Johnny Tremain

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What were some of the key events leading up to the American Revolutionary War? Why did some colonists want independence from England? Why did some want to remain under British rule?

Teaching Suggestion: Students will likely be able to respond to the first two questions using their prior knowledge, but they may be less familiar with the Loyalists’ reasoning than with the Patriots’. You might give students time to consult the resources listed below to further develop their responses.

• This brief article provides information about Patriots’ and Loyalists’ demographics and reasoning.
• This 3.5-minute video provides a musical summary of the causes of the American Revolution.

2. What was life in colonial America like right before the Revolutionary War? In particular, what was life like for young people and for those living in Boston?

Teaching Suggestion: Students might speculate and make predictions with these questions, or you could opt for investigation to prepare their responses. To provide context for this short answer question and the resources below, you may want to introduce the novel as historical fiction that features a 14-year-old boy living in Boston in 1773.

• This brief article about everyday life in colonial America includes a section on life in New England.
• This concise article offers information about the lives of "teenagers" in colonial America.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the novel.

Mistakes are an important part of learning. Write about a time when you made a mistake. What happened? Were you able to try again and correct your mistake? What did you learn from this experience?

Teaching Suggestion: This prompt connects to the theme of Learning Humility and Empathy because Johnny gains these two positive traits after he makes a prideful mistake. If students struggle to think of a personal experience they would like to share, they could write about a fictional character who learns from a mistake instead. In addition, you might consider allowing students to pair up to discuss their responses.