Social Studies Grade 4 Week 6 (September 21-25, 2020)

Monday

Step 1: Students will read information on the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

The British Are Coming! A year before the colonies declared independence, Massachusetts was the center of rebellion in the colonies. General Thomas Gage was the new British governor of Massachusetts. He learned militias were storing gunpowder and cannons in the town of Concord, 20 miles from Boston. General Gage feared the colonists were planning a rebellion.

General Gage decided to send troops to seize the colonists’ weapons. The British would march to Concord at night to take the militia by surprise! But the Sons of Liberty had many spies in Boston. They soon discovered General Gage’s plan.

The Midnight Ride On the night of April 18, 1775, 700 British soldiers marched out of Boston toward Concord. At the same time, colonists Paul Revere and William Dawes rode out from Boston. They raced on horseback from town to town, warning the minutemen, “The regulars are coming out!”

Battles of Lexington and Concord The British marched toward Concord. But Paul Revere and William Dawes had already sounded the alarm. The Massachusetts minutemen at Lexington were ready to fight!

No one is sure who fired first, but shots soon rang out. Eight American patriots died in the battle of Lexington. The British regrouped and continued toward Concord. Outside of Concord, minutemen and British troops clashed. After losing several men, the British retreated toward Boston. Along the way, minutemen attacked the British from the forests and behind fences and walls.

First Shots of the Revolution! The first shots at Lexington and Concord were the beginning of the Revolutionary War. The colonists had dared to stand up against one of the most powerful nations in the world! Some people called it the “shots heard round the world.” Even before the colonies declared independence, these first battles showed that the colonists could put up a pretty good fight!

Note to parent: A video may be able to give students better perspective on the battels of the American Revolution. Below are two short videos that students have the option to view.

Lexington & Concord The Shot Heard Around the World https://www.battlefields.org/learn/videos/lexington https://www.pbs.org/video/7qh4wx-shot-heard- -and-concord round-world/

Step 2: Students will read about the geography at Lexington and Concord and view the map to see how soldiers used geography to help them win the battles.

Geography at Lexington and Concord

Soldiers in all wars use the physical geography of battle sites to help them win. They look for places where they might have an advantage over the enemy. For example, armies always like to be in control of the highest ground in an area. That way, they can see everything that is going on, and it is easier to defend a high point.

At Lexington and Concord, Americans hid in the woods and behind stone fences. From their hiding places, they attacked the British troops as the British retreated back to Charlestown. The Americans were smart to use the area’s geography to fight their enemy. The British hurried to the safety of hills outside Charlestown known as Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill. They felt safer there because it was high ground and because the guns on the king’s ships in the Charles River could protect them.

Lexington and Concord were a sign of things to come. Geography continued to play an important role throughout the Revolutionary War.

Step 3: Students will place the lettered options in the correct place on the chart.

A. Took high ground at Breed’s Hill and Bunker Hill and had cannons available on sea nearby B. Easy to see what was going on and defend the area C. Hid in the woods and behind stone fences to attack D. Troops did not know where the attack was coming from and could not easily fight back

Directions: Place the correct letter in the chart to show the strategies the Colonists and British used and the effects it had.