Standards Correlations

R.1, R.2, R.3, R.4, R.7, W.3, SL.1, SL.2, L.4, L.6

Learning Objective

As students read about Revolutionary War hero Sybil Ludington, they will make inferences about the plot and characters.

Key Skills

inference, text features, vocabulary, elements of fiction, summarizing, character, interpreting text, plot, synthesizing, critical thinking, informational writing

Complexity Factors

Levels of Meaning: The play relates a story from the American Revolution about a young woman's achievement in a traditionally male arena.

 

Structure: The play is chronological and has six scenes and an epilogue.

 

Language: The play includes some figurative language. 

 

Knowledge Demands: Familiarity with the American Revolution and the Colonial period will be helpful.

Levels

Guided Reading Level: T 

DRA Level: 50

SEL Connection:

This play and lesson plan promote social awareness.

Lesson Plan: Girl. Fighter. Hero.

Essential Questions

  • How have ideas about women’s roles in society changed over time?
  • What does it mean to be underestimated?

Literature Connection

  • Historical fiction: I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
  • Historical fiction: Sybil Ludington: Revolutionary War Rider by E.F. Abbott

1. Preparing to Read 

Build Background Knowledge (10 minutes)

Before reading the play, view our video “Time Machine: The American Revolution.” The video will give students an idea of what life was like in the 13 Colonies during the American Revolution. After viewing it, ask students these questions: How was life in the 13 Colonies different from life today? Why did the American Revolution happen? How did it end?

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the play in their magazines or online. Then preview the text features using the following prompts:

  • Read the play’s title and the text beside it, and look at the large illustration. Who was Sybil Ludington? What do you think the term daring task means? Sybil Ludington was a young woman who was a fighter and a hero. She fought to save her country during a war. A daring task is an action that requires a great deal of bravery.
  • Look at the map titled “Sybil’s Famous Ride” and read its caption. Tracing Sybil’s route with a finger, name the towns where she stopped. What should we keep in mind about Sybil’s ride based on the caption to this map? Sybil began her ride in Kent; then she stopped at Carmel, Mahopac, Mahopac Falls, Kent Cliffs, Redding Corners, and Stormville, and then returned to Kent. We should keep in mind that experts question whether the ride actually happened. It may be a legend rather than a true story.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

  • Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (loyal, militia, pace, bandits, trudge, emerge) aloud and discuss their definitions.
  • Play the Vocabulary Slideshow.

Make a Plan for Reading

Before students start to read, walk them through a reading plan:

  • Set a purpose for reading by telling students they’ll make inferences while reading “Girl. Fighter. Hero.” Explain that making an inference means using clues from the text to figure out something that isn’t stated directly. 
  • Point out the activity at the end of the play. Tell students they will complete it after reading.

2. Reading and Unpacking the Text

  • Assign roles to students and read the play aloud as a class. Stop after each scene and ask students to summarize what happened.
  • After reading, discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

  • Reread the prologue. In 1776, what did the Patriots want? What did the Loyalists want? (summarizing) The Patriots wanted to be free from King George of England and to rule themselves. The Loyalists wanted to continue to be ruled by King George. They supported the British army. 
  • Reread Scene 1. What is Sybil like? Which details support your answer? (character) Sybil is brave and confident, and she believes women are as capable as men. While her family looks on, Sybil opens the door for a stranger, even though she is nervous. When she learns that someone must warn her father about the British, she immediately says that she’ll go. She also challenges Mr. Crosby on whether women should be able to join the militia, saying, “I am as skilled as any boy.” 
  • In Scene 2, how does Sybil fool Mr. Prosser and his aide? What does this tell you about her? (character) Sybil has her siblings walk in front of the windows carrying candles in order to make Mr. Prosser and his men believe many soldiers are inside the house. This shows that she is clever and quick-thinking. 
  • In Scene 5, Sybil says, “I’d die before I’d see a Loyalist on my horse.” Mr. Prosser answers, “That can be arranged.” What does he mean? (interpreting text) Mr. Prosser means that he wouldn’t have a problem killing Sybil for her horse.
  • Based on Scenes 5 and 6, what did Sybil achieve with her ride? (plot) Sybil successfully called out the militia; 400 men showed up at the Ludingtons’ house and went to fight for Danbury. Although the city was destroyed, many people were kept safe.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

  • What does Sybil mean by her last line in the play? How does the caption “The Women and Children” support her statement? (synthesizing) Sybil says, “I hope I have shown you that it is not only the best ‘men’ who can fight for freedom.” She means that women can fight for freedom as well, as she did by gathering the militia. The caption explains that women helped in other ways too. They cooked for soldiers, sewed military clothes, and cared for the wounded. Many also kept their homes safe. 
  • Before reading this play, had you heard of Sybil Ludington? If you hadn’t, why do you think that might be? Why is she not a better-known figure in American history? Give two alternate theories. (critical thinking) Theories for why Sybil Ludington is not a better known figure in American history include: Experts have doubts as to whether she actually took the ride she is famous for. It might just be a legend. It’s also possible that she has been overlooked in history because she was a young woman.

3. Skill Building and Writing

Learn Anywhere Activity

An enrichment activity to extend the learning journey at home or in the classroom

Project the task below on your whiteboard or share it with students in your LMS.

Write an Acrostic Poem

An acrostic poem is a poem in which certain letters (usually the first letter) in each line spell out a word or phrase. Typically, the word or phrase has something to do with the content of the poem. Here’s an example using the word Saturdays:

Sleeping late 
and 
then going 
uptown to
roller skate makes it a great 
day, 
and it’s even better when 
you’re there with your 
skateboard.

Now it’s your turn! Try writing an acrostic poem about Sybil Ludington, using her name. Think about the time in which she lived, the action she’s known for, and what made her a special person. You can work in pairs or small groups if it helps you.

(Having trouble getting started? You can begin your poem with the lines below. Then you’ll only have to work on Sybil’s last name!)

She was
young and 
brave
in 1777, and her father led the
local militia.

Language-Acquisition Springboard

Teach hard and soft g sounds to boost students’ phonics knowledge.

When deciding how to pronounce an unfamiliar word, students sometimes have trouble with the letter g. You can help your students by letting them know that the hard g sound (as in goat and gorilla) is usually produced when the g is followed by an a, an o, a u, and most other letters. The soft g sound (as in giraffe) is usually produced when the g is followed by an e, an i, or a y. (There are some exceptions, such as get and girl.)

Direct students’ attention to the vocabulary box and ask them to find the two words in which a g is followed by an e (trudge and emerge). Have students practice saying these words aloud. 

Now print or project this word list and ask for volunteers to say each word out loud, noting whether it has a hard or soft g sound:

  • age
  • ago
  • angel
  • angle
  • magic
  • magnetic
  • pig
  • pigeon
  • stag
  • stage

Looking for more ELL support? Download our full lesson plan and scroll to p. 5 to find questions that will help your ELLs respond to the text at the level that’s right for them.

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