Colonies in Revolt Sub Packet
Emergency Sub Plan Social Studies • Grades 5–8
Colonies in Revolt: Sub Guide
Duration: 45–55 Minutes
Format: Complete Lesson Packet (Pages 1–4)
Teacher Note for Substitute:
Thank you for stepping in! This packet is self-contained. Pages 2 and 3 are the student investigation packet featuring chunked reading and 100% multiple-choice questions. Page 4 contains your master answer key for quick scoring.
Lesson Pacing & Procedure
00–05 min
Hook & Packet Distribution
Distribute the 2-page student packet (Pages 2–3). Ask: “Have you ever felt a rule was completely unfair? What did you do?”
05–12 min
Vocabulary & Timeline Walkthrough
Read through the 4 visual vocabulary cards and preview the 1765–1776 timeline on Page 2 together as a whole group.
12–35 min
Chunked Reading & Multiple Choice Checks
Students read Chunks 1–4 individually or with a peer, circling their multiple-choice answers after each section.
35–45 min
Review, Exit Ticket & Collection
Review answers as a class (using the Page 4 Answer Key) or collect completed packets directly for grading.
Materials Needed
- 1 copy of Pages 2–3 (Student Packet) per student (printed double-sided).
- Pencils / pens for circling multiple-choice answers.
- Page 4 (Answer Key) kept by substitute for scoring.
Student Support Tips
Struggling Readers / ELL:
All 8 questions are multiple choice with simplified sentence structures and visual icon cues.
Early Finishers:
Students may sketch a colonial protest broadside poster on the back page defending Patriots or Loyalists.
Classroom Guidelines
- Quiet partner reading allowed for Chunks 1–4.
- Ensure students choose one letter answer for each item.
- Collect all packets in the turn-in bin before dismissal.
Class Assistance
Neighbor Teacher: Classroom Next Door
Main Office: Front Desk / Reception
Reliable Student Helpers: ______________________
Substitute Teacher Debrief Notes
Please leave this on teacher desk at end of day
Substitute: ______________________
Date: ______________________
Period/Block: ______________________
Class notes, star students, or absent students:
Student Investigation American Revolution
Name: Date: Period:
Colonies in Revolt: The Road to War
Read each section carefully, then circle the best answer for each multiple-choice question.
Page 1 of 2
Key Vocabulary to Know
Parliament
The lawmaking group in Great Britain that made rules for the empire.
Boycott
Refusing to buy certain goods as a peaceful way to protest.
No Voice, No Tax
Colonists had zero elected members inside British Parliament.
Patriot / Loyalist
Patriots wanted freedom; Loyalists backed the King.
Timeline of the Revolution
1765
Stamp Act Tax
1770
Boston Massacre
1773
Boston Tea Party
1775
Lexington & Concord
1776
Declaration Signed
1 The French and Indian War Leaves a Huge Bill
1754–1763
Before the 1760s, Great Britain mostly left the thirteen American colonies alone to govern themselves. But from 1754 to 1763, Britain fought a costly war against France in North America. Britain won the war and gained vast new land, but the conflict left the British government with enormous national debt. King George III and Parliament decided that the American colonists should help pay for the soldiers stationed to protect them. To raise this money, Britain began passing new tax laws on colonial goods.
Check 1: Why did Great Britain suddenly start taxing the American colonies in the 1760s?
A To pay off massive debts from the French and Indian War
B To help American colonists build their own navy
C To pay Spanish leaders for colonial land
D To buy expensive tea directly from France
2 “No Taxation Without Representation!”
1765–1767
In 1765, Parliament passed the Stamp Act. This law required colonists to buy special paper stamps for newspapers, legal documents, and playing cards. Colonists were furious. It was not just the price—it was the principle. The colonists had their own elected assemblies in America, but they had no elected representatives in the British Parliament in London. Their protest cry became: “No taxation without representation!” Colonists organized boycotts and refused to buy British goods until the tax was repealed.
Check 2: What was the main reason colonists objected so strongly to the Stamp Act?
