Sybil Ludington:
The Other Paul Revere

Subjects

Arts & Humanities
--Language Arts
Social Studies
--Civics
--History
----U.S. History
----State History

Grade

3-5
6-8
9-12

Brief Description

Learn about Sybil Ludington, a young girl who is often called the other Paul Revere."

Objectives

Students will

learn about a young girl who played an important role in American history.
put events in the order they happened in the story (sequencing).
use worksheets tied to the story to build vocabulary and other language skills.

Keywords

Sybil Ludington, U.S. history, Connecticut, New York, colonial, Paul Revere, Danbury

Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

The story of Paul Reveres midnight ride is a well known one. But how many people have heard about the ride made by Sybil Ludington? Sixteen-year-old Sybil is a hero of the American Colonial era who is sometimes referred to as the other Paul Revere." Share the story of Sybil Ludington with your students. Then have them complete these accompanying worksheets:

On April 25, 1777, a 2,000 man British force landed near the mouth of the Saugatuck River in Fairfield, Connecticut. The force arrived with 20 transports and 6 warships. That first day they moved 8 miles inland to Weston. On their way to Danbury they left chalk marks on the properties of people who remained loyal to the British; those properties without chalk marks would be destroyed in the days ahead.

Not long before the invasion, supplies had been moved to Danbury from a storage location in Peekskill. The supplies were believed to be safer in Danbury. Since they were thought to be safer, they were not well guarded, making them a perfect target for the British soldiers. The supplies included foods such as flour, beef, pork, sugar, molasses, coffee, and rice as well as tents, hospital cots, clothing, shoes, and cooking utensils.

Sybil traveled 40 miles that night, from her home (in what is called Kent, New York, today) south to Mahopac and north to Stormville. Along the way she had to move carefully to avoid British soldiers as well as British loyalists.

Sybils 40-mile ride was about twice as long as Paul Reveres ride.

Assessment

Assess students effort on the worksheets.

Sybils Story: A Sequencing Activity: The correct sequence is as follows: a.6, b.9, c.5, d. 2, e.10, f.4, g.1, h.8, i.7, j.3.
Language Practice: Building Vocabulary: 1. c-arrived; 2. b-equipment; 3. d-communicate; 4. a-loyal; 5. c-halt; 6. b-bravery.
Language Practice: Find the Mistakes: 7. Colonel (capital C); 8. Fredericksburg, (comma between Fredericksburg, New York); 9. were (use were instead of was); 10. Ludingtons (insert apostrophe).

Lesson Plan Source

EducationWorld.com

Submitted By

Gary Hopkins

National Standards

LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.3 Evaluation Strategies
NL-ENG.K-12.4 Communication Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.11 Participating in Society
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills

SOCIAL SCIENCES: U.S. History
GRADES K - 4
NSS-USH.K-4.1 Living and Working together in Families and Communities, Now and Long Ago
GRADES 5 - 12
3: Revolution and the New Nation (1754-1820s)