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Spies of the Revolutionary War Writing Unit Lesson Plans

By Jan May

All rights reserved, no portion of this work may be copied, shared, or transferred without express permission of author. Visit for more fun crafts,

recipes, and projects for kids.

Contributions by Rachel May

Look for the new Boys Creative Writing Curriculum coming next spring: Battle Cry!

Copyright, 2011

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Revolutionary War Spies Introduction

How to Use This Curriculum

There are six unit lessons in this curriculum developing creative

writing skills and enhancing history education. These lessons were

designed to use once or twice a week as little or much as the teacher

desires. Each lesson includes educational, writing, and motivational

writing activities such as keeping a journal as your spy and roll playing.

Roll playing is a huge part for this age group in discovering material to

write about, especially boys. Make or buy a special folder to put all the

completed writing sheets in for the student. Put the lapbook together

a little at a time during each lesson or at all at once at the end of the

unit.

American Revolutionary War History is rich with stories of bravery

and sacrifice by men and women who loved freedom. There is an ocean

of colorful characters and fun learning opportunities around every

corner in this book. Most educational experts agree that sensory

learning becomes a part of the child forever. This is why we have

added not only visual projects, but auditory and kinesthetic projects as

well. We have especially designed some for the boy-factor-the need to

use large motor skills as they learn. These fun projects and activities

will engage boys to roll play creating loads of ideas for stories.

Years ago when I began to teach creative writing I found that to

correct spelling and grammar during creative writing times actually

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hindered the student from creative flow. I cannot

count the number of children who began in my class

without a thought of how to begin writing and ended

up writing pages upon pages. Parents began to

comment that they would find their children writing

at all times of the day like a fountain had opened up

and was spilling forth. My rule of success is this: Keep spelling and

grammar during spelling and grammar times and let creative writing

flow freely without making those corrections. Good spelling will trickle

down and the student will feel free to write and create without fear of

their inner thoughts being criticized.

A trip to the library is a great place to spark interest when doing a

unit lesson. Two favorite resources on this topic are: Easy Reader, Sam

the Minute Man and the Disney movie, Johnny Tremain.

Check out books with colorful illustrations that the students can

absorb visually and share with younger siblings and craft and projects

for this time period.

Enjoy the Adventure!

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Spies Week One Getting Started

Introduction to the American Revolutionary

War Ever since the Pilgrims landed on American soil in 1620, the struggle

for freedom burned in the hearts and minds of the people. Many of

them escaped the tyrannical rule of England and resolved that this

New World would lose those shackles. However it was clear that King

George wanted to keep his hand in the affairs of the New World. His

desire to tax the people began as a spark but over the years grew into

a raging flame. British tyranny escalated as early as 1764 and

throughout the next decade the Sugar Act, the Currency Act, the

Stamp Act, and the Tea Act made it crystal clear that British rule was

not something that would go away, but only get worse.

American patriot groups, such as the Son’s of Liberty sprang up to

resist them. One of the most violent events was the Boston Massacre

in 1770 where a mob of patriots took to the streets and threw

snowballs, stones, and sticks at British soldiers. The tension against

British rule grew and in 1772 the Sons of Liberty attacked one of Her

Majesty’s Ship’s, Gaspee, known at the “Gaspee Affair.” Lieutenant

William Duddington was in charge of the waters off Rhode Island.

Duddington had earned a nasty reputation for being an overzealous

enforcer. He would board and detain vessels, confiscate cargo without

charge. On June 9, 1772, a local vessel out of Newport and its captain

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lured the British ship Gaspee into shallow waters. The Gaspee ran

aground at a place that is now known as Gaspee

Point. All were captured aboard the Gaspee and

saw the ship looted and burned.

The struggle for freedom came to a boiling point

on April 17, 1775 with the famous, “shot that was

heard around the world,” at the Battle of

Lexington and Concord and lasted for eight years. This was the battle

that began after Paul Revere’s famous “midnight ride.” The British,

learning that the patriots were storing up gunpowder near Lexington

and Concord, knew rebellion was at hand, so they decided to march and

take it away. But the countrymen and minutemen were alerted by

Revere and others. The minutemen pummeled the British soldiers for

miles chasing them off. It was a great victory for American patriots.

The war lasted for eight years and was fought by thousands of brave

men and women. Many times seeming to be defeated, shoeless, bleeding

and freezing at Valley Forge. But Providence was on our side! General

George Washington humbly sought the help of heaven and thus helped

to birth our nation. The Revolutionary War would prove the first great

stepping stone into establishing the United States of America into a

free nation of the people, for the people, and by the people.

