Summary:

"The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere” is a poem that tells a version of the historic ride of Paul Revere to warn the colonists that the "British are coming!" The poem is written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and describes what happened and what it meant to the colonists. The poem helped secure Paul Revere's place in history. His warning allowed the patriots to prepare for a British attack. This attack, the battles at Lexington and Concord, marked the first battles of the American Revolution.

Before reading the poem, it will help to discuss the vocabulary listed below.

During the reading of the poem, stop often after stanzas to discuss what is happening each one.

The poem uses descriptive language and powerful visual images to tell the story of Paul Revere standing on one shore of the Charles River while his friend takes position in a bell tower on the opposite shore.  The friend is keeping watch over the activity of the British ships moored in the Boston Harbor.  The two men have worked out a signal light – “One, if by land, and two, if by sea”.  As soon as it becomes clear that the British are moving in by sea, the friend signals Paul Revere who begins his famous ride under cover of darkness to warn the people of Lexington and Concord.

Vocabulary:

• barrack (building soldiers live in)
• sombre (dark)
• sentinel (guard)
• impetuous (quick to act)
• troop (a group of soldiers)

Spelling: 

compound words

Try: staircase, landmark, barefoot, campground, snowflake, earthquake, bookkeeper, typewriter, granddaughter, springtime

Story Questions:

1. What does the Somerset (ship) look bigger than it really is? (reflection in the water)

2. What does the friend see from the church tower? (a bridge of boats and Paul waiting and watching for a sign)

3. What did the lanterns communicate to the Patriots? (whether the British were marching by land out of Boston, or rowing across the Charles River by sea)

4. On April 18, why did 700 British soldiers leave Boston for Concord? (wanted to surprise the town and take ammunition stored there)

5. What kinds of revolutionary activities had Paul Revere been involved with before the war broke out? (Boston Tea party, spied on British troop movements, carried news to the Continental Congress)