Teacher Resources
Ticonderoga
Students examine why Fort Ticonderoga changed hands multiple times through the lens of geography and strategy. They analyze how terrain determines the value of a military position and why the same ground kept attracting armies.
Grade Range
6-8
Duration
2 class periods
Included
3 Resources
What's Included
Everything
You Need
- 5 primary sources with analysis prompts
- Quiz with answer key (5 questions)
- 3 printable handouts
Lesson Overview
Students examine why Fort Ticonderoga changed hands multiple times through the lens of geography and strategy. They analyze how terrain determines the value of a military position and why the same ground kept attracting armies.
Essential Questions
- Why do armies keep fighting over the same ground? What makes a location permanently valuable in warfare?
- How did the cannon from Ticonderoga change the situation in Boston? What does this tell us about how distant events are connected?
Primary Sources
5 Sources for Analysis
PRIMARY · TIER1
A Narrative of Colonel Ethan Allen's Captivity
Draper and Folsom
PRIMARY · TIER1
Henry Knox's Journal of the Ticonderoga Artillery Expedition, 1775-1776
Massachusetts Historical Society Proceedings
INSTITUTIONAL · TIER1
Fort Ticonderoga: National Historic Landmark Documentation
National Park Service
View SourceSECONDARY · TIER1
Empires in the Mountains: French and Indian War Campaigns and Forts in the Lake Champlain, Lake George, and Hudson River Corridor
Purple Mountain Press (Russell Bellico)
PRIMARY · TIER1
Continental Congress Resolutions Regarding Fort Ticonderoga, May 1775
Library of Congress, Journals of the Continental Congress
View SourceLesson Plan
In the Classroom
Learning Objectives
- 1Explain why the Lake Champlain–Lake George corridor was the most strategically important route in the northeastern theater
- 2Trace Ticonderoga's major ownership changes and the reasons for each
- 3Analyze the role of Ethan Allen's capture in providing cannon for the Boston siege
- 4Evaluate why Burgoyne's placement of artillery on Mount Defiance made the fort suddenly indefensible
Assessment
Ticonderoga in the American Revolution
Answer the following questions based on our study of Revolutionary history.
What makes Ticonderoga 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 Ticonderoga during the Revolutionary period and explain its significance.
short answer
+ 2 more questions in the full packet
Ready to Print?
The full teacher packet includes cover page, lesson plan, all primary source worksheets, quiz, answer key, and standards alignment — formatted for classroom printing.