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Lesson Time Explain the idea of going on an adventure by

each student becoming a Revolutionary War Spy

and creating a character to write about. This

works great for multiple levels and the projects

can include younger children as well.

Explain what Historical Fiction is: Writing a made up story about an

actual time in history. Using historical props in your story is like

creating the setting on a stage in a play. Props make the story

believable, like your character really lived in that time period.

Brainstorm Prop Ideas from Revolutionary War Times with the

Students

Fashion: Everyone wanted gray or white hair, since it was a sign of

wisdom. Men would shave their own heads just to wear a white wig.

Upper class women piled their hair on their head; some even

reached three feet high!

Clothing: Average people only had 2-3 sets of clothing and only

bathed 2-3 times a year. Men wore knee length pants called

breeches and three cornered hats, women wore dresses and mob

caps – a hat of a circle of cotton that covered her hair

Way of living: Simple using lamps and candles, riding horses,

outhouses, wood burning stoves, growing their own vegetables,

hunting their own food, they received their news from newspapers

and pamphlets and boys as young as seven years old would join the

army as drummers or message carriers

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Actual events: the Boston Tea Party, the Gaspee Affair, or Sons of

Liberty meetings

Everyday Articles: Quill pens, almanacs, wooden nagging bowels for

porridge, tinderbox and strikers to start a fires instead of matches

Key people: like Benjamin Franklin could be their neighbor or Paul

Revere gave horse lessons to riders on his horse Brown Beauty to

carry secret messages

Flags: The Sons of Liberty and Culpeper Minutemen flags

Arms: Smoothbore Flintlock Muskets, Flintlock pistols, rifles,

knives, swords, cannons, and bayonets.

Write down 5 props you can use in your story:

1. ______________________________

2. ______________________________

3. ______________________________

4. ______________________________

5. ______________________________

Read the handout on the Spy Agents on the following pages. Talk

about spy techniques like using a dead drop, sewing information into a

button cover, and using invisible ink. (Described in handout)

Pass out Create a Character Handout and walk the children through

filling it out. Many times a spy had a number as a name such as Agent

355.

Brainstorm ideas of a situation where the student’s character can spy.

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Spy Agents of the Revolutionary War The Sons of Liberty-Pre-War Activists

The Sons of Liberty were a political group of American

Patriots supported by mostly mechanics, artisans and laborers. This secret group

was founded in 1765 in Boston during the pre-independence days of the United

States. The brave patriotic leaders of the Sons of Liberty were Samuel Adams,

Patrick Henry, John Hancock, John Adams, James Otis, Paul Revere, and Joseph

Warren. They were formed to protect the rights of the colonists from British

government. Their motto was, "No taxation without representation!" The Sons of

Liberty fought with demonstrations, petitions, and published materials opposing

the Stamp Act in 1765, which forced colonists to pay taxes on anything that was

printed. The Sons of Liberty had their own flag, nine red and white stripes that

were known as the "Rebellious Stripes". The stripes in the Sons of Liberty flag

represented the nine colonies that participated in protesting the Stamp Act of

1765. When their flag was raised on the Liberty Tree or Liberty Pole, it was a

signal for all the group members and other supportive townspeople to meet and

discuss their objections about British rule. Their meetings in Boston were held

under the "Liberty Tree," in the open space, known as "Liberty Hall" and the New

York City chapter met beneath the Liberty Pole for its meetings. They are best

known for disguising themselves as Indians to protect their identity and destroying

around 342 chests of tea in the Boston Tea Party of 1773. The Sons of Liberty

sparked other secret groups lead by their leaders like the “Boston Caucus Club,”

“Loyal Nine,” and “Mechanics.” The Sons of Liberty’s influences are threaded

throughout American History.

Paul Revere and the Mechanics

The first recorded spy ring was a secret group in Boston known as the Mechanics,

organized by Paul Revere. They reported to a group, called the Sons of Liberty who

were led by John Hancock and Samuel Adams. It was very important that their

meetings be kept top secret, so every time they met, each man swore upon the

Bible not to tell their secret information to anyone else but their own leaders.

Their favorite meeting place was the legendary Green Dragon Tavern. They used

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secret passwords and signs as protection against British

spies trying to steal their valuable information. They took

the job of watching British soldier’s seriously continually

gathering intelligence on their movements. Paul Revere

said, "We frequently took turns, two and two, to watch the

(British) soldiers by patrolling the streets all night." The

Mechanics were the spies who discovered the British plans

to march on Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 where the first shot was

fired in the war, called, “the shot heard ‘round the world.” Revere made a secret

code to warn of British troops attacking. There were lanterns hung in the Old

North Church. One lantern meant that British troops were advancing by land; two

meant the route was by sea, across the Charles River. After two lanterns were

hung in the church steeple, Paul Revere set off on his famous midnight ride to warn

the Patriots that the British were on the move.

