Rebellion 1776 Book Review & Tips for Incorporating the Book into ELA Classroom Curriculum

When I was a middle school student, I read every historical fiction book I could find in my school library, immersing myself in other time periods and places. As I've gotten older, I've slowly drifted to reading more memoirs and nonfiction books that align with my life experiences. Recently, I decided to venture back into the world of historical fiction and check out Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson from my local public library. 

I'm excited to share my review, as well as a few resources that may be helpful for incorporating Rebellion 1776 into your classroom curriculum. 

My Review of Rebellion 1776

I was quickly pulled into the first person account of Elsbeth Culpepper, a 13-year-old girl who narrates her life in Boston during the Revolutionary War. After her mom and siblings die from smallpox and her dad disappears, Elsbeth navigates difficult challenges with bravery, spunk, ingenuity, and humor. Along the way, she encounters a host of fascinating characters, such as a grumpy housekeeper, a wealthy orphan, a rude judge, a blackmailing thief, an evil ship captain, and a family full of unique individuals. 

One of the main challenges Elsbeth faces is securing continuous employment to avoid going to a poorhouse. She eventually obtains a role as a servant for a Patriot family in which she cleans the home, provides childcare, milks a cow, provides medical support, runs errands, and manages other responsibilities that are often too overwhelming for a 13-year-old. As she is working, she often finds herself in sticky situations in which she must decide whether to lie or tell the truth. 

Although I don't want to give away too many spoilers, I will share that the ending is bittersweet and unexpected with scenes of intense grief and delightful celebration. This book's conclusion will tug at readers' heartstrings in surprising ways. 

As I reflect back on the book, I am impressed with the thorough research that Laurie Halse Anderson poured into her writing process, as well as the emotional depth of the content. The author wrote about complex themes like grief, trauma, and depression in a way that will help young readers process their own emotions. I believe it would be a great addition to a 5th - 7th grade ELA curriculum. 

Engaging Ideas for Teaching Rebellion 1776 

Smallpox and Revolutionary War Historical Document Gallery Walk 

Hang up copies of primary source documents, such as the Declaration of Independence or newspaper articles about the smallpox epidemic, around your classroom. Include discussion or independent writing prompts beside each station to help students engage with the content at a deeper level. 

Informational Writing Project About Key Figures from the Revoluationary War

Have students research Abigail Adams, George Washington, and other famous figures mentioned in Rebellion 1776. Then, encourage students to design a one-pager or poster with information about the individuals. 

Reflect on Chapters with Writing Prompts and Discussion Questions

Help your students explore Rebellion 1776 with this printable reflection guide. This 11 page PDF includes thought-provoking writing prompts about the 43 chapters in the book. The questions will help students think critically about Elsbeth's character development, the author's craft, themes in the book, and more.

Share a Pre-Reading Guide

Begin your study of Laurie Halse Anderson's Rebellion 1776 with this anticipation guide. This print-and-go pre-reading exercise will help students make inferences and research Laurie Halse Anderson. The printable activity contains the following steps: 

• writing observations about the front cover art
• describing what they learned by reading the back cover
• setting personal goals for reading
• researching Laurie Halse Anderson and writing down research sources
• explaining how they feel about the book before reading it

Encourage Students to Write Chapter Summary Notes

This template includes a section for students to jot down questions they have about the book, a space to list characters and setting details, an area to write key plot details, a short summary box, a creative space to make an illustration about a scene in the chapter, and a section to respond to a deep thinking question provided by the teacher.

Have Students Fill Out a Character Development Chart for Elsbeth

Help your students analyze Elsbeth's character development in Rebellion 1776 with this writing activity. Students will select evidence from the text to demonstrate Elsbeth's changes throughout the beginning, middle, and end of the book.

Track Characters by Illustrating and Writing Descriptions for Each Character 

Help your students analyze the main characters in Rebellion 1776 with this art and writing activity. As students encounter each individual in the story, they will draw an illustration of that character in one of the picture frames. Then, they will write down a brief description of the characters and why they matter in the story.

Draw a Comic to Summarize a Scene in Rebellion 1776 

Your students will love reviewing Rebellion 1776 with this comic art and writing project. Students will draw illustrations that summarize key scenes, write captions to explain their artwork, and fill the speech bubbles with dialogue. This activity is a fun option for assessing reading comprehension and helping students visualize the book.

Encourage Students to Review Rebellion 1776 

After reading Laurie Halse Anderson's Rebellion 1776, students will write a brief opinion essay explaining if they loved it, hated it, or felt somewhere in the middle about it. They will try to convince people to either read it or not read it. To prove their point, students must cite textual evidence from the book. For example, if the students think the book is excellent because it uses figurative language, they must find a hyperbole in the story that demonstrates the successful writing techniques.

Setting art & writing activity: 

As your students study Rebellion 1776, they'll have fun illustrating important settings in the book. This 8.5 x 11 in printable pdf will guide them through the process of writing down evidence and page numbers from the book that support their illustrations.

Story scrapbook project: 

Your students will love summarizing important scenes in Rebellion 1776 with this art and writing project. Students will select 7 memorable moments from the novel and illustrate them in the film squares. This engaging activity is perfect for a reading comprehension check.

Are you incorporating Rebellion 1776 into your curriculum? Leave a comment below to share how you're teaching the book!