Introduction

'Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his hat
And called it macaroni.......'

This is a familiar tune to all of us. But do we know its roots? It dates back to the colonial times. It was written and sung during the time when the colonists were becoming angry with the control that Britain had over the 13 colonies from across the Atlantic Ocean.

Britain's King George II thought it was time to tighten his control on the 13 colonies for several reasons. The Indians were still enemies of England and the British colonies. Also, The French and Indian War had cost a lot of money. King George wanted the colonists to pay for the war through higher taxes.

History books give us several reasons for the Revolutionary War between the colonies and Britain. In this Webquest we are only going to focus on three very important events that led to the war......The Stamp Act.....The Boston Massacre.....and The Boston Tea Party.

The Quest

Your job is to gather information about The Stamp Act, The Boston Massacre, and The Boston Tea Party. Based on your findings you will design a pamphlet for the event, create new song lyrics to the tune of Yankee Doodle, and produce a skit of the event.

The Process and Resources

In this WebQuest you will be working together with a group of students in class. Each group will investigate the three events that led to the Revolutionary War. As a member of the group you will explore several Webpages created to inform you about the causes of the war. Because these are real Webpages we're tapping into, not things made just for fifth graders, the reading level might challenge you. Feel free to use the online Webster dictionary or one in your classroom.

You'll begin with everyone in your group being assigned an event to investigate.

Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone

As a group, read the information found on the following website to get a feel for the timeline of events, and an overall view of the events that led to the Revolutionary War.

• Key Events - Scroll through a variety of events that led to the American Revolution including the Stamp Act, Boston Massacre, and Boston Tea Party.

Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Open the internet sites provided and find information about your assigned event.

2. Read the information and take notes on your note cards.

3. Use the questions under your job description to guide you on what notes to take.

4. As you gather information, keep in mind that you will be designing a pamphlet to explain the event, creating song lyrics about your event, and producing a skit about your event.

Patriot Pete

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to The Stamp Act:

1. Who was involved in this event? Are there any specific names mentioned? What part did they play?
2. What exactly took place....
Before the event? During the event? After the event?
3. Where did this event take place?
4. When did this event take place?
5. Why did this event happen?

• Stamp Tax Passed, Colonies Protest - Find out what the Stamp Act is and how the colonists felt about the imposed tariff on all legal documents.
• The King of England Tries to Tighten His Control - Read about the Stamp Act!
• The Stamp Act and Tar and Feathering - Find out The Stamp Act was not the first tax in the colonies!

Minuteman Mike

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to The Boston Massacre:

1. Who was involved in this event? Are there any specific names mentioned? What part did they play?
2. What exactly took place....
Before the event? During the event? After the event?
3. Where did this event take place?
4. When did this event take place?
5. Why did this event happen?

• Boston Massacre - Brawls were constant between the British and the colonists, who were constantly insulting the troops. Find out what happened when some people of Boston started throwing snowballs!!!!
• The Boston Massacre - Here you'll find some details about the Boston Massacre.
• The Boston Massacre- Behind the scenes look...... - Paul Revere's most famous engraving.

Sons of Liberty Sam

Use the Internet information linked below to answer these questions specifically related to The Boston Tea Party:

1. Who was involved in this event? Are there any specific names mentioned? What part did they play?
2. What exactly took place....
Before the event? During the event? After the event?
3. Where did this event take place?
4. When did this event take place?
5. Why did this event happen?

• Boston Tea Party - Is it REALLY a party? Find out what happened to 90,000 pounds of tea!
• The History Place - Read an eyewitness report of the Boston Tea Party!
• Lesson 4 Boston - Read about the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party.
• The Boston Tea Party - Read about the rebellion against the tax on tea.
• The Boston Tea Party by Emily - The story of the Boston Tea Party written by a student.

Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus

Now come back to your group and share what you know. Each of you has gained knowledge about one of the main causes of the Revoultionary War. Within your group, take turns and share what you have learned about your event.
IMPORTANT: After each event, discuss whether in your opinion, you feel the event could have been avoided.

Now Here Are Your Tasks:

1. Each of you (individually) will design a pamphlet about the event in which you researched. Be sure to include within your pamphlet the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, & WHY of the event.

2. All Patriot Petes will gather to create new song lyrics to the tune of Yankee Doodle Went to Town using what they have learned about The Stamp Act.
All Minutemen Mikes will gather to create new song lyrics to the tune of Yankee Doodle Went to Town using what they have learned about The Boston Massacre.
All Sons of Liberty Sams will gather to create new song lyrics to the tune of Yankee Doodle Went to Town using what they have learned about The Boston Tea Party.

3. In the same groups that gathered to accomplish Task #2, produce a play that depicts each event. A person watching the play should understand the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, & WHY of the event.
Patriot Petes produce and star in the play about The Stamp Act.
Minutemen Marks produce and star in the play about The Boston Massacre.
The Sons of Liberty Sams produce and star in the play about The Boston Tea Party.

Phase 4 - Real World Feedback

You will be given three grades for work on this quest!
Each of the three activities (Pamphlet, Song, and Skit) will be graded using the rubric your teacher will provide.

Your Contact is: Your teacher

Conclusion

We may not have learned why Yankee Doodle stuck a feather in this hat and called it macaroni, but we learned a lot more important things like what the causes were that led to The Revolutionary War and changed the 13 colonies forever! The Revolutionary War led to the colonies breaking away from Britain's rule!