George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring The Culper Spy Ring was a very clever group of spies organized by Major Benjamin

Tallmadge under the orders of General George Washington in 1778 during the

height of the American Revolutionary War. The Ring's job was to send messages to

General George Washington about the troop movements, defenses, positions and

plans of the British in New York. Tallmadge recruited only his closest trusted

friends into the spy ring One of them was a farmer named Abraham Woodhull who

ran the spies day-to-day operations. Another was Robert Townsend, a society

reporter for an American newspaper in New York. The spies were so secretive that

members were given code names; even George Washington himself, who’s code

name was 711, did not know the true identity of the spies. The Spy Ring was named

after two of the spy’s code names; Woodhull, who went by the code name of

Samuel Culper Sr., and Townsend by Samuel Culper Jr. The spy methods that the

Ring used were highly creative and cutting edge. Some of the techniques they used

to relay information included coded messages published in newspapers and

developing a method of using invisible ink to write between the lines of letters. The

invisible ink methods are still in use by the CIA to this day. The famous dead drop

method was also used, where drop boxes where places in secret places to drop off

and pick up secret letters. Women were also an important part of the Culper Ring,

especially because no British soldier would ever guess that a woman would be

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involved in the war at that time in history. The spies

worked hard from 1778 to the end of the war in 1783.

One of their most famous achievements were uncovering

information involving the treasonous letters between

Benedict Arnold and John Andre, who was a chief

intelligence officer for the British forces in New York.

The Culper Spy Ring was so good at being top secret; it

took over 150 years before they were known the public.

Lydia Darragh Lydia Darragh, who was a midwife and a Quaker, had a listening post for

eavesdropping on the British army. It was commonly known that Quaker’s were

Pacifists and did not favor war so she and her family were not seen as threats to

the British. Though Mrs. Darragh should have been forced to move out of her

house in Philadelphia, she was allowed to stay, due to her Irish cousin being in the

British army. The agreement was that British Officers would be able to use a large

upstairs room in her house for meetings. When the officers came, the family was

to stay in their rooms; however, Mrs. Darragh would slip into a linen closet and take

notes on the enemy's military plans. Once the meetings were over she would sneak

back to her bedroom. Her husband, William, would write the plans in shorthand on

tiny slips of paper that she would conceal in a buttonmold before covering it with

fabric. The message-bearing buttons were then sewn onto the coat of her youngest

son, John, who would go to visit his elder brother, Lieutenant Charles Darragh for

the American forces. Charles would snip off the buttons and transcribe the

shorthand notes into readable form for presentation to his officers. Mrs. Darragh

is most famous for discovering information about a large attack against General

Washington’s army. Because the transference was extremely time sensitive she

took it upon herself to sneak past British posts to give the American’s the vital

information herself. Because of her bravery the American Continental Army was

ready for the British and the British retreated.

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Hercules Mulligan

Hercules Mulligan was an Irish immigrant from New York

and an excellent cloth merchant, who used his trade to

gather intelligence for General George Washington. British

soldiers often came to his shop to have their uniforms and

formal outfits made. Mulligan used his good-humored personality and secretly

persuaded information out of them. The British officers trusted Mulligan because

his son-in-law was a British naval officer. Mulligan was the first to alert George

Washington of plans to capture him by the British and later plans to assassinate

him by Loyalists. Before he was a spy he was a leader in the Sons of Liberty and

other local Patriot intelligence groups. The British never learned that Alexander

Hamilton, Washington's aide-de-camp, had lived with Mulligan while attending

King's College, and had recruited him for espionage. Mulligan was so secretive that

when the war was over he was accused of being a British sympathizer. Even though

local merchants refused to do business with him, he still did not defend himself.

President Washington decided to go to New York and have dinner with Mulligan

publicly to clear his name.

Agent 355

Agent 355, part of the Culper Spy Ring, was the code name of a mysterious female

spy during the American Revolution. Abraham Woodhull (Culper Sr.) wrote that

she “hath been ever serviceable to this correspondence” and could “outwit them

all.” What is known about agent 355 is that she lived in New York and is believed to

help expose Benedict Arnold’s treasonous roles and assist in the arrest of Major

John André, the head of England’s intelligence operations in New York. Her real

identity is still unknown to this day and is only known as “355,” code-number for

“lady” in an encryption system used by the famous Culper Spy Ring.

