Soc. 8th Grade American Revolution Project

Unheralded Heroes/Important Events/Battles of the American Revolution!

Setting: It is frequently commented by the “older folk” of today that “kids have no sense of their own

history.” To a degree, those critics may be correct. Students will therefore undertake independent

research and gather data about topics that could not otherwise be touched upon in class.

Learning: As a means of providing learners with greater enrichment; students will undertake research,

Obj. gather data on a topic, create a summary poster and share their findings with their peers by way

of a verbal presentation.

Time: Students will have approximately 4 weeks to complete the project.

Value: 1 Project Grade and 5 HW grades

Date Assigned: ______Date Due:______

Please Note: Students must submit a typed version of their verbal presentation or suffer a loss of points.

* Follow all guidelines and directions precisely – your grade depends upon it!

Project Requirements:

  • Poster size must be 18 x 24 inches
  • Poster decorations must be approximately 30% generated by hand
  • Title must be drawn by hand and should be about 2.5 – 3 inches in height

For the Title - come up with your own creative, interest catching, news headline about your topic!

Ex. Virginian Gains Valor at Saratoga! {Not to be used}

Headline should have a bias that is pro-British or pro-American to match the topic assigned.

  • At the bottom right hand corner of the poster, students must neatly measure and layout an area

About 8 inches high by 5 inches wide: Label the area “Key Factsabout Battle of ______”

In the region insert numerousbulletedfacts about the life of your topic - font size 12

Key Facts in Bulleted Format: {for bottom right hand corner – include answers to the following}

  • When did the event take place – over what span of time – if more than one day
  • Where did the event take place – where is the geographic location?
  • Why did the event take place - why was the event important?
  • Who were the key, important players in the event - Americans and their allies
  • Who were the key important players for the British and their allies
  • What were the objectives/goals of those combatants – what were they trying to accomplish?
  • What were the basic strategies used by both commanders/sides in the event/battle?
  • Why were they trying to accomplish these goals?
  • How did “geography”, affect the outcome of the event? Ex. Weather? Terrain?
  • How did the outcome of this battle make an impact in the larger war taking place? {Big/small}
  • Which person or persons proved themselves to be the heroes of the event? How so?
  • Any weird, unusual, ironic facts related to the event?

Poster Decorations/Guidelines:

Your goal here is to illustrate yourevent topic through the use of visuals/ pictures/maps/ etc.

  • No stickers, decals, foam items, 3-D items nor store bought decorations of any kind are permitted!
  • Pictures of the participants of your topic, associates, battles fought, maps of battles, maps of regions

where they fought, friends, opponents,they may be printed out and inserted in the poster spaces.

Make your topic the central theme of your poster – ex. put a directly relevant picture in the center.

  • If necessary – neatly label pictures to better educate the viewer and to add to the educational value
  • Make the poster more creativeby hand coloring items, using colored paper to back/frame pictures, use colored markers and pens, pencils, etc.
  • Hand drawn art work, if done very well – is always given “extra consideration”
  • Do not exceed the available space, no items may be sticking out over the sides of the paper!

Verbal Presentation Requirements:

  • Students are to prepare to make a 1 minute verbal presentation about their topic, bit over/under is okay.
  • Students must hand in a written version of their verbal presentation just prior to speaking or lose points.
  • Students are to briefly summarize the background of their topic before highlightinghow their topicwas heroic in battle/s in the American War for Independence and perhaps afterwards.
  • Practice, stress speaking well, loudly, clearly, whilealso facing the audience,and making eye contact!

Topics for Research:

Battle of Bunker Hill / Losses of Fort Washington +
or Fort Lee / Battle of Germantown / Battle of Trenton / Battle of Brandywine / Battle of Quebec
Lexington and Concord w.
3 Riders / Battle of the Chesapeake / John P. Jones + Naval Battles / Battle of Stony Point / Battle of Princeton / Baron Von Steuben + Valley Forge
Battle Of Yorktown / Battle of Charleston / Battle 0f Oriska or
Oriskany / Battle of Cowpens / 2 Captures of Fort Ticonderoga / Battle of Bennington Vermont
Battle of Guilford Courthouse / Battle Harlem Heights / Capture of Savannah / Battle of Saratoga-
American / Battle of Camden / Battle of
White Plains
Battle of Long Island/Brooklyn
Heights / Battle King’s Mountain / George R. Clark + the West Battles / Battle of Eutaw Springs / Battle of Monmouth / West Point Conspiracy

Row 1 Row 2 Row 3 Row 4 Row 5 Row 6

Your Topic is ______

HW – You have 2 days to go on-line or to find your topic in another

source and to bring in 1 -2 pages of information about your topic.

