Students have often questioned the reasons behind military uniforms.   This project is geared to get students thinking about cultural influences that shaped military uniforms during the American Revolution.   Students will be asked to re-design a particular aspect of a military uniform of their choice after doing a significant amount of research on that particular uniform and time period.   Understanding culture is a curriculum goal in every social studies classroom from K-12, therefore this lesson could be manipulated to be used for any grade level and would still follow curriculum and state standards.

United States History

Standard 5. Level IV. Understands how the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the Americas

2.   Understands factors that influenced economic life in the North American and West Indian colonies (e. g. , the development of consumer society and the imitation of English culture)

Behavioral Studies

Standard 1. Level IV.   Understands that group and cultural influences contribute to human development, identity, and behavior

Students will be able to:

• understand the materials available to the American soldiers and to the British soldiers during the Revolutionary War
• analyze cultural similarities and differences between the colonists and the British

Kiley, Kevin F. , An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms 1775 - 1783: The American Revolutionary War

• computer with internet access
• handouts
• paper
• pens
• pencils

• culture: the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations; the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious, or social group
• influence: the power or capacity of causing an effect in indirect or intangible ways

Review The Challenge:

1. The teacher should begin the lesson by posing a question such as, “ Why were the British referred to as ‘ the red coats’ during the American Revolution?”   Put up on the board reasons why wearing red may not have been an advantage for the British.   (Note: The obvious issue for wearing a red coat during a war is that they are easy to spot. ) 

2. The teacher should then give a brief history of the reasons behind the British wearing red, and explain how culture influenced the design.   3. Students will then be given the challenge of finding other possible problems with the uniforms of either the Americans or the British during the American Revolution.   (Note: The introduction to the lesson should take no longer than ten minutes. )

Investigate:

1. Students will then do research on computers on the different uniforms worn during the Revolutionary War, by both the British and the American soldiers.  

2. Students will then identify a problem with one of the uniforms.   The problem needs to be precise, and should only include one part of the uniform, not the uniform in its entirety.   (Note: Approximately thirty-five minutes will be given to students for research in class. )

Frame/Reframe the Problem:

1. Students will need to do ample research to understand why the uniforms may have been designed the way that they were.   Research will need to include materials and cultural differences between the British and the Americans that may have impacted the designs of the uniforms.   Students must also understand financial constraints that may have dictated certain materials or lack of conveniences, especially on the American side.   For the British, students will need to be reminded that communication took a long time between England and the British soldiers in the Americas, and so supplies often took a very long time to get.   These situations obviously would play a role in uniform design and product availability.

Generate Possible Solutions:

1. Students will then brainstorm on paper new ideas for re-designing a part of the previous uniform.   Students may only use materials that would have been available to the soldiers, and must remain culturally consistent.  

Edit & Develop Ideas:

1. Students will then choose one of their brainstormed ideas to further design.  

2. Students will draw their designs out on paper.  

3. Students may choose to actually create a prototype of their new design if they have the resources available to them.   (Note: Besides the research, all of the brainstorming up to this point, and coming up with possible solutions, should have been done at home as homework. )  

4. Students will be asked to come to class ready to share their brainstormed ideas with a small group.

Share & Evaluate:

1. The teacher will have students get into groups of four, and spend fifteen minutes discussing their project ideas.   All students will present their research in two parts.   The first part being research on culture, the second part being on the uniform itself.  

2. The students should then share at least two different ideas of “ problems” and “ solutions. ”

Finalize the Solution:

1. Students will not actually be able to create an entire uniform and wear it to battle, but students will be required to back up their new designs with research.  

2. Students will then present to the class their new designs, and explain their reasoning behind the change in uniform.   (Note: Students will be given about twenty minutes in class to finalize their projects. )

Articulate the Solution and Process:

1. Students will present their projects to the class.   A visual will be required, as well as the reasoning behind the re-designed uniform piece.   (Note: Presentations should be no longer than three minutes per student, which includes showing the class all visuals. ) 

Many students enjoyed this project due to the fashion design aspect.   However, a few students were so thrown off by the fashion aspect that they asked if they could do weaponry instead.   I allowed for this slight change, as the nuts and bolts of the assignment stayed the same.   Next time I may write into the instructional material to allow for this change.

Students did a great job researching the actual designs, but did not do so well researching materials.   I am attributing this to student interest.   When a project has so many different angles, I find that students tend to focus on what grabs their attention, often losing sight of the rest of the project.

Overall I would say that this project was a success, especially the presentations.   The students did not have to hand much in, yet learned a lot through research and thinking "outside the box. "