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Anna Strong

Anna Strong, whose code name was Nancy Smith, was a

resident of Long Island, New York. Abraham Woodhull

(Culper Sr.) was her neighbor and recruited her to help

the Culper Spy Ring because she had a better view of

shoreline from her house than he did. She helped pass along messages by her

creative signal to show another spy was ready to submit intelligence information. If

Strong hung a black petticoat on her clothesline, it meant that another spy named

Brewster had arrived in one of six coves in his whaleboat. To tell the other spies

which cove Brewster was at she would hang one to six white handkerchiefs on the

line. Her husband, Selah Strong, who was a Patriot judge, had been captured by the

British and detained for most of the war for suspicious correspondence with the

enemy. After the war she was reunited with her husband and named their next

child George Washington Strong. The British never suspected her as a spy.

Nathan Hale Nathan Hale, Captain of the 19th Regiment of the American Continental Army, is

known as an American hero and was the first spy to die for his country. General

Washington needed information when the British were planning to invade

Manhattan. He volunteered for this extremely dangerous mission. He slipped

behind enemy lines disguised as a Dutch schoolmaster looking for work. Hale had no

training, experience, codes, or invisible ink and was captured with pictures of

British strongholds while trying to slip out of New York. He was convicted as a spy

the next day without trial and went to the gallows on September 22, 1776.

Witnesses to the execution reported his famous patriotic last words: "I only

regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." There are statues of him

standing in New York City, at Yale University, and at the Central Intelligence

Agency's (CIA) headquarters.

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Benedict Arnold

Benedict Arnold’s name is often used as a trademark for

treason and betrayal. Arnold began as a general in the

Continental Army and was a hero at the beginning of the

Revolutionary War. Bitterness and anger consumed him after

he had not been paid for seven years or received the recognition he thought he

deserved for his service. He secretly began negotiations with the British to sell

West Point, an American Fortress, to the British for 20,000 pounds and command

in the British army. Arnold knew if the British would have West Point in their

power they could cut off the American supplies. As a war strategy, the Americans

had a large chain across the river from Constitution Island to the shore near West

Point to stop ships from sailing up the river. The only way to get through the river

was for someone to unlock the chain. The key was kept by the commanding officer

that General George Washington appointed at West Point, known as, General

Benedict Arnold. Fortunately for the Americans, the Culper Spy Ring discovered

Arnold’s plans and was relayed to General Washington. Arnold found out that his

plan had been discovered and he fled down the Hudson River to the British. He was

never fully trusted even by the British, finished the war on half pay, and lived out

his life in his twenty-year exile in England.

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Create a Spy Character

1. Name your character:

_______________________________

2. What is their spy name? _____________________________________

3. How old? ___________ Male or female? ___________

4. Describe what they look like. Do they have any special features? Big Eyes,

Nose, or Ears, Missing Teeth, Ruby Lips, Squinty Eyes, Cheery Smile, Strong,

Hunched Over, Spiked Hair:

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5. What is their job? ____________________________________________

6. What kind of spy gadgets do they use? _____________________

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7. What kinds of things do they like to do? _____________________

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8. Create a Personality: Choose from the list or create some of your own.

Circle the ones you like:

Outgoing Funny Serious Loud Quiet Add your own

Smiles Frowns Glares Strong Weak ___________

Brave Shy Afraid Kind Helpful ___________

Playful Silly Sporty Generous Sassy ___________

Spunky Sneaky Witty Mean Nice ___________

Mysterious Proud Wise Humble Clumsy ___________

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9. What are some things they don’t like to do?

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Draw a Picture of Your Character Below

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Writing Time Write a paragraph introducing your character, their

secret name, and how they will spy for the first time.

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Spies Week Two

Codes and Courage

Lesson Time Disguises

A disguise is like a costume masking your true identity. Disguises were

an important part of spy work in the American Revolution. Nancy

Morgan Hart, known as the, “war woman,” was a feisty, cross-eyed red

head. She had a scarred face from smallpox, and was very tall and

muscular. She used her looks to an advantage and went into Tory camps

and British garrisons disguise as a feeble minded man to get

information. All the information she gathered was then passed along to

patriot authorities.

