Students at Northport Middle School had an opportunity to experience the Revolutionary War right on their school campus. In partnership with Revolutionary War reenactment group, Boots and Saddles, seventh and eighth graders rotated between several stations and activities where they learned about the different facets of the Revolutionary War, ranging from artillery to