Evaluation

Evaluate how the American Revolution changed life for women and how their roles in this important era have been remembered.

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Women's Experiences During the Revolutionary War Teaching Guide

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Women's Experiences During the Revolutionary War PowerPoint

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Women's Experiences During the Revolutionary War Worksheet

Check out the Lesson Plan Teaching Guide for more instructions on using the prepared Lesson Plan.

Lesson Plan Primary Source Activity:

Use the Lesson’s PowerPoint to explore the context and history; the PowerPoint introduces Essential Questions and lays foundational knowledge about the topic.
Distribute the primary source worksheet and have the students read a provided primary sources for this lesson. Students may work on their own or as a group.
1. 11 selected primary sources are available under the “Primary Source” section this lesson plan page.
Students will read the primary sources and fill out the worksheet questions, including the vocabulary study. (Students may need a dictionary — either book or online to complete the vocabulary activity.)
Ask students to share what they have learned about women during the Revolutionary War. Was the information new or perhaps different than what they had expected?

OPTIONAL HOMEWORK/ASSESSMENT/ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Option 1: Tribute Art

Students will create a visual piece of art as a tribute to a particular woman of the Revolutionary War era or to remember women’s experiences generally in that era. Consider including symbolism that represents parts of her story or experiences and add a quote if desired. (Use resources on the Lesson Plan Page for extra inspiration and research.)

Write an artist’s statement—about 3-5 sentences—explaining who the art tribute memorializes, what elements were included and why and how the art reflects the woman’s legacy.

Option 2: Women’s History Videos

Students can watch the following short videos about three women of the Revolutionary War era.

Phillis Wheatley: Pioneering Black Poet

Molly Pitcher: The Heroine of Monmouth

Who Was Peggy Shippen? The "It Girl" Spy

Students can discuss or write short answers to the following questions:

Which women’s story was most interesting to you? Why?
Did this woman change the course of the Revolutionary War?
How were her experiences similar or different to most women’s during this era?

Common Core State Standards- ELA & History/Social Studies

Grades 6-8

Key Ideas & Details:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
  - Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Craft and Structure:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4
  - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
  - Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author's point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).

Grades 9-10

Key Ideas & Details:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
  - Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2
  - Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the course of the text.
Craft and Structure:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.4
  - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary describing political, social, or economic aspects of history/social science.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.9-10.5
  - Analyze how a text uses structure to emphasize key points or advance an explanation or analysis.

Grades 11-12

Key Ideas & Details:
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2
  - Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
Craft and Structure:
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.11-12.4
  - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text (e.g., how Madison defines faction in Federalist No. 10).

Social Studies - National Council for the Social Studies