Battles+of+Valley+Forge

Valley Forge: A Turning Point in World History! A Web-Quest w/ a Promotional Poster Activity for EXTRA CREDIT Created by Stephen Zingone

Answer each of the following questions by using websites as directed! Be thorough! To complete this section, **USE THIS SITE:**  @http://www.hobart.k12.in.us/cside/American%20Revolution/revwar/vforge.htm //1. How long did the soldiers remain at Valley Forge? _

2.. Which people made up the ranks of the enlisted soldiers? Which colonies?

3. What were a soldier’s basic possessions?

4. At first tents offered little shelter from the cold winter weather, what problems did the huts present the men?

5. How did women help out? A. _ B. _ C. _

6. What problems continually plagued the soldiers? _ A. _ B. _

7. What forms of entertainment/escape existed in the encampment? C. _ D. _

To complete this section, go to 2 primary source readings. This is a Challenge!!! "There was choice of difficulties": Hardships at Valley Forge: Turning Point 7. List the 3 things Washington believed would befall his army? Why? A._ B. _ C. _
 * USE THESE SITE:**

Why? _

8. **What** problem did Washington state he and his officers had trouble ending? **Why**? **What** were they lacking? If bad weather struck, how long could the army last?

9. Find and paraphrase the excerpt where Gen. Washington explains his ineffectiveness. _

10. **Why/how** many solders were unfit for duty? _

11. Feb.7, 1778 What evidence suggests things had only gotten worse? _

Below, evaluate and describe the overall psychological/emotional tone of Washington’s letters. To complete this section of questions, **USE THIS SITE**: @http://www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/steuben.html 12. Describe the process by which Von Steuben was able to affect changes throughout the Continental Army at valley Forge.

13. What evidence suggests that Von Steuben grew extremely frustrated with the training abilities of the Continental Army?

14.What measures did Von Steuben employ in order to keep up the spirits and morale of the soldiers? Why did it work? **Think!** _

15. What problem made it confusing for soldiers to work in unison?

• • • • • • • • • 17. What proof exists that suggests von Steuben was supremely effective in making the rag tag Continental Army into a superior fighting force capable of holding its own with anyone?
 * 16. List the new simplified commands put in place by Von Steuben**


 * 18. *In your opinion, why would it seem that Von Steuben is greatly underrated with regards to his role in the American Revolution?**

Put these events on a Timeline and record the IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!
 * 19. AND 20. Final Activity:** Go to http://http://www.patriotresource.com/amerrev/timeline.html and click on **Battles/Campaign: Battles: 1775-1779** and note the bulleted list of events from 1775 to Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

<<<<<<< EXTRA CREDIT >>>>>>>

Today, Americans are divided in their opinions and party allegiances with regards to the War on Terror. America’s mass media (television, radio, newspapers, magazines, etc.) may have played a role in developing opinions and in dividing our loyalties. During the American Revolution, newspapers played a role in keeping the colonists informed. In doing so, the loyalties of the colonists may have been swayed or changed; allegiances grew further apart or remained divided. In fact, the prominent revolutionary/future President of the United States John Adams believed that Americans were nearly equally divided into groups of thirds. He stated and believed that 1/3 of all American colonists were still loyal to Britain, 1/3 of Americans were loyal Patriots in favor of independence and the last 1/3 were undecided as to which side they would or should support. The American Revolution has been a source of pain and suffering in the colonies for nearly 3 years. You are a citizen of the now British occupied city of Philadelphia during the winter of 1777-1778. You are well educated, come from a prominent family, and can trace your family line back to the original settlers of Pennsylvania. Although your family has done well in America, you have grown into an ambitious young colonial entrepreneur. You have long believed that given the chance you could gain both fame and fortune for yourself. Due to a recent loss in the family, you have been left a sizeable inheritance. This sum is not gigantic but it could be enough to start you down the road to gaining greater success, wealth and power. If used properly, the inheritance could provide you with the means by which you could begin to build your modest inheritance into a great fortune. As resident of Pennsylvania, you are an admiring fan of Ben Franklin and you remember that he started down his path to glory and fame by starting a business as a newspaper printer and publisher. You feel in your heart that you too can make it big in the newspaper business. Still, you know that to start your paper off right, you will need a controversial story that can serve as the attention grabber. You believe that such a story will foster interest in your newspaper; it could promote wide sales and circulation and help insure that your paper meets with the approval of a wide readership. If you can earn the interest of a wide readership in Philadelphia, you can be well positioned to make a fortune. You brainstorm for ideas seeking that 1st great story and you realize that you may need to stay local in order to find the largest possible audience., You realize that you will first need to undertake a secret mission, go undercover and find out the facts for yourself. You have heard terrible rumors that soldiers in the Continental Army are suffering unimaginable hardships and sickening deprivations. Inspiration strikes and you decide you want to check out the facts for yourself. If the rumors are correct, you may be in for a horrific experience! It is your hope that those experiences could be generated into your first newspaper headline. The story could rock the socialites of Philadelphia; you and your story could become an overnight sensation! You decide that you will enlist into the Continental Army as an infantryman. You will secretly go undercover and record the events transpiring at the nearby Continental Army encampment. The enlistment is for a period of 6 months and will run from December 1st until May 1st in 1778. It is your intention to keep your mission a secret and to keep a daily journal of everything you experience. If the rumors are only 1/2 true, the lead story for your newspaper could be a tremendous selling point. You could start to amass your fortune! Whatever the outcome, you will be in Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778. You may need luck to survive; as you can see conditions appear woeful indeed. Before your enlistment you were undecided as to where your loyalties lay. Now, after having spent 6 months enlisted in the Continental Army, you return home a changed person whose opinions on the war are now set. You will use your accumulated journal entries, sketches and comics as the source for a fantastic start to your newspaper. You now intend for your newspaper to become a voice for the colonists to heed. Your new biased opinions on the war will help to shape the opinions of colonists You intend to make your cover story so sensational that those who read it will be swayed to think as you do and support what you believe to be the proper course of actions in the colonies. To help sell your papers, you will make a series of promotional posters and spread them around the city. In doing so, you believe you can spark the interest of your readers. o Name of your newspaper o The headline to your first story w/ your name as the author o A summary paragraph of your cover story article {1/2 page in length} o A summary of your findings at Valley Forge {bullet listed} o Timeline of either Patriot victories or defeats {ex. loyalists present defeats} o Bullet List noting conditions/deprivations faced by soldiers at Valley Forge o Discipline issues faced by Washington at Valley Forge o A brief description of Washington’s high or low morale at Valley Forge/why o Bullet list biography of Von Steuben/background/method of training men o Specific simplified commands Von Steuben used for training the soldiers o Condition of the army by May 1st, 1778 o Your verbal presentation will be based on your time in the army-make a prediction for the future and explain why you think as you do.
 * Overview/Introduction:**
 * Setting:**
 * Your Mission:**
 * Your Outcome/Final Product:**
 * Promotional Poster Specifications/Items That Must Be Present:**
 * Your poster design must be highly reflective of your Patriotic or Loyalist bias!
 * Include the following:**


 * Project/Storyboard Grading Criteria: Score: 5 4 3 2 1 0**
 * Participation/Verbal** Student was 100% focused and the project, efforts were completely directed towards accumulation of data or towards completion of a promotional poster. Use of computers was focused and productive, time was used with the highest levels efficiency/ Verbal presentation was loud, clear, energetic, persuasive and displayed high levels of rehearsal.
 * Neatness/Organization:** Poster was extremely well designed with a clear sense of organization; items were abundant and spaced in such a way as to add overall appeal to the product. The poster did not come across as busy and yet it presented great detailed evidence of learning via visual presentation of attained learning.
 * Thoroughness:** Each focus item was addressed in the poster. A timeline was present; bullet lists with corresponding data were present. All down loaded graphics of pictures of players enhanced the appeal of the poster. A clear bias was presented, the average viewer could easily determine the bias of the designer
 * Historic Accuracy:** Facts, pictures, graphics of any kind were correct. Designer addressed each item suggested by the requirements of the poster. Ideas were presented in an easily read and clearly understood manner. Poster was self-explanatory, the average viewer could determine the ideas and intended message.
 * Creativity:** The aesthetic appeal of the poster was very high. The poster was a 50:50 blend of hand and computer generated graphics. The entire poster was colorful, original, thought provoking and the intended message/graphics worked well together. The avg. viewer could easily ascertain a planned bias.