Captain Allan McLane, a Calvary man, often used disguises to get

information for General Washington. He is most known for being the

agent who went into Stony Point, a British fort in New York. He was to

gather the size of the garrison and any advancement of defenses the

fort was making. Disguised as a country bumpkin, he went in as an

escort to Mrs. Smith and her four sons. He reported to General

Washington that the fort was unfinished and vulnerable. Because of

this information the patriots went on a surprise midnight attack lead

by Mad Anthony Wayne. The American troops did not fire a single shot

on the British. They advanced under fire, overran the fort, and

captured it. McLane was there, in an enemy fortress, for two whole

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Secret Writing To keep top-secret espionage information safe,

both the British and Americans used invisible ink in

their messages. British intelligence officers were

required by Major John Andre, the chief

intelligence officer, to put an “F” or an “A” in the corner of their

letters. The “F’ stood for fire and “A” stood for acid, to indicate how

the secret message could be developed. George Washington, however,

wanted unique ink that would be revealed only by a special formulated

reagent. Sir James Jay, who was a doctor that knew a bit about

chemistry, created “sympathetic stain.” The American spymaster,

Major Benjamin Tallmadge would use this ink with his Culper Spy Ring

to pass secret messages to each other. The Ring was instructed by

Washington to write basic letters in between the lines of the written

secret messages to disguise their letters. They could also write on the

blank lines of pamphlets, almanacs, books of small value, or any

publication. Letters written with invisible ink needed to be treated

very carefully. If water or other liquids spilled on the ink, it could

smudge and make it impossible to read.

Codes and Ciphers Cryptography, the science of coding and decoding secret messages, was

used largely in the American Revolution to keep information like an

armies’ location, strategic military plans, or personal messages secret.

At this time in history everyone knew that when they sent a letter in

the mail, someone would read it. Codes changed whole phrases or entire

words into number groups, symbols, or other words, which is

determined by a key. As long as the key was kept safe even if the

enemy found the message, they could not read the information. Major

Benjamin Tallmadge created a numerical substitution code to use with

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the Culper Spy Ring. The British had discovered that the Americans

had been using invisible ink for their secret

letters and information was no longer safe.

Tallmadge assigned numbers 1 to 763 to several

hundred words from a dictionary and several

dozen names of people or places. Some examples

are, 192 stood for “fort”, 38 meant, “attack”,

New York was 727, and George Washington was

given the number 711. Ciphers recreated the alphabet by using numbers, symbols, or other

rearranged letters. The only way to figure ciphers out is to follow the

key that gives the answers to decrypt the message.

England soon started using the science of cryptanalysis, solving a

message without the key, in their “Black Chambers”. “Black Chambers,”

were secret offices where political mail was opened and read. Other

Americans like Robert Morris, John Jay, Robert Livingston, and John

Adams also were using other types of numerical substitution codes.

Activity

Be like Anna Strong by designating a certain area for signals like a

table, window, desk, refrigerator etc. Maybe Mom can play along by

putting one refrigerator magnet up meaning time to eat, two for

chores, three for a treat! Or devise your own signals and play along as a

family.

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Patrick Henry

Patrick Henry was born on May 29, 1736 in

Virginia. He was homeschooled by his father the

basic subjects and studied law on his own. He

was an outstanding lawyer, powerful orator, radical patriot and one of

the men who helped in founding the United States of America. He

served in the House of Burgess for nearly 30 years. Henry furiously

defended his country against the progressive oppression of Britain and

his love for law served him well in inspiring legislation against tyranny.

In The House of Burgess in May 1765 Henry directly opposed the

Stamp Act. His comments were bold to the point of being treasonous

as he proclaimed, "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his

Cromwell, and George the Third..." In He also suggested that George

the Third shared the same fate as Julius Caesar if he did not take

American liberty seriously. He introduced five of seven resolutions

attacking Parliament's claim of authority to tax America and

resistance. Though only four went through, the newspapers published

all seven and gave Virginia the reputation of being unmovable towards

British imperial policy. In March of 1775 Patrick Henry was urging his

fellow Virginians of the right to bear arms where legislature was

meeting at St. John’s Church in Richmond. It was here where he gave

his famous speech crying out boldly, "I know not what course others

may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!" Henry not

only fought in word, but also in deed. He is famous for leading a

company of Virginia militia who marched to Williamsburg to demand

payment for gunpowder confiscated by the British. The governor of

Williamsburg mocked Henry and his “diluted followers,” who have taken

up arms and are postured for war. In 1776 Henry was elected as the

first Commonwealth governor in Virgin.

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Activity Talk about the Courage and Self Sacrifice that Spies had to have in

order to work for the freedom of their country. The Bible says, “No

greater love has anyone, than when he lays down his life for his friend”

(John 15:13). Read the ending of Patrick Henry’s famous speech, “Give

Me Liberty or Give Me Death”. This is wonderful to memorize!

“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace-- but there is no peace. The

war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will

bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are

already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that

gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace

so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery?

Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take;

but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Patrick Henry

1775.

