Lesson Plan - History Makers: James Lafayette

Watch a Video: What You Need to Know About the American Revolution
Discuss: What events led to the Revolutionary War? 

Preview Words to Know
Project the online vocabulary slideshow and introduce the Words to Know. 

• terrain
• double agent
• provided

Set a Purpose for Reading
Call attention to the As You Read box, and have students identify the main reason for the fighting as they read the article.

1. How did James Lafayette get information for the American army?
James pretended to be an escaped enslaved person to get into the British camp. He listened to British leaders talk about their secret battle plans.
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2. What evidence supports the idea that being a double agent was dangerous?
The article states that “If James were caught by the British for lying, he would be killed.”
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3. What is the section “Free at Last” mostly about?
This section is about what James did after the war. He used a letter from Marquis de Lafayette to get his freedom and took Lafayette’s name as his own to honor him.
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FEATURED SKILL: Synthesize Information
Use “All About James Lafayette” to have students complete a biographical profile.
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