Causes of and Events Leading to the American Revolution (60-Page Packet)
American Revolution Unit: Worksheets, Review Cards, Lapbook Page, Books, Resources, and More!
Our most recent history unit was on the causes and events leading up to the American Revolution.
We went into quite a bit of depth on the French and Indian War and how the colonies then became the focus of England’s attention in the post-(French and Indian)-War period as Parliament struggled to cover their expenses and tackle their massive debts.
It’s been a fun unit — we’ve read a ton of books about the American Revolution period including Johnny Tremain, watched movies, and we even put on our very own American Revolution Play (made for 3 characters since we have 3 kids in our family. More details about that and the script I wrote soon!). I also made a new packet of materials for the kids including quite a few notebook pages about the major events and acts passed during this period.
And now on to the details… what’s in our packet?!
Why was the American Revolution fought? In this unit we went into a lot of depth about the affairs in the colonies leading up to the American Revolution. We tried to look at all sides of the conflicts of the 1700s. What propelled people to take sides? What advantages did various sides have? In our unit we highlighted the following topics:
- Albany Plan
- Sugar and Molasses Acts
- Pontiac’s Rebellion
- Proclamation of 1763
- Stamp Act
- Sons of Liberty
- Boston Massacre
- Notable Men of Boston
- Townshend Acts
- Tea Act
- Boston Tea Party
- Intolerable Acts
- First Continental Congress
- Battles of Lexington and Concord
This packet was made as a unit study for my 3 kids who are elementary and middle school ages. We used the fill-in-the-blank type worksheets, as that works best for them at the moment. There are 8 worksheets (plus answer sheets to go along with those, though not pictured below). 
Because our packets are used by such a wide age-range of educators, I thought it might be helpful for some families/teachers if I include blank notebook pages as well. That way you can use them with older students or as suits your style best. (These sheets do not require simply filling in the blank if that does not work for you.) These include the major topics and include maps and photos. There are 4 pages. (And no specific answer sheets to go along with those, though you’ll find lots of information in the worksheet set above.) 
Beyond fill in the blank! I just want to mention, that the kids and I have a lot of discussion over all the material we’ve covered. We read selections from The American Colonies (affiliate link) by Tim McNeese. (We read pages from pp. 66-93 for this unit). This book covered each topic in about a page and had good details. It worked well for my kids (who are 7, almost 10 and 12). We talked a lot about the inexperience of British generals in the American colonies and how their unwillingness to change cost them highly. (For example, Gen. Braddock who lost his life in the French and Indian War.) We used the books/readings as a basis for more discussion… for example, we had a long conversation about James Otis and his pamphlet… and compared that to bloggers today who try to reach a large audience to spark change. We had long talks about who was “right” and we really tried to look at the American Revolution from various points of view. (We especially liked the books George vs. George and Katie’s Trunk — we had great discussions about those books!) We used a lot of books, movies and other resources to really make this unit come alive (See pp. 4 and 5 of the packet or this post: (coming soon!) American Revolution Unit: Books, Movies and Resources for Kids). And, the kids are putting on an “American Revolution Play” for Dad and for friends. (Yup, I wrote a play for the kids with 9 Acts… highlighting what we’ve learned!) The play is 10 pages long. We’ve been busy making props and all kinds of things! I’m sure I’ll be sharing that soon. It’s been SUPER fun. The kids are pumped and excited. Talk about getting the kids engaged!! They are really into Sam Adams, James Otis, John Hancock… and boo-hiss… the Tory Elisha Leavitt!!
This play is also included with your purchase. It can be performed by as few as 3 people or as many as 12-15 taking different parts. Read more about it here: American Revolution Play
American Revolution QR Code Cards: I also made the kids a set of review cards with QR Code reader scans so they can check their answers. If you are in a classroom setting, you could glue the answer to the back of the cards and laminate them for durability. There are 4 pages of American Revolution Question Cards and 4 pages with the QR codes (though I only put 2 pages in the collage below). 
Our family chose just to print them out on cardstock, punch holes in the corner and put them on a key ring. The answers to these questions are covered in the previous worksheets (and in the QR codes). 
Because our family is reading Johnny Tremain in conjunction with this unit study, I made a interactive notebook page for the great men of Boston… Men who feature prominently in that book. We used this as a lapbook page. We cut out the page below, folded it along the dotted line, and made cuts between each of the names/photos. Kids can either write in their own description under the flap, or use the information provided to glue within the flap-book. 
New Update! We have been studying the American Revolution again (my kids are now 11, 14, and 16). This packet has been updated to include new notebook pages, worksheets chronology cards and more!
The American Revolution Packet is now 60+ pages. You will also receive a copy of the American Revolution Play (a separate pdf) the kids did when they were younger. It worked for the three of them (they took multiple parts)!
To download the American Revolution Unit click on the link below. That will bring up a text box from Sendowl (the service I use) to download this file. You will be able to download the file from your browser, but you will also receive an email from Sendowl with a link you can follow to retrieve your file. Don’t forget to check your downloads folder!! Just follow the link in the email you received from Sendowl to download the file again.
If you have any trouble with your order feel free to email me: liesl at homeschoolden dot com.
American Revolution Packet PLUS Bonus Material: the American Revolution Play
$6.99
Be sure to check your PayPal email address for the email from SendOwl with your download link.
You might also be interested in these related packets:
Colonial America: You might also be interested in our 13 Colonies Packet. It covers the attempted establishment of Roanoke as well as the founding of Jamestown, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Pennsylvania, Georgia and the others!
$6.99 13 Colonies Unit – a 70-page unit that covers Roanoke, Jamestown, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Pennsylvania, Georgia and the others. Plus, it explores the Puritans, Salem Witch Trials & Bacon’s Rebellion. Visit Post
$7.99 U.S. States and Capitals Packet This 100+ page packet helps students learn the U.S. states and capitals. It includes US geography worksheets, a states & capitals booklet, 13 colonies maps and more! Visit Post or View image
We used this packet throughout our study of American history to make sure the kids knew the geography of America. We started with the Northeast and Southeast when we studied the colonial period and moved west as we studied the American Revolution, Territorial Expansion and the Civil War
$5.99 Civics and Government Packet 3 branches of government, presidential cabinet, how a bill become a law, basic civics questions, federal vs. state government, taxes and more! Quick Preview or View Post or View Image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4, image 5, image 6
After we covered the Constitutional Convention, we went on to focus on how our government works. See more details at this post.
$6.99 Slavery and the Civil War (100 pages – slavery, U.S. territorial expansion, the Civil War) (See more details here) or view image 1, image 2, image 3, image 4, image 5, image 6, image 7, image 8
$4.50 Oregon Trail Packet Quick Preview or visit the post or view image
You might also be interested in some of our other history packets:
$4.50 Age of Exploration Packet
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If you’re new… we have tons of free notebook pages/packets on other history topics… Ancient China, India, the Middle Ages, Native Americans, the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the Civil Rights Movement, and various historical figures (Gandhi, Marco Polo, Genghis Khan, Charlemagne, Rosa Parks)… And lots of free World Religions notebook pages too (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Ancient Egyptian Gods/Goddesses). Too numerous to mention here, so use the sidebar and our huge category list to explore!
- Earth Science Packet ~50 pages
- Digestive System Unit~40 pages
And of course we have TONS of free materials here on the blog as well! We try to highlight some of those regularly over at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page.
See you again soon! Happy Homeschooling and Terrific Teaching! ~Liesl