Fun way to memorize a speech: Have the students memorize one line

at a time using hand motions. Let them help create ones that coincide

with the sentences. Work on this a little bit each day for a week until

the whole excerpt above is memorized.

Use a White Board: Write several sentences on a white board. Read

it together. Then erase several words at a time. Read the sentences

again this time remembering the erased words. Do this until all the

words are gone and you have memorized it.

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Make a Secret Numeric Code for Your Spy Story Assign a number to people, locations, or

battle strategies in your story. Be creative,

instead of #1, you could make it #111.

1 25

2 26

3 27

4 28

5 29

6 30

7 31

8 32

9 33

10 34

11 35

12 36

13 37

14 38

15 39

16 40

17 41

18 42

19 43

20 44

21 45

22 46

23 47

24 48

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Extra Sheet

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Optional-Make a Numeric Code for Your Family or Homeschool

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Writing Time Write a spy note from your character to someone

important using your secret code. Continue your

story and write another paragraph. _____________________________________________________

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Spies Week Three Create the Setting for

Your Story

Lesson Time A setting is the time in history and location where a story takes place. It could

be in a town, an inn like the Green Dragon or a battlefield. It is important that you

describe the setting with vivid colors, sights, sounds, smells, textures and tastes.

1. Where is this story happening?

a. Town: _____________________

b. State: _______________________

c. Type of Building_______________________

d. Neighborhood type (circle one):

i. City

ii. Rural

2. Make a list of the things that you might experience there: Remember to use

vivid adjectives: Colors, size, emotion, etc.

Sights Sounds Smells Tastes Touch

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______

_______ _______ _______ _______ _______

Examples:

Turquoise Blue Sea Shore

Loud Banging Battle Drums

Damp musty logs

Delicious Roast Chicken

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Activity Draw a Map of the Town Your of the town your

character’s spy base is located. Draw houses, the

Green Dragon Inn, horses, and English ships in the

Harbor. Include as many props as you can.

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Minutemen

Minutemen were originally developed as early as

1645 in Massachusetts. Native American uprisings

and the war with France were a few of many reasons

the colonists developed a militia of men for each

town. The men were to be dressed, armed, and ready

to go in a minutes’ notice, hence the name, “minute

men.” The minutemen of the Revolutionary War had

the benefit of being well trained from the previous six generation

before them. They made up a quarter of the militia, ranging from ages

16 to 30. Because of their loyalty to their towns, when minutemen

would send the British into retreat the minutemen did not follow them.

A company of minutemen, from frontier country, called the Culpeper

minutemen, are remembered for their flag: a rattlesnake with the

phrases, “Don’t Tread on Me” and “Liberty or Death.” In October of

1775 the Culpeper minutemen were sent to Hampton in response to the

British ships trying to land. These admirable minutemen shot the men

manning the ships cannons and the fleet had to sail away.

Activity Roll play alerting the British. How would you alert someone if you

didn’t have a telephone? You would shout. That’s what Paul Revere did.

Young children can pretend to ride a make believe broomstick horse

while going from room to room to alert the British. If there are older

children, they might become the horse while a younger child rides on

their backs shouting, “The British are coming!”

One great motivation for creative writing is to brainstorm with your

child about what their character is doing and sharing in the experience

with them. It’s like priming the pump. Are they spying? Where and

how? What spy gadgets are they using? Let the students get into the

31

characters. What’s going on in Boston right now?

Maybe it’s a typical day, maybe it’s the Boston Tea

Party!

Read the poem: Paul Revere’s Ride by Longfellow

on the following pages. It’s a classic and great to

memorize in part. It’s a bit lengthy, so I have

attached some great excerpts

32

Paul Revere’s Ride By

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Listen my children and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British march

By land or sea from the town to-night,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch

Of the North Church tower as a signal light,--

One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country folk to be up and to arm."

Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,

Just as the moon rose over the bay,

Where swinging wide at her moorings lay

The Somerset, British man-of-war;

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon like a prison bar,

And a huge black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.

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Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.

Now he patted his horse's side,

Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,

Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,

And turned and tightened his saddle girth;

But mostly he watched with eager search

The belfry tower of the Old North Church,

As it rose above the graves on the hill,

Lonely and spectral and somber and still.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry's height

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfry burns.

It was two by the village clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,

And the twitter of birds among the trees,

And felt the breath of the morning breeze

Blowing over the meadow brown.

And one was safe and asleep in his bed

Who at the bridge would be first to fall,

Who that day would be lying dead,

Pierced by a British musket ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British Regulars fired and fled,---

How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard wall,

Chasing the redcoats down the lane,

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Then crossing the fields to emerge again

Under the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.

