French Revolution 1789 – 1799 Unit Study & Lapbook.
The year 1789 was the beginning of the French Revolution. The French Revolution has been seen as a major turning point in both European political and social history.
A few causes of the French Revolution:
1. Condition of the French Society
2. France’s population was divided into 3 estates like it had been since the Middle Ages.
French Revolution Hands On Activities
Start out a unit study or lapbook with something hands-on instead of something that could be boring. Necessary background information on your topic or even studying dates can come after you introduce something engaging.
French Revolution 1789 – 1799 Unit Study & Lapbook
I want my kids to learn those necessary facts about a topic like the French Revolution, but starting them out on things like the causes of the French Revolution or talking about the 3 Estates of French society may put them to sleep. It may put me to sleep too.
So I like to include some hands-on learning activities to make diving into a unit fun, engaging and relevant to the content.
French Revolution CopyworkCopywork is not just for young kids, but it has restorative value through all their years. Sure, it is about learning to write when they do it in the early years. In the later years, penning and storing beautiful words in their mind and heart is about treasuring those words from great literature. Here I have copywork from the first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities for the famous opening lines. | Storming the Bastille |
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More French Revolution Activities for Kids
Minibooks
Beethoven & The French Revolution Minibook
I created this free minibook to go with our current unit study about the French Revolution. We are using it to note a few facts about Beethoven.
We were delighted to know that our composer study, utilizing Zeezok Music Appreciation book 1, lined up with our French Revolution unit study.
Anytime you can incorporate additional areas of learning into a unit study it only enhances the overall level of learning.
Of course you can certainly do a bit of your own research with books you may have on hand or on the internet to complete this section.
The Guillotine French Terror Minibook
When it comes to gore, why are our kids so heads up about topics like this? Well it’s no doubt this topic was fascinating, but at the same time it would make quite the essay for a high school topic on capital punishment. We touched on some of that in our school day, but mainly we focused on some of the science and history behind the guillotine. The guillotine is a noteworthy invention by the French to a terrible problem of how people were executed. Prior to the guillotine, people were burned at the stake, drawn and quartered or pulled apart by horse or oxen. My goal was to focus on some of the science or facts behind it rather than the gruesomeness of it, it allowed us to study this topic and it not be all about the French terror.
French Revolution Timeline
This minibook is based on events leading up to the French Revolution. Basically, it is a mini timeline. There are two different versions of this minibook. The first version has the pictures and information with the key dates already in it. Because I do test my children on recall of information we have been reading together, I have a second version of this minibook that does not have any information filled in. It can be filled in with their own well researched facts. You decide which version to use with your crew.
3 Estates Open Book
3 Estates is an open face book which allows for identification of the class distinctions which was one of the problems which led to the French Revolution.
The largest class was the common folks and most of them didn’t have the necessities of life, like bread.
So we looked up some scriptures about partiality in the Bible and had discussion about equality for all man.
Causes of the French Revolution Layered Book
You could add several more causes for the French Revolution than the 3 easy ones I included in this minibook. The French Revolution is certainly a high school topic but chisel it down to make it an elementary or middle school topic like I have done here.
French Revolution King and Queen Minibooks
For these minibooks I didn’t add any information because there is an abundance of information about these famous historical characters. This is a pretty easy research project for your middle-schooler.
What is… Minibooks
What is the Directory? What is the Reign of Terror? and What is the Sans-Cullotte? In this case, they are mini flip books that go in the center of the lapbook. You can decide if you want your kids to add their own research or use the facts given.
Next, add some of these books about the French Revolution.
6 Books For Kids About or Set in the French Revolution Time
Although the French Revolution is not easy to learn about, great books can bring a subject to life.
The novel is set during the Reign of Terror following the start of the French Revolution. The title is the nom de guerre of its hero and protagonist, a chivalrous Englishman who rescues aristocrats before they are sent to the guillotine. Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life: apparently nothing more than a wealthy fop, but in reality a formidable swordsman and a quick-thinking master of disguise and escape artist. The band of gentlemen who assist him are the only ones who know of his secret identity. He is known by his symbol, a simple flower, the scarlet pimpernel.
A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal.
In Search of Honor is historical fiction by Donnalynn Hess set in the late 1700s during the violent days of the French Revolution. This Christian fiction for teens tells of young Jacques Chenier who is trapped in a
prison stronger than the Bastille, a prison of bitterness. Jacques wants revenge for his father, his mother, his fellow artisans, and for himself. But escaping from a prison of the heart is no easy task. In Search of Honor is the story of this young man’s struggle for justice and truth.
Set in 17th century Italy, it tells the story of a young man who is driven to seek justice against a powerful and oppressive oppressor. Through thrilling twists and turns, Scaramouche must confront his own inner demons and risk his life to save his people. With thrilling action, a compelling hero, and a deep exploration of justice, Scaramouche is a must-read for fans of historical fiction. Featuring Sabatini's signature swashbuckling style and vivid writing, Scaramouche is sure to captivate readers and leave them with a lasting impression of its timeless themes.
Return to the tumultuous days of the French Revolution with this captivating tale of adventure and courage. Join Harry Sandwith, a young Englishman, as he accepts a job as a companion to the sons of a French marquis. Follow Harry and his aristocratic friends as they're swept from their idyllic life at a country estate to the riotous streets of Paris and the very gates of the Bastille. Can Harry rescue the marquis' family from imprisonment and certain death at the hands of the merciless mob?Author George Alfred Henty specialized in creating novels for young readers that blend authentic historical facts with exciting fictional characters. Famed as "The Prince of Storytellers," Henty wrote more than 140 books. Generations of schoolchildren have thrilled to his vivid novels, which continue to fire young imaginations with their spirited tales of adventure amid exciting historical eras.
ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD ISABELLE IS A LACEMAKER IN THE TOWN OF VERSAILLES. One day as she delivers lace to the palace, she is almost trampled by a crowd of courtiers -- only to be rescued by Marie Antoinette. Before Isabelle can believe it, she has a new job -- companion to the queen's daughter. Isabelle is given a fashionable name, fashionable dresses -- a new identity. At home she plies her needle under her grandmother's disapproving eye. At the palace she is playmate to a princess. Thrown into a world of luxury, Isabelle is living a fairy-tale life. But this facade begins to crumble when rumors of starvation in the countryside lead to whispers of revolution. How can Isabelle reconcile the ugly things she hears in the town with the kind family she knows in the palace? And which side is she truly on? Inspired by an actual friendship between the French princess and a commoner who became her companion, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley offers a vivid portrait of life inside the palace of Versailles -- and a touching tale of two friends divided by class and the hunger for equality and freedom that fueled the French Revolution.
French Revolution Lapbook Minibooks
Next, look at the minibooks which come in this free download.
- Beethoven and the Revolution
- The Guillotine – The French Terror
- Timeline of Events Leading up the French Revolution
- 3 Estates – French Society
- Causes of the French Revolution layered book
- Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI
- What is the Directory, What is the Reign of Terror and What is the Sans Culottes
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Thank you for this! This has really enriched our last minute rabbit-hole chasing. Really appreciate your in depth research and freely sharing it with other learners!
Tina,
Thank you for all of the work and quality of the lapbook you have put into this unit. I appreciate it. 🙂