Alabama Social Studies SS24.US1.1d
The Standard
- SS24.US1.1
- Trace the events from 1754 to 1783 that led to the independence of the United States of America.
Evaluate the contributions of colonial leaders, including George Washington; military strategy; and the support of foreign nations to significant victories in the War for Independence.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students connect leaders’ decisions, battle tactics, and foreign help to victories such as Trenton and Yorktown. They use battle details to judge which factors mattered most, not just name people and places.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how Washington’s surprise attack helped win at Trenton and how French ships and troops helped at Yorktown. They can say which factor mattered most in each battle and support their choice with a detail.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may claim French troops helped win at Trenton, though France joined the war later. They may credit Yorktown only to Washington and miss how French ships blocked British escape and supplies.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Explain how Washington’s siege plan and French ships helped win at Yorktown. Which mattered more to the British surrender, and why?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs paper arrows and maps of the Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay; have them trace the Trenton attack and Yorktown blockade.
Ask: Why did Washington’s surprise attack work at Trenton, while Yorktown needed French ships? Cite one detail from each battle.
Sort cards labeled surprise crossing, French ships, French troops, and siege tactics under Trenton or Yorktown; justify each choice.
Show a Chesapeake Bay map; ask which deliveries a modern port closure would stop, then connect that disruption to Cornwallis at Yorktown.
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