Unit 3 American Revolution Rap War
PBL Activity- You are an influential figure of the colonies around the Revolutionary War Era. It is important that you leave a legacy for your family and country. How will you be remembered?
What will be your legacy?
Show your solution by…Students will be creating a rap and presenting it in class to teach each other about the Revolution and at the same time compete against each other to determine whose legacy is the best. The winners in each round will advance and rap another opponent, until each class has one winner.
Research requirements: Group members need to research their Founding Father/Notable Person and write a 2-4-minute rap that reflects your notable’s legacy. Each rap should include information about your notable figure, and must contain the following information:
- Who- the name of your notable
- Key accomplishment- why are we studying this person, what is their major accomplishment and what did they do that makes them so important? (Explain their legacy)
- When- give a date and or reference to the period of the Revolutionary War that is important to your person
- Where- give information about where your notable was involved, i.e. Georgia, Boston, etc.
List of Notables/Key People
Elijah Clarke, Austin Dabney, Nancy Hart, Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton, Thomas Paine, Sam Adams and the Sons of Liberty, George Washington, John Reynolds, Henry Ellis, Sir James Wright, Nathanael Green, Lighthorse Harry Lee, Noble Jones and the Liberty Boys, Hercules Mulligan and Washington’s Spies
Step 1:
Do Your Research Learn as much as you can about you person.Make sure you have enough information about your person so you can write a rap with extensive details. Your goal is to make an argument that your notable person’s story needs to be told over others. Your skills in rapping show that you are the credible and authentic group of people to tell this story.
Step 2:
Choose Your Music Find an instrumental to rap over that contains the beat your team wants to use or plan for someone in your group to do a beatbox acappella.You can also make your own background beats.
Step 3:
Determine Your Rap Style – from Drake to Nicki Minaj each rapper embodies a different style and beat. You can even mix styles. Think about your content, flow, rhyme and delivery. You might want to use rap notation.
Step 4:
Write Your Rap A good resource for writing your rap is 7 Tips for Writing a Rap. ( The article recommends the basic layout for a rap isintro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus, and outro.You and your partner can write this any way you choose but it is best to have an intro with a couple of verses and a repeating chorus or phrase.
Literary Technique Make sure to include literary devices like alliteration, end rhyme, internal rhymes, puns, double meanings, similes, metaphors, diction (word choice), dialect, and repetition to name some of the more common features of great rap. Use a rhyming dictionary like rhymezone.com. In Hamilton, the songs Satisfied and Guns and Ships are great examples of different styles of rap.
Step 5:
Practice WikiHow’s article, How to Survive a Freestyle Rap Battle is a good resource for how to perform your rap. Whether one person represents the group or your group members trade verses, you should reflect a tone, a mood, and an attitude. Are you angry, indignant, sarcastic, intellectual, funny, etc.? How will you show it? Will you wear costumes? Do you need props?
Step 6:
Performances and take notes
Round 1
John Reynolds / vs / Henry EllisSir James Wright / vs / Sam Adams & the Sons of Liberty
Thomas Paine / vs / George Washington
Nathanael Greene / vs / Lighthorse Harry Lee
Button Gwinnett / vs / Lyman Hall
George Walton / vs / Elijah Clarke
Austin Dabney / vs / Nancy Hart
Hercules Mulligan and Washington’s spies / vs / Noble Jones and
the Liberty Boys
Grades will be calculated with a combination of scores, one from the presentation and one from the researchand notes gathered during presentations.
Rubric
Name ______Notable ______
Content55points / Shows a full exceptional understanding of the topic. Has terrific rhyme and flow.
55 / Shows a good understanding of the topic. Has some rhyme and a little flow.
45 to 30 / Does not seem to understand the topic very well. Lacks flow and no rhyme.
29- 23
Conventions in copy of rap,(i.e. grammar, usage, spelling)
10 points / No errors in conventions.
10 / 1-3 errors in conventions.
7 / Four or more errors in conventions.
4
Speaks clearly
10 points / Speaks clearly and distinctly with enough volume and has clearly rehearsed
10 / Speaks clearly and distinctly. Might have rehearsed?
7 / Often mumbles or cannot be understood OR does not have any volume and makes many mistakes.
4
Time-limit
10 points / Presentation is within 30 sec. of required time.
10 / Presentation is too short or too long by a range of30 sec.to 1 minute.
6 / Presentation is less than 1 or more than 5 minutes.
3
Presentation:
( Preparedness, eye contact and posture)
15points / Looks relaxed and confident. Establishes eye contact with everyone in the room during the presentation. Was ready to present when called upon.
15 / Sometimes establishes eye contact,the student is somewhat prepared, but it is clear that something is lacking.
10 / Slouches and/or does not look at people during the presentation. Student is not ready to present when called upon.
5
Key People of the Revolutionary War Notesheet Name |
Name / Major Accomplishment during the WarElijah Clarke /
Austin Dabney /
Nancy Hart /
Button Gwinnett /
Lyman Hall /
George Walton /
Thomas Paine /
John Reynolds /
Sam Adams and Sons of Liberty /
Henry Ellis
Sir James Wright /
Nathanael Greene /
Lighthorse Harry Lee /
Noble Jones and the Liberty Boys /
Hercules Mulligan and the Washington Spies /