The Turning Point
4242KB
Grade Level:
Middle School: Sixth Grade through Eighth Grade
Subject:
Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
Lesson Duration:
60 Minutes
State Standards:
Full list of New York State Social Studies Practices & Key Ideas, for Grade 6 through Grade 8, included in the Lesson Plan downloadable document.
Thinking Skills:
Remembering: Recalling or recognizing information ideas, and principles. Understanding: Understand the main idea of material heard, viewed, or read. Interpret or summarize the ideas in own words. Applying: Apply an abstract idea in a concrete situation to solve a problem or relate it to a prior experience. Analyzing: Break down a concept or idea into parts and show the relationships among the parts. Creating: Bring together parts (elements, compounds) of knowledge to form a whole and build relationships for NEW situations. Evaluating: Make informed judgements about the value of ideas or materials. Use standards and criteria to support opinions and views.
Essential Question
What impacts did the Battles of Saratoga have?
Objective
The Turning Point is a lesson designed for Grades 6-8. Students will be able to analyze how the Northern Campaign of 1777 failed for the British and explain how the Battle of Saratoga impacted the course of the American Revolutionary War through French involvement. Students will be able to summarize the meaning of the idiom “turning point" and apply it to the Battle of Saratoga.
Background
In the first two years of the American Revolutionary War (1775-1776), the Continental Army had few victories against the British. Though the Americans were able to create a patriot stronghold in Boston, the Continental Army struggled after the British captured New York City in July 1776. Suffering from a shortage of supplies such as uniforms, muskets, gunpowder, and medicine, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia had little money to buy these supplies from other countries.
Representatives from the new United States traveled to France to convince the French King, King Louis XVI, to provide them with supplies and a loan. Still recovering from the French and Indian War themselves, France was only able to provide some muskets, cannons on loan, gunpowder, tents, and some other equipment. However, the French needed to keep their involvement limited, because their support of the Americans might pull them into another war with the British. In addition, the French were unsure if the new United States would even last. If the French gave a large loan to the Second Continental Congress and the Americans lost the war, such a loan would never be repaid.
Nevertheless, this would all change in the fall of 1777 when the British planned an attack on New York that they hoped would swiftly end the American Rebellion. Originally planned in London, the Northern Campaign of 1777 was designed to take control of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys, take Albany, and from there, if ordered, possibly even threaten the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies.
Preparation
Before completing this lesson, students will have compared the British and Continental Armies, highlighting the difference in leadership, training, supplies, and most importantly, what each is fighting for. This learning contributes to this lesson in the sense that it provides students with a framework for the War of Independence. Further, students will have already examined the Siege of Boston, the British withdrawal from Boston, and the subsequent British capture of New York City.
Materials
Procedure
1. The teacher should begin the lesson by distributing the reading titled “The Turning Point" to students. Once students have the article, the teacher can point out the title and ask students to brainstorm ways they have heard this phrase used before. Students may then be called on to provide answers and/or specific examples of “turning points" (ex. students may discuss a turning point in their soccer game). The teacher should attempt to solicit a response along the lines of “the point in which things begin to change." If required, the teacher can provide a simple but literal example by walking briskly in one direction across the room, making a 180° turn, and walking back in the other direction. Students can then identify the place where the teacher made the turn as the turning point.
2. The teacher should then facilitate a reading of the article. Student volunteers can be selected to read aloud while others follow along. After reading the text under the first heading “Background and Context," the teacher should consolidate understanding by having students stop and work with a nearby partner to answer questions #1 and #2. In addition, students should use colored pencils at this time to label on their map who controlled Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City (Blue = American; Red = British) in 1777. To ensure student understanding before moving on, the teacher should ask student volunteers to share their answers in a whole class setting.
3. Next, the instructor will facilitate as different student volunteers continue the reading for the heading titled “The Plan-Three Armies Invade New York." After reading the text, students should work with their partners to label their maps with arrows indicating the planned movement of the three British commanders (Burgoyne, St. Ledger, and Howe). Then moving on to the following heading titled “What Really Happens," students can answer question #3 with their partner. Taking the time to consolidate understanding by reviewing the map and question #3, the teacher will indicate that these were the circumstances that led to the Battle of Saratoga.
4. The teacher will then read aloud the final section of the text with the heading “The Battle of Saratoga and its Impact." Students will then complete the remaining questions (#4 though #6) independently. Moving around the room, the teacher will provide guidance to students who need help with the questions. After sufficient time has passed, the teacher will review and collect the questions.
Assessment Materials
For Assessments, see Lesson Plan downloadable document
The Turning Point Assessment guidelines are included in the downloadable Lesson Plan document. They are flexible for varied educator needs.
Supports for Struggling Learners
There are several alterations that could be applied to this lesson as the teacher sees fit to adjust for time or student ability. Primarily, the teacher may choose for students to complete the final questions with their partner. This provides for more peer-to-peer interaction and modeling, which is a necessary step toward independence and agency. However, if this alteration is made in the lesson the teacher must also consider how to evaluate and assess students individually. This can be done simply by asking question #6 again as a bell ringer question the following class period.
Enrichment Activities
Included as part of the Activity Packet downloadable document. These are intended not just for the excelling learner, but for all learners, as engaging multiple learning styles and fields improves and deepens the learning experience for any student.
Contact Information
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Tags: saratoga curriculum saratoga battlefield battles of saratoga saratoga national historical park american revolution american revolutionary war history
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service