Day 1 Assignment:

1. PowerPoint lesson over weapons of the Revolutionary War and Artillery at the siege of Yorktown (1781)
    
   1. Musket
   2. Cannon
   3. Bayonet
   4. Rifle
   5. Submarine
   6. Bullets
   7. Firing ranges of artillery pieces
    
2. Students are to answer questions on separate sheet of paper. At least 15 sentences long and in their own words.
    
   1. What were the 3 main weapons of the Revolutionary war and Why?
       
   2. What were some problems soldiers faced with weapons of the war?
       
   3. Why were firing ranges of artillery pieces difficult to determine?
    

Day 2 Assignment:

1. Students watch video from United Streaming to help introduce weapons of Revolutionary war.
    
2. Students will use websites to find info for assignment.

   Possible web links:

    
   • Artillery at the Siege of Yorktown
      
   • Guilford Courthouse National Military Park

    
   Students will use their own words to answer these questions with more than one sentence.

    
   1. What was the most important weapon of the war? (Why)?
       
   2. Why was the cannon an important weapon during the war?
       
      • Name some advantages.
         
      • Name some disadvantages.
       

Day 3 Assignment:

1. Divide students into groups of 4.
    
2. Construct a mouse trap ping pong ball launcher to simulate cannon trajectory during civil war.

 
Day 4 Assignment:

1. Test mousetrap launchers and record observations on paper.
    
2. Review results

 

Additional Research Links:

• Artillery of the 11^th Pennsylvania Regiment
• Weapons of the Revolutionary War
• Revolutionary War Weapons Videos
• Ping Pong Ball Launcher Video
• Mousetrap Ping Pong Ball Launcher
      (Note: a "safer" launcher (for younger students) may be made with cardboard tubes and rubber bands.)