Lesson Plan
Created by Nancy Dravenstott
Core Theme:
Creating the New Nation: The Revolution
Grade Level:
4
Estimated duration of lesson:
2-3 days
Standard: History
Indicator #3: Explain the causes and effects of the frontier wars of the 1790s.
Standard: Skills & Methods
Indicator #3: Use primary and secondary sources to answer questions about Ohio history.
Indicator #9: Communicate relevant information in a written report including the acknowledgement of sources.
Standard: Writing Applications
Indicator #5: Produce informal writing (e.g. messages, journals, notes, and poems) for various reasons.
Primary Sources used:
Fort Laurens artifacts: (check these links. Do they work? May need to use material from Revolution CD to fill out.)
It Happened Here: Ohio Historical Field Trips (Series of programs produced by WVIZ Channel 25 in Cleveland for the Ohio State Department of Education in 1974 to bring historical sites to the classroom. Though produced over 30 years ago, it still provides worthwhile information for the students on a variety of historical sites throughout Ohio.) Program 3 Fort Laurens
- Find Photographs of Fort Laurens (via Google search)
- Drawing of Fort Laurens
- Photograph of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
- Soldiers of Fort Laurens
- Portrait of Lachlan McIntosh
- Portrait of Henry Laurens
- Ohio History Connection, Fort Laurens
- Map of the Country between Fort Laurens and Fort Pitt in 1779 in the following:
- Pieper, Thomas I. and James B. Gidney, Fort Laurens, 1778-9: The Revolutionary War in Ohio. Kent. OH: Kent State University Press, 1976
Summary of the lesson:
In November of 1778 twelve hundred men leave Fort McIntosh to march through the wilderness to establish Fort Laurens in the Ohio Country. After building Fort Laurens, you and 171 other men have been left behind at Fort Laurens while the rest of the army returns to Fort McIntosh. Write a diary (journal) account of your experiences as a soldier at Fort Laurens. Primary sources will be used to provide information and guide you as you write your diary account.
Instructional Steps:
Class Starter: Introduce the lesson using the map (SNB p. 1) and General McIntosh/Henry Laurens (SNB p. 2) Guided Lesson: 1) Watch the DVD-Fort Laurens (It Happened Here: Ohio Historical Fieldtrips); imagine yourself as one of the soldiers (either a Continental soldier or a member of the militia, an untrained volunteer) as you watch. This will help provide background information for your diary account.
2) View each artifact/primary source (SNB pgs. 4-8); answer questions and record on study sheet
Closing: Writing Activity (SNB p. 10)
Post assessment and scoring guideline:
The writing activity will serve as the assessment and be evaluated using a rubric.
Materials needed by teacher:
It Happened Here: Ohio Historical Field Trips (DVD), Fort Laurens 1778-1779 (for reference), SmartBoard lesson or PDF file, copy of rubric
Materials needed by students:
- art box (if they want to add illustrations to diary)
- Other items: study sheet, writing paper for diary