Grade Levels: 6-8, 9-12

*Click to open and customize your own copy of the French Revolution Lesson Plan.

This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic French Revolution, and supports the standard of analyzing its major causes. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students:

  • What do the words “liberty” and “equality” mean to you?
  • How are those words significant to United States history?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

  • Read the description on the French Revolution topic page.
  • Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
  • Assign Related Reading. Have students read one of the following articles: “Famous Faces” or “Discoveries and Inventions”. Partner them with someone who read a different article to share what they learned with each other.

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the French Revolution Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about the French Revolution while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

  • Make-a-Movie:  Produce a mini documentary that explains how the Age of Enlightenment contributed to the French Revolution.
  • Make-a-Map: Create a concept map identifying and explaining how the American Revolution contributed to the French Revolution.
  • Creative Coding: Code a flag that represents the ideals of the National Assembly during the French Revolution.
  • Primary Source Activity: Examine a 1792 political cartoon. Then cite details to answer the accompanying questions.

More to Explore 

Time Zone X: French Revolution: Place historical events in chronological order in this interactive timeline game. 

Related BrainPOP Topics: Deepen understanding of the French Revolution and its surrounding history with these topics: Causes of the American Revolution, American Revolution, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

Teacher Support Resources: