How to Teach the Meaning of the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere
"Listen, my children, and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere," is the famous starting line to the poem "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. However, the poem does not provide the complete tail of Paul Revere's ride. Create an engaging lesson by teaching the meaning of this well known poem. Allow students to analyze the poem and be historians as they compare and contrast the poem to other sources.
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Things You'll Need
- KWL chart on large piece of paper of the board
- Poem copy for each student
- Large display of poem
- Dictionaries
- Internet access
- Paul Revere's account of the ride
- Other sources (optional)
Instructions
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Begin a K-W-L chart with the class. Make three columns: K-what we already know, W-what we want to know, and L-what we have learned. Divide the columns into two rows. One row is for the poem and one is for the actual historical account of ride. Work on the K and W portions of the chart.
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Dramatically read the poem aloud to the class. Make sure each student has a copy, and if possible, display a large copy on an interactive white board or transparency. Discuss how the poem was written in 1860 by the famous poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. See the Resources section of this article for a link to the poem.
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Divide the class into groups. Assign each group a stanza or two to analyze, depending upon the class size. Explain that since the poem is around 150 years old, it is more difficult to read than modern day texts. Each group should look up unknown words in the dictionary and "translate" their assigned section into everyday language.
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Each group shares their translation. The teacher should clarify information as needed. Encourage students to take notes in the margin as to what each stanza is about. Use the "Kids and History" link in the Resource section for an interactive version of the poem that provides additional insight into the meaning of the poem. Display the website on an interactive white board if possible. Add on to the K-W-L chart as a class.
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Read Paul Revere's actual account of the ride. See the Resources section for a link. Consider finding additional sources about the actual ride for the class to analyze. Compare and contrast the poem to the other accounts. Finish the K-W-L chart.
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Discuss as a class possible reasons for the difference between the poem and the actual event. Students can create a Venn diagram or write an essay comparing and contrasting the poem to the other sources. A Venn diagram is a compare and contrast chart that is easy for students to use. It consists of two overlapping circles. In this case, one circle would contain facts specific to the poem, one circle would contain facts specific to the actual ride, and the overlapping section would feature the similarities.
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Tips & Warnings
Make the lesson interdisciplinary by combining the subjects of language arts and social studies.
Have the students write poems about current events to extend the lesson.
