American Revolutionary War Literature

Activity Overview

There are many books related to American Revolution that can help students better visualize and understand the time period. Some short picture books can be used as whole class read-alouds, where other longer books can be used as longer novel studies. In this activity, students will create a plot summary of the book using visuals and descriptions. Students should describe the main events and details from the beginning, middle and end of the story in a narrative storyboard of about 4-8 cells, using images and text to recreate scenes from the book.

Here are some examples of literature that relate to American Revolution:

• Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? By Jean Fritz
• George vs. George: The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer
• Colonial Voices Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters, Illustrated by Larry Day
• Paul Revere’s Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Illustrated by Ted Rand
• The American Revolution for Kids by Janis Herbert
• Blastback, A Peek Into the Past: The American Revolution by Nancy Ohlin
• The Split History of the American Revolution by Michael Burgan
• I Survived The American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
• Freedom Trail Pop Up Book of Boston by Denise D. Price
• If You Were a Kid During the American Revolution by Wil Mara
• What Is the Declaration of Independence? (What Was?) by Michael C. Harris
• You Wouldn't Want to Be at the Boston Tea Party! by Peter Cook
• DK Eyewitness Books: American Revolution: Discover How a Few Patriots Battled a Mighty Empire from the Boston Massacre to the Birth of a New Nation by Stuart Murray
• America's Black Founders: Revolutionary Heroes and Early Leaders by Nancy I. Sanders
• Answering the Cry for Freedom: Stories of African Americans and the American Revolution by Gretchen Woelfle
• The Role of Women in the American Revolution by Baby Professor
• Native Americans in the American Revolution: How the War Divided, Devastated, and Transformed the Early American Indian World by Ethan A.. Schmidt

Template and Class Instructions

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