So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm

To every Middlesex village and farm, ---

A cry of defiance, and not of fear,

A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,

And a word that shall echo for evermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,

Through all our history, to the last,

In the hour of darkness and peril and need,

The people will waken and listen to hear

The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,

And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

35

Writing Time Write a paragraph adding on where you left off in the

previous chapter. Include details about the setting as

you go.

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Spies Week Four Creating a Plot Worksheet

Lesson Time Creating a plot in a story is like drawing a road map of what is going

to happen from the beginning to the end. The action in the plot is like a

roller coaster ride. You don’t want to make it easy for your character

to reach his goals too soon. First you go up, then you go down, then you

go back up and down again. It can be very thrilling!

Answering some questions will help you make a plot. You can write only

several words to answerer or whole sentences. Don’t worry if you can’t

think of how it’s all going to work together. You can change things as

you go along. Most professional authors do that too!

Who: ___________________________________________

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Why: ____________________________________________

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Where: __________________________________________

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What: ___________________________________________

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When: ___________________________________________

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How: ____________________________________________

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Creating a Plot Worksheet

1. Create a problem that your spy character

encounters while they are spying:

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2. How will they almost solve it? Will they be in danger? (Roller

coaster goes up!)

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3. How can you make the problem worse? (Roller coaster crashes

down!)

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4 How will they try to solve it again? (Roller coaster goes up again!)

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5. How can your character finally reach their goal and overcome

the problem that you have created? (Thrilling end!)

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41

Activity Make Your Own Spy Cipher

It’s easy to make your own spy cipher. Simply choose a

letter, number, or symbol, to represent each letter of the

alphabet.

On a piece of paper, write the letters of the alphabet and

underneath each letter draw your secret symbol. You can use circles,

squares, sun, moon, etc. Make sure all the people that you want to send

a letter to, has the answer key. It’s fun sending secret messages; the

spies of the Revolutionary War always did it! For Example:

A=@ D=ss G=+

B=? E= < H= ii

C=> F=// J=*

The three symbols…

> @ ? means the word cab

ss @ ? means the word dab

// @ ss means the word fad

Using the code above practice and write these words below:

Gag _______________________

Dad _______________________

Jab _______________________

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Make a Grid for Your Secret Code Create a Symbol for Each Letter

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Activity Roll Play: Write a spy note from your character to someone important

using your secret code. Put it in the dead drop and hide it for them to

find.

Extra Grid to Share

A B C D E F G H I J K L M

N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

43

Writing Time

Write a paragraph adding on where you left off in

the previous chapter. Include details about the plot

as you go.

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___

Spies Week Five “Show Don’t Tell”

Lesson Time

C.S. Lewis, the famous author of the Chronicles of Narnia, once said,

“Don’t tell me that your character is afraid, describe it in such a way

that the very hairs on my head stand up when I read it.”

A good story will describe the body language of the characters’

emotions, making the story feel more real. Here are two examples of

someone who is afraid:

1. Tyler walked into the forest and heard a sound. He was afraid.

These sentences TELL me he is afraid.

2. Tyler walked into the forest and heard a sound. His heart was

racing and he froze in his tracks.

These sentences SHOW me what his body language is when he

is afraid.

Can you feel his emotions better in the second sentence? Can you

see them, too? Now, you try. Turn to the next page and fill in the

blanks.

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Practice “Showing and not Telling”

A person’s expression on their face and how they move their

body is called body language. They don’t have to say a word;

you can SEE what they are feeling. What would a person

LOOK LIKE if they experienced each of these things? You

can use more than one sentence

Fear

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Excitement

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Anger

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Curiosity

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Pride

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Dishonesty

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Make a Dead Drop

A Dead Drop is a container that the spies used to hide a secret

message in, then bury or hide it. It's called "dead" because it is not a

live person transferring the message.

Make your own Dead Drop by covering a plastic container that has a

lid with construction or scrapbooking paper. Then glue on "Dead Drop"

words and pictures from the next page.

Roll Play hiding secret messages with the codes you have created.

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Dead drop

Dead drop

Dead Drop

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Writing Time Write a paragraph adding on where you left off in

the previous chapter. Include details about the

plot and setting as you go. Add in some props.

Remember to “Show don’t Tell!”

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Spies Week Six Dialogue Tag Lines

Lesson Time

Dialogue is when a person in your story is talking. We show this by using quotation

marks. Good dialogue always adds interest and action to a story. After a line of

dialogue, we add what’s called a tag line. It’s that part of the sentence that tells

who said it and how they said it. For example:

“Incoming fire!” yelled the soldier. Yelled the soldier, is the tag line. You could

write: said the solider, but it wouldn’t be as exciting or express the mood of the

battle as well as yelled the soldier. There are tons of ways to write a tag line

instead of using the word said. Below is a list of many. You can even add your own.

Circle 10 that you like and use them somewhere in your story. Go back and see if

you can change some ‘said’ into of these words below.

yelled shouted cried gulped

gurgled coughed barked begged

blew up boasted called cautioned

agreed echoed bragged cheered

announced admitted added avowed

breathed challenged chided choked

chuckled comforted confessed defended

hooted complained croaked denied

howled gagged grunted gulped

gushed hesitated hissed hooted

howled implied informed insisted

insulted jested joked jabbered

judged laughed lied moaned

muttered mimicked nagged ordered

praised objected persisted pestered

petitioned pleaded prayed preached

predicted protested quarreled raged

railed questioned scoffed scolded

screamed screeched shrieked teased

53

Make the Most of your Dialogue

Spice up your dialogue by adding details about what

the person is doing while they are speaking. I added

in the part that is italicized.

For Example:

“Take this note,” whispered John’s wife, as she folded up the paper and

stuffed it in his boot.

When he reached the camp a man met him. “What is your business

here?” growled the soldier, pointing his bayonet at him.

“I’m bringing bread to the troops,” he said, squirming in his shoes.

Practice:

Write down several lines of dialogue that you heard this morning. Don’t

add anything to it, just the words alone. Skip a line between them.

Example:

“Time to get up,” said Mom.

“Do I have to?” grumbled Tyler.

“Yes. I think it’s going to be a good day,” she smiled.

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Practice Adding Details

Now go back to the previous page and add in some

details about what they were doing when they said

them. You don’t want to add what someone is doing to

every sentence when you are writing; this would slow the pacing of the

story, but for practice today, go ahead and do every line.

Example:

“Time to get up,” said Mom, opening the shades in Tyler’s room.

“Do I have to?” grumbled Tyler, placing the pillow over his head.

“Yes. I think it’s going to be a good day,” she smiled, holding a puppy

behind her back.

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Writing Time Write another paragraph of your Spy Adventure and

finish your story. Remember to add details to your

dialogue.

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Make a Battle Drum

1. Take an empty large oatmeal

container and glue patriotic

scrapbooking paper around it

2. Trace the lid onto the scrapbooking

paper and cut it out.

3. Make a line about 1’4 inch from the

outer edge with a black marker all the

way around. Trim that edge off. Then

glue the round piece onto the lid.

58

4. With a sharp knife, poke a hole on

the inside of the container about 1 ½

inches from the top. Poke another hole

on the opposite side.

3.

5. Push a 2 ½ foot piece of sturdy

rope through the hole from the

outside.

6. Tie in a double knot on the inside.

Use a chop stick to push the rope

through if needed.

7. Snap the lid onto the oatmeal

container and slip around your young

soldier’s neck. Use chopsticks for

drum sticks.

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Happy Drumming!

60

Put it All Together

Congratulations! With all your hard work, you have

developed an adventurous story with interesting

characters, a sensory setting and a good plot. Put it all together by

using a plastic binder or plastic report cover to compile all the pages of

your story into a book. Take time to illustrate each page of your story

and then add those pages in the places they belong. Put them also into

the binder. Number your pages. Use the following templates to make a

cover or create one of your own.

It’s always fun to share your writing with others. Have a flashlight

theatre where you turn all the lights out and flash several lights on the

reader. Make popcorn or other fun snacks. Invite Grandma and

Grandpa, cousins or friends or neighbors.

Ways to continue the fun:

Make a Spies Secret Newspaper

Decorate a journal and keep it as your spy character for two

weeks. Draw pictures to add in.

Notebook what you have learned about Spies or the Revolutionary

War by cutting out pictures and writing the information that you

loved the most. For ideas you can Visit these links to make a corn

husk doll, flags, maps for more fun Revolutionary War Crafts:

http://www.ehow.com/info_7966298_revolutionary-war-crafts-

kids.html

61

By

_________________

62

By

_________________

63

This Certifies that

Has Successfully Become a Fictitious

Spy of the Revolutionary War

Signed _______________________________

Leave Your Thumb Print Here

64

About the Author Jan May is a freelance writer and author of the New Millennium Girls chapter books and interactive writing curriculum for girls and Spies of the Revolutionary War Writing Unit and Lapbook. Being a homeschool veteran and creative writing teacher, she also hosts a fun website for homeschoolers with free resources, projects, and kid friendly recipes. Come visit us!

www.NewMillenniumGirlBooks.com

Look for other titles:

65

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