Helpful Hints…

How to Improve Your Chance for a High Grade

Do thorough research about your topic – become expert in their biggest battle!

  • Use more than 1 source, use multiple web-sites, check the media center data bases, check books
  • If your person was heroic in battles, do additional research on those battles to find out their role in it
  • Make note or any particularly “facts of interest” or facts that help make your person a stand-out hero
  • Generate bullets of information about your topic – bullets should not exceed more than 1 line.
  • Cover the person’s life as fully as possible, form born, raised, educated, experiences, role in the war, heroism in a particular battle role if applicable, and how they died.

Write up a written copy of the verbal presentation

  • Study, memorize the content of your report, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!!!
  • Keep the presentation as close to a minute as possible
  • Make an outline of what you have memorized – keep that for yourself
  • Submit full report or outline to the teacher prior to the verbal presentation as proof of rehearsal
  • Practice proper speaking style… proper phrasing, posture, pacing, eye-contact, volume!

On the Poster…

Note: Your goal is to educate the viewer about the event, the participants, its location, heroes!

  • Do everything in pencil first – pressing lightly so as to not make permanent marks
  • Think up a creative title and sketch it pressing lightly, center it at the top of your poster
  • Your title takes up a lot of space – make it the best you can – use stencils if you must!
  • Use a ruler, yardstick or straight edge to make an even line to write on – press very lightly in pencil
  • Measure and layout the area of your poster in the bottom right hand corner – again pressing lightly…
  • Download and print out as many pictures – related to your topic – as you can… {See prior page}
  • Use the remaining space in your poster to neatly place the print-outs around the poster – label them!
  • Use colored paper, colored pencils/pens/markers, fancy scissors to provide backing, color and design elements and overall aspects of creativity to your poster

Grading Will Be Based Upon the Following Criteria:

1. Neatness and Organization

2. Creativity

3. Depth and Accuracy of Bulleted Information and Report

4. Verbal Presentation Skills – Expertise on the topic

5. Overall Effort/Design Impression

See and Carefully Read Through the Grading Rubric – On the Next Page!

If you find it vague or are uncertain of what is meant by the description…

Ask the teacher before it is too late.

The responsibility for you grade rests solely upon your shoulders! Good Luck!

Unheralded Events/Battles/Heroes of the American Revolution Project

Grading Rubric {Quiz or Test Grade} Circle One

Student Name ______period ______

Unheralded Heroes of the American Revolution – Grading Rubric

Grading Criteria: Score: 5 4 3 2 1 0

Neatness and Organization: Everything submitted to the teacher for approval and grading was of the highest quality, reflecting care and high effort. This includes the poster and copy of the typed verbal presentation prior to speaking.
  • Poster was neat, clean, free from unwanted marks, smudges, erasures, smears, etc.
pictures, visual graphics, etc. were neatly labeled, bullets neatly prepared, etc. etc.
  • Poster reflected proper use of layout tools to enhance neatness, rulers, pencils etc.
  • Typed verbal was well written, without errors and reflective of what was stated
  • Region for bulleted information was measured out neatly - about5 x 7 inches?

Creativity: Each aspect of the poster was reflectiveof high levels of pre-thinking, it was well thought out, was colorful, original, had a creative/attention grabbing title,
Pictures and other visuals were reflective of v. high levels of research about the topic, and they were inserted on the poster in a creative manner that raised the level of artistry expressed in the poster.
Depth + Accuracy: All of thebulleted information, the content of the verbal report and the pictures or other visuals included on the poster were accurate, appropriate to the topic, were very expressive of the topic’s life, what they did, who they knew, fought with and against, when/where they fought, etc. etc. etc. “No stone was left unturned”
  • Students are required to use school databases for some of their research
  • Students must submit evidence of this use{a printout}on presentation day
  • Failure to do so diminishes student grades on this project by 3 overall points.

Verbal Presentation: Student effort was reflective of rehearsal, the student presented the information about their topic with fine speaking style, was loud and clear in tone and voice, made v. good audience eye contact, had mastered the content – had little or not need for reading from notes, did not make unwanted utterances or repetitive remarks including but not limited to such items as: like, uh, er, um, you know, and uh, also, etc.
A copy of the verbal presentation was provided prior to speaking, if not the verbal presentation grade will be dropped by 1 grading category. Ex. a 4 goes to a 3
Overall Effort/Design: Every aspect of the project was completed on time. The poster, , information incorporated, verbal presentation, and a typed verbal presentation, along with a print-out from a databasewere provided for the teacher upon due date, each aspect of the project met very high standards for execution and performance.
Comments: Score = ____ x 4 = _____