TITLE:  "Hello, I Am Deborah Sampson"

AUTHOR:  Cheryl McCauley, Kessler Elementary, MT

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  5  
 Social Studies (American History).  Could be adapted
for other subjects and grade levels.

OVERVIEW:  Many times it is difficult to get students interested in
learning about people and events in American history.  They do not realize
that what people did during and after the Revolutionary War still affect us
today.  Students are also unaware that there were women who had
important roles in the Revolutionary War.

PURPOSE:  The purpose of this activity is to get students more active in
the learning process, to have students realize that it is people who have
an impact on our history, to have students learn about the people and
events in the American Revolution, and have students become aware of the
shortage of information written about women during this time period.

OBJECTIVE(s):  As a result of this activity students will:

1.  Identify important people and events from the American Revolution.

2.  Identify the impact that certain people from the Revolutionary War had
    on our country's history and that we still feel today.

3.  Rationalize why there is not a lot written about women during the
    Revolutionary War time period.

4.  Rationalize how and why it is people who impact our history.

5.  Tell how they, as citizens or the U.S., can or will impact future history.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.  Students choose a historical figure from the Revolutionary War and
become that figure.  (They can choose from the list or come up with one
of their own).

2.  Students will research their historical figure and make a list of the
attributes of she/he.

3.  Students will choose a product and present it in first person form to
the class.  (They can choose from the list or come up with their own
product.)

4.  Students will dress as their historical figure and be videotaped as they
present their product.

Revolutionary War
Historical Figure                      Product          

Betsy Ross                     Letter to a future grandchild
Deborah Sampson                      Newspaper article
King George III                          Poem
George Washington                        Song
Samuel Adams                           Time line
John Paul Jones                         Filmstrip
Martha Washington                    Puppet(s)
Abagail Adams                          Board game
John Adams                               TV broadcast
Crispus Attcus                           Comic book
Phyllis Wheatly                          Collage
Paul Revere                                Crossword puzzle
James Otis                                 Diary
Patrick Henry                             Journal
Benedict Arnold                         Regular report
Thomas Jefferson                      Jeopardy game
Benjamin Franklin                   TV interview (or radio)
John Hancock                             Monologue
Thomas Paine                            Play
Lydia Darragh                            Novel
Ethan Allen                                Autobiograph
Nathan Hale
General Thomas Gage
Marquis de Lafayette

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER: After everyone has presented their product and
been videotaped the class will discuss what part each figure played in the
American Revolution and how each figure has impacted our country's
history; watch the movie "Johny Tremain" and see how many figures they
can pick out and what they did then; and write a short story telling what
they could do if they went back to the Revolutionary War time period as a
female.