Lesson Plan: Spy of the American Revolution

Essential Questions

• What motivates people to take risks for a cause greater than themselves?
• How can acts of bravery affect the course of history?

Literature Connection

• Historical fiction: Choose Your Own Adventure SPIES: James Armistead Lafayette by Kyandreia Jones
• Historical fiction: I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis

Build Background Knowledge  (5 minutes)

As a class, view our exciting video “What You Need to Know About the American Revolution.” The video, a quick primer on the American Revolution, ends by challenging students to find one more fascinating fact about the war. Let students know that they’ll find several interesting facts about the war in the article they’re about to read. 

Preview Text Features (10 minutes)

Guide students to locate the article in their magazines or at Action Online. Preview the text features by asking the following questions:

• Read the article’s title and subtitle (the text beneath the title). Look at the opening image. What is a spy? What does it mean to “outsmart” someone? Sample answer: A spy is someone who secretly collects and reports information about the activities of an enemy. To outsmart someone means to use intelligence to gain an advantage over them.
• Look at the map titled “The 13 Colonies.” Where were the 13 Colonies located? The 13 Colonies were located along the east coast of the country that is now the United States.

Preview Vocabulary (10 minutes)

• Point out the vocabulary box. Read the words (regret, documents, mislead, surrendered, enslaved, commander) 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 that the article “Spy of the American Revolution” explains how James Lafayette, an enslaved man, risked his life to spy for American forces during the American Revolution.
• Point out the Pause and Think boxes. Tell students they can check their understanding of what they’ve read by answering these questions.
• Tell students that as they finish each section, they should think about how the text features on the page (e.g., photos, captions, and section headings) relate to what they’ve just read.

Read the article. (Higher- and lower-Lexile versions are available on the Story page at Action Online. Click Presentation View to access an audio read-aloud.) Then discuss the following close-reading and critical-thinking questions.

Close-Reading Questions (15 minutes)

• In the article’s opening section, what does James Lafayette offer to do? (key detail) In the opening section, James Lafayette offers to help the British by showing them secret paths through the woods. 
• How did being a double agent make things easier for James Lafayette? (inference) As a spy, James risked being caught by the British, which could mean death. He had to pretend to help the British while secretly giving information to the Americans. As a double agent, he could freely be involved with the Americans without making the British suspicious. He could also give the British false information about the Americans’ plans.
• How did information provided by James Lafayette help the Americans win the Battle of Yorktown? (cause and effect) James’s information about the British moving to Yorktown helped George Washington plan a surprise attack. The American and French forces trapped the British there, which eventually led the British to surrender.

Critical-Thinking Questions (10 minutes)

• James Lafayette took big risks to gather information for the American army. What do his actions tell you about him? Answers may vary. Sample answer: James’s actions show that he was brave and clever.  You can tell he was brave because he crossed enemy lines and entered the British camp without any weapons, risking his life to gather important information. You can tell he was clever because he used his knowledge of the area and understanding of British needs to gain their trust, which allowed him to gather important information and share it with the Americans.
• Why is it important to remember and celebrate heroes from history who are not well known, such as James Lafayette? How can their stories change our understanding of historical events? It is important to remember and celebrate lesser-known heroes like James Lafayette because it gives us a more complete picture of history. Their contributions were important to major events, even if they are not as widely known. By learning about these heroes, we can appreciate the many efforts that shaped history and be inspired by their courage and achievements.

• Have students work in pairs to complete the Spotlight Skill Workout: Text Evidence activity. As a class, discuss students’ answers and the Think About It! question.
• Have students work independently to complete our Sequence of Events Skill Builder, available in higher- and lower-level versions. (Click here to view all your Skill Builders for this article.)
• Writing prompt: Imagine that you are a reporter in 1787, the year James Lafayette was granted his freedom. Write a newspaper article announcing James’s freedom and describing the role he played in helping the Continental Army win the American Revolution. Give information about how James became a spy. Include quotes from important people like Marquis de Lafayette (you can make these up, of course), as well as details from “Spy of the American Revolution.”