Curriculum Materials

Welcome to Minute Man National Historical Park's Teacher Resource Center.

On this page you will find activities, lesson plans and resources designed to bring the stories, people and communities of April 19, 1775 to life. Many of the materials on this page are designed to prepare students for the park’s ranger- guided education programs or for a self-guided field trip to the park. However, all of them can be adapted easily for teaching about the Battles of Lexington and Concord in the classroom.

 

Activities designed to introduce and extend Ranger-Guided Education Programs

Rebels, Redcoats, and Homespun Heroes Pre and Post-Visit Materials
Gr. 3-5
The pre-visit materials include key Revolution vocabulary words, and activities on soldiers, women, and the spread of the Lexington alarm. Post-visit lessons extend and assess students’ learning through the construction of a timeline and a storybook.

Visit Rebels, Redcoats and Homespun Heroes for more information about this guided education program.

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Who Shot First? Pre and Post-Visit Materials
Gr. 8-12
The pre-visit lessons ask students to read and analyze primary source materials about the Intolerable Acts and the Battle of Lexington.The post-visit lesson extends students’ learning through the construction evidence-based arguments about the fighting at Concord's North Bridge.

Visit Who Shot First? for more information about this guided education program.

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North Bridge: Frequently Asked Questions
This page provides information that will be helpful if you are leading your students on a self-guided visit to North Bridge.

 

A Cause Worth Fighting For - The American Revolution BeginsThese materials are for groups participating in ranger-guided programs at both Minute Man NHP and Bunker Hill, Boston NHP. The pre-visit lessons ask students to examine questions of loyalty and enrollment in the Continental Army. The post-visit lessons ask students to extent their learning by creating a story-book, writing a journal/letter, and analyzing poetry.

The following materials are for groups substituting an online lesson for one of the two program field trips:

Lexington and Concord: A Legacy of Conflict Lesson Plan
Students examine primary source materials to better understand the events of April 19, 1775.

Patriots of Color at the Battle of Bunker Hill Lesson Plan
Students learn about the patriots of color who fought at Bunker Hill. They explore the importance of an inclusive view of history and the reasons why people take great personal risk for a cause greater than themselves.

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More Curriculum Materials and Resources about the Opening of the American Revolution in Massachusetts

 

Patriots of Color
This series of online multi-discipline lessons focuses on the experiences and perspectives of African and Native Americans in the opening months of the American Revolution, including the first battle on April 19, 1775. Why did they join the fight against the King’s troops?

 

Meriam's Corner: Revolution At Their Doorstep
Lexington Green was a tragedy. Concord's North Bridge was treason. Meriam's Corner was WAR. This lesson explores the stories of those men who began the running fight we today call the Battle Road, which began at a simple intersection at the edge of Concord's village.

 

Barrett Farm and the Start of the American Revolution
This interdisciplinary program engages students in critical thinking to analyze primary source materials and construct an evidence-based argument in answer to key questions about the role of Colonel James Barrett and the stockpiling of arms and supplies to ready Massachusetts for war.

 

Embattled Farmers and the Shot Heard Round the World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord
In this lesson, students use photographs, maps and written descriptions to learn about the road where "the shot heard round the world" sparked the American Revolution. They also consider how works of art have both depicted and shaped our memories of the dramatic events that took place there.

This lesson can be found on the National Park Service's Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) homepage along with hundreds of other lessons and activities that help teachers bring historic places into the classroom.

 

Primary Sources

The Coming of The American Revolution
Primary Resources On Line. The Massachusetts Historical Society has digitized and transcribed hundreds of primary resource documents relative to the start of the American Revolution.

 

Interactives

"The Road to Revolution - A Journey to Lexington and Concord"
This interactive Web Ranger activity takes participants on a historical and visual journey from the Boston Tea Party to the Battles of Lexington and Concord.

Videos

The 1764 Manual of Arms
The 1764 Manual of Arms, demonstrated by Park Rangers Jim Hollister and Roger Fuller of Minuteman National Historical Park in Concord, Massachusetts

"The Shot Heard Round the World"
Lexington and Concord have long disagreed about the actual location of the “shot heard round the world.” Join Park Ranger Jen Coleman as she answers the question: Where was the Shot Heard Round the World?

 

Maps

Alarm Riders and Battle Map - April 18 - 19, 1775
National Park Service maps showing the routes of Patriot messengers and British troops on their way to Lexington and Concord, and the locations of battles during the troops’ return to Boston.