French and Indian War Lesson Plan: U.S. History

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic French and Indian War, and supports the standard of analyzing the war’s battle outcomes and their impact on the future of the United States. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Display an image representing the French and Indian War, like the painting shown below:

Ask students:

• What do you notice about the people and groups in this image? 
• What emotions does the painting express?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read the description on the French and Indian War topic page.
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
• Have students read one of the five Related Reading articles. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.
  

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Students take the French and Indian War Challenge and Quiz, applying essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about the French and Indian War while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.  

• Make-a-Movie: Create a mini-documentary answering this question: What were the events and ideas that led to the French and Indian War?
• Make-a-Map: Identify the timeline of events that led to the end of the French and Indian War. 
• Creative Coding: Code a newscast about a key turning point in the French and Indian War, such as the Battle of Jumonville Glen or the capture of the Canadian city of Quebec. 

More to Explore

Time Zone X: French and Indian War: Challenge players to put historical events in chronological order in this interactive timeline game.

Mission US: For Crown or Colony: In this game, players immerse themselves in the political tension of 1770 Boston.

U.S. History Unit: Continue to build understanding around American history with more BrainPOP topics.

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.