Teacher Resources
Portland
Inquiry Question
Can a military action succeed tactically while failing strategically? What does Falmouth teach us?
Primary Sources
What Teachers and Students Use
Captain Henry Mowat's Orders and Dispatches: Falmouth Bombardment, October 1775
PRIMARY · British Admiralty Records, Public Record Office, Kew
5 analysis prompts
Journals of the Continental Congress: Falmouth Burning Resolution, November 1775
PRIMARY · Library of Congress
5 analysis prompts
Records of the Massachusetts Provincial Congress: Falmouth Relief Measures, 1775
PRIMARY · Massachusetts State Archives
5 analysis prompts
Eyewitness Account of the Burning of Falmouth (George Lux)
PRIMARY · Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings
5 analysis prompts
National Register of Historic Places: Portland, Maine -- Falmouth History
INSTITUTIONAL · National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places
5 analysis prompts
Downloads
Ready to Print
Student packet, teacher guide with answer key, and quiz — each formatted for classroom printing.
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Lesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Students will describe the events of October 17–18, 1775 in Falmouth and explain their causes
- 2Students will analyze the gap between British strategic intentions and actual outcomes of the burning
- 3Students will trace how news of the burning traveled through the colonies and evaluate its propagandistic use
- 4Students will consider the civilian experience of displacement using documentary and visual evidence
Explore Further
Portland in the Knowledge Graph
The lesson packet draws from these pages. Use them to extend the lesson or give students primary source context.
Comparative Study
Connected Towns
The corroborate prompts in the student packet point to these towns. Teachers can assign cross-town comparisons.
Castine
SHARED EVENT
Portland (Falmouth) served as a staging point for the Penobscot Expedition of 1779, which ended in disaster at Castine. Both towns experienced the full arc of British maritime aggression on the Maine coast.
Norfolk
COMPARISON
Both were burned by British naval forces in 1775.
Castine
GEOGRAPHIC PROXIMITY
Maine coastal towns.
Assessment
Portland in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history. · 5 questions · Answer key in Teacher Guide PDF
What makes Portland significant in Revolutionary history?
multiple choice
Primary sources are documents or objects created during the time period being studied.
true false
Name one event that occurred in Portland during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more in the full quiz PDF
Ready to Print?
All three documents below — student packet, teacher guide, and quiz — are formatted for letter-size classroom printing.