A They wanted to buy only French newspapers
B They had no voice or vote in the British Parliament
C They wanted paper goods to be outlawed
D They wanted to pay higher taxes on sugar instead
Student Investigation Colonies in Revolt • Page 2 of 2
Name:
3 Protests Turn Deadly: Boston in Turmoil
1770 & 1773
Tension boiled over in Boston, Massachusetts. On March 5, 1770, an angry crowd confronted British soldiers guarding the Boston Custom House. Shouting turned to thrown snowballs and rocks. In the confusion, soldiers fired into the crowd, killing five colonists. Colonists called this the Boston Massacre. Three years later, Britain passed the Tea Act. In December 1773, a group called the Sons of Liberty disguised themselves, boarded three British ships, and dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor. Britain responded by shutting Boston Harbor and sending thousands more troops.
Check 3: What did the Sons of Liberty do during the Boston Tea Party to protest the tea tax?
A They burned down the British Parliament building
B They dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor
C They gave free tea to British soldiers in town
D They sailed the ships directly across to France
4 The Spark at Lexington and Concord
April 1775
By April 1775, war was unavoidable. British troops marched toward Concord, Massachusetts, to seize weapons stored by colonial militias (known as Minutemen). On the morning of April 19, British Redcoats met armed colonists on Lexington Green. A shot rang out—nobody knows who fired first. It became known as “the shot heard ’round the world.” The American Revolutionary War had officially begun. By July 1776, colonial leaders signed the Declaration of Independence.
Check 4: Why were British soldiers marching toward Concord in April 1775?
A To capture colonial weapons and gunpowder
B To sign a peace treaty with George Washington
C To buy tea from local Boston merchants
D To build a new fort against French forces
Part B: Big Ideas Review
5. How did colonists peacefully protest British taxes before fighting began?
A By organizing boycotts and refusing to buy British goods
B By electing King George III to be their president
C By moving all 13 colonies to Canada
D By agreeing to pay double taxes on all items
6. Why was the clash at Lexington called “the shot heard ’round the world”?
A It was the loudest cannon ever built in Europe
B It marked the start of a revolution that changed world history
C It caused Spain and France to end all of their armies
D It was an accidental gun discharge during target practice
Exit Ticket: Perspectives Check
Circle one answer for each
7. Which statement best represents the viewpoint of a colonial Patriot?
A “We should pay any tax King George asks of us.”
B “We must govern ourselves because Britain does not represent us.”
8. Which statement best represents the viewpoint of a colonial Loyalist?
A “Britain protected us from enemies, so we owe loyalty to the King.”
B “We must destroy all British ships and declare war right now.”
Multiple Choice Answer Key Colonies in Revolt Packet
Colonies in Revolt: Answer Key
Total Items: 8 Questions
Quick 100% Multiple Choice Key
Substitute Quick-Grade Guide: All questions are multiple choice. Each question can be scored as 1 point (or weighted equally for a total of 100%).
Master Letter Key At-A-Glance
Q1
A
Q2
B
Q3
B
Q4
A
Q5
A
Q6
B
Q7
B
Q8
A
PAGE 2 Checkpoints 1 & 2 Reading Chunks
1. French & Indian War Tax Reason A
Correct: To pay off massive debts from the French and Indian War.
2. Objection to the Stamp Act B
Correct: They had no voice or vote in the British Parliament.
PAGE 3 Checkpoints 3 & 4 Reading Chunks
3. Boston Tea Party Action B
Correct: Dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor.
4. March to Concord Purpose A
Correct: To capture colonial weapons and gunpowder.
PAGE 3 Part B: Big Ideas Review Comprehension
5. Peaceful Colonial Protest A
Correct: By organizing boycotts and refusing to buy British goods.
6. Shot Heard 'Round the World B
Correct: It marked the start of a revolution that changed world history.
EXIT TICKET Perspectives Check Historical Stance
7. Patriot Viewpoint B
Correct: “We must govern ourselves because Britain does not represent us.”
8. Loyalist Viewpoint A
Correct: “Britain protected us from enemies, so we owe loyalty to the King.”
Quick Scoring Scale (8 Questions Total)
8/8 = 100% • 7/8 = 88% • 6/8 = 75% • 5/8 = 63% • 4/8 or below = Re-teaching needed
Evaluator / Sub Initials: _____________
