Unit Plan 8 (Grade 8 Social Studies): The American Revolution—War and Strategy
Study how geography, logistics, blockades, and alliances shaped Revolutionary War strategy—from Saratoga to Yorktown—and argue which factors most decisively led to American victory.
Focus: Study major battles, geography, logistics, and alliances that shaped strategy and led to American victory.
Grade Level: 8
Subject Area: Social Studies (U.S. History • Geography • Economics • Inquiry)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students trace the war from early campaigns to Yorktown, using maps and short sources to see how terrain, distance, weather, ports, and alliances affected plans and outcomes. They analyze supply lines, blockades, and interdependence, then argue which factors most decisively produced victory.
Essential Questions
- How did geography (landforms, waterways, climate) shape strategy and outcomes in the Revolution?
- In what ways did alliances and the war at sea alter British and American options?
- How did economics (blockades, supply, trade) and logistics influence campaigns and decisions?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Build cause–effect chains linking strategic choices to campaign outcomes (e.g., Saratoga → French alliance).
- Use/create campaign maps with scale, routes, and spatial data; estimate distances/march times and interpret positions.
- Explain how landforms, waterways, and climate affected operations, logistics, and regional economies.
- Analyze trade, blockades, privateering, and alliance networks to model wartime interdependence.
- Write/record a CER (Claim–Evidence–Reasoning) argument about decisive factors, citing maps and multiple sources.
Standards Alignment — 8th Grade (C3-based custom)
- 8.C3.Hist.2: Explain causes/effects for major developments (Revolution, etc.).
- 8.C3.Geo.2–5: Use/create maps with scale/routes; explain how physical geography shaped economies/politics; analyze human–environment interaction; describe spatial connections (diffusion, migration, trade).
- 8.C3.Econ.4: Explain trade and interdependence (Atlantic trade, blockades).
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can read and create campaign maps with correct scale, routes, and labels.
- I can connect terrain/climate to strategy and outcomes with specific evidence.
- I can explain how blockades, alliances, and supply lines changed the war’s options.
- I can defend a claim about why the Americans won using maps and multiple citations.