TTC Lesson Plan Template

Lesson Title Primary Sources: Multiple Perspectives

Age Group Grade VII

Curriculum Standard Colonial Fair Research

Mastery Objective Students will be able to demonstrate that all primary sources show
a perspective and have bias

Language Objective Students will annotate and answer questions about primary
sources of varying perspectives from the Boston Massacre

Materials for Students Slide deck (Appendix A)

Warmup Handouts (Appendix B)
Primary Source Packets (Appendix C)
Graphic Organizer (Appendix D)
Exit Write (Appendix E)

Key Vocabulary Primary Source

Boston Massacre
Perspective

Procedure Objectives and Rationale: slides on board ( Appendix A)

● Show understanding of the varying perspectives of primary
sources from the same event
● Use evidence from many perspectives to form an opinion
on a historical event

Rationale:
Warm up: 10 minutes

Teacher: Yesterday we began to unearth some of the issues

related to primary sources, but also learned about how much they
can tell you about their author/creator. Today, we are going to
delve deeper into primary sources, and uncover how each source
has a bias and perspective. Historians must observe all of these
sources in order to create a historical narrative that is accurate to
the time, as one perspective would not do this justice.

1. Teacher put up Paul Revere engraving on board

“The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street on March 5th,
1770 . . . ,” engraved by Paul Revere, Boston, Massachusetts,
2. Handout warm-up sheet (Appendix B), instruct students to work
in table groups

Warm-up questions:
● What jumps out at you?
● How would you describe the crowd of colonists?
● How would you describe the crowd of British soldiers?
● Who made this picture? What side were they on?

Teacher: explain who Paul Revere was and why that is important
to understanding the artwork

Now that we have looked at one perspective of the days events,

let's look at multiple to form our opinions

Jigsaw activity: 30 minutes (Primary Source packet, Appendix

C)

Groups of 4- predetermined

1. During this activity you should be thinking about whether or

not the British soldiers should be guilty of murder or not.
Were they facing a grave danger and reacted accordingly?
Or did they act maliciously and are guilty of murder for
shooting at the crowd?

2. Class will be divided into groups of 4, and each table group

will be given a packet of primary sources and questions to
accompany. Each group will be assigned one primary
source in which they all must understand fully, in order to
present to their original table groups.

3. Students will answer all comprehension and perspective

questions

4. If students finish that source early, they will move to the

next source in the packet to get another perspective on the
event.

5. RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SHOULD BE IN NOTE

FORM
 6. When student return to their original groups they will hear
from each member’s perspective and whether or not the
British soldiers are guilty or not (from the perspective of
their assigned source)

7. Table groups should try to come to a consensus on a guilty

or not guilty verdict

Closing ​Closing: 10 minutes (Appendix E)

Teacher- after researching and analyzing multiple perspectives of
the event, it is time for you to decide if the British soldiers are
guilty or not and explain why you believe this.

Hand out exit write (Appendix E)

● Should the British soldiers be convicted of
manslaughter? Or were they under grave
danger and justified in shooting at the
Bostonians?
● Use at least 2 pieces of evidence that you
heard in your group discussion to support your
opinion.
Differentiation ● Written work, movement, visual learning, and verbal
discussion work help students of all learning styles
● Students work in table groups for the source work to allow
them to verbally explain their reasoning and collaborate as
a group to problem solve around difficult language used in
the sources
● Primary sources including the warm up activity are highly
visual and easy to digest for all students
● Sources have been slightly modified and bracketed words
help students work around difficult vocabulary and
phraseology
● Students get to express their own opinion and perspective
at the end of the lesson

Assessment ● Students will be informally assessed during all aspects of

the lesson by over the shoulder observation
● Students will be assessed on comprehension of the source
 questions as they will be asked to answer them randomly
following their group preparation in the jigsaw activity
● Exit writes will be collected and assessed for
understanding of the perspectives of primary sources and
how they can shape a historical narrative

Appendix A
(Objective and warm up slide deck, 3 slides)

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1blzf-bbhSbv67TnS4PjDA4ZvXk60RFvm4VGEjTjn2kc/e
dit?usp=sharing
Appendix B

Name Date

Warm Up
Boston Massacre Engraving

Who is depicted as the victims? The colonists or the British soldiers? Why?

How would you describe the crowd of colonists? How would you describe the crowd of
British soldiers?

What perspective of the Boston Massacre is this image showing?

Testimony from Charles Hobby, a Boston labourer 1
Between the hours of nine and ten o’clock, being in my
master’s house, was alarmed with the cry of fire
[arguments], I ran down as far as the town-house and then
heard that the soldiers and inhabitants were fighting in the
alley… I then left them and went to King street. I then saw
a party of soldiers loading their muskets about the
Custom-house [government building] door. I heard some
of the inhabitants [Bostonians] cry out, “heave no
snowballs”, others cried “they dare not fire”.

Captain Preston was then standing by the soldiers, when

a snow ball struck a grenadier [British soldier], who
immediately fired, Captain Preston standing close by him.
The captain then spoke distinctly, “Fire, Fire!” I was then
within four feet of Captain Preston, and know him well.
The soldiers fired as fast as they could one after another.
I saw the mulatto [person of mixed race, black and white]
fall [named Crispus Attucks], and when Samuel Gray went
to look at him, one of the soldiers, at a distance of about
four or five yards, pointed his piece [musket] directly at
Gray’s head and fired. Mr. Gray, after struggling, turned
himself right round upon his heel and fell dead.
Name: Date:

Source 1 Questions:
Comprehension:

1. Was the mob a real and dangerous threat to the wellbeing of the
British soldiers?

2. Was Captain Preston responsible for the troops firing?

Perspective:

1. What is Charles Hobby’s position? Guilty or not guilty?

2. What is the strongest evidence of his position?

Testimony from [British] Captain Thomas Preston, March 5, 1770 ​ 2
They [the mob] advanced to the points of the bayonets, stuck some of them
and even the muzzles [the front of the muskets] of the pieces, and seemed
to be endeavoring to close with the soldiers . . . some well behaved
persons asked me if the guns were charged [loaded] and I replied yes . . .
they then asked if I intended to order the men to fire. I answered no, by no
means, observing [telling] to them that I was advanced before the muzzles
of the men’s pieces [he was standing in front of their guns] and must fall a
sacrifice if they fired; and my giving the word fire under those circumstance
would prove me no officer [incapable of leading as he would have been
shot dead]. While I was thus speaking, one of the [British] soldiers have
received a severe blow with a stick, stepped a little on one side and
instantly fired, on which turning and asking why he fired without orders, I
was struck with a club on my arm, which for some deprived me the use of it
[his gun], which blow had it been placed on my head, most probably would
have destroyed me [killed him].
On this a general attack was made on the [British] men by a great
number of heavy clubs and snowballs being thrown . . . by which all our
lives were in imminent [immediate] danger . . . Instantly three of four
soldiers fired, one after another, and directly after three more in the same
confusion and hurry. The mob ran away, except three unhappy men who
instantly expired [died] . . . On my asking the soldiers why they fired without
orders, they said they heard the word fire and supposed it came from me.
This might be the case as many of the mob called out fire, fire, but I
assured the men that I gave no such order.
Name: Date:

Source 2 Questions:
Comprehension:

1. What did Captain Preston believe this crowd of colonists aimed to

do?

2. Based on Captain Preston’s testimony, does it seem like the British

soldiers were in serious danger?

Perspective:

1. What is Captain Preston’s position (guilty or not guilty)

2. What is his strongest evidence?

Testimony from Bostonian William Tant 3
​

. . . I saw a party of soldiers come from the

main guard, and draw themselves up in a
line from the corner of the Customs-house
to the sentry-box; the people still continued
in the street crying “Fire, fire, and be
damned,” and hove [throw] some more
snowballs; whereupon I heard a musket go
off, and in the space of two or three
seconds, I heard the word “Fire” given, but
by whom I do not know, and instantly the
soldiers fired one after another. I then
stood between the sentry-box and the
Custom-house door. And further I know not.
Name: Date:

Source 3 Questions

1. Based on William Tant’s perspective, who does it seem ordered the

troops to fire?

2. Were the British soldiers seemingly in any danger?

Perspective:

1. What is William Tant’s position? Guilty or not guilty?

2. What is the strongest evidence of his position?

Report to the Committee of the Town of Boston 4

On Friday, the 2d instant, a quarrel [physical fight] arose

between some soldiers of the 29th, and the rope-makers
journeymen and apprentices, which was carried to that
length, as to be dangerous to the lives of each party, many
of them being much wounded. This contentious
disposition [argumentative/confrontational behavior]
continued until the Monday evening following, [March 5th]
when a party of seven or eight soldiers were detached
[seperated] from the main guard, under the command of
Captain Preston, and by his orders fired upon the
inhabitants promiscuously [irresponsibly] in King Street,
without the least warning of their [the British] intention, and
killed three [colonists] on the spot; anther has since died of
his wounds, and others are dangerously, some it is feared
mortally, wounded. Captain Preston and his party are now
in jail. An inquiry is now making into this unhappy affair . .
.

Sam Adams, John Hancock, and others,

Committee of the Town of Boston
Name: Date:

Source 4 Questions
Comprehension:

1. What happened on March 2nd? Based on the committee’s

perspectives, how did this contribute to the events of March 5th?

2. Based on the source, how responsible were the colonists for the
events of March 5th?

Perspective:

1. What is the Committee of Boston’s position? Guilty or not guilty?

2. What is the committee’s strongest evidence to support their position?

 Appendix D

Name: Date:

Multiple Perspectives Graphic Organizer

Source 1: Charles Source 2: Captain Source 3: Source 4:
Hobby Thomas Preston William Tant Committee of the town
of Boston

Perspective: Guilty Perspective: Guilty or Perspective: Guilty or Perspective: Guilty or

or innocent? innocent? innocent? Innocent?

Evidence: Evidence: Evidence: Evidence:

Appendix C

Name Date

Exit Write

1. Should the British soldiers be convicted of manslaughter? Or were

they under grave danger and justified in shooting at the Bostonians?
2. Use at least 2 pieces of evidence that you heard in your group
discussion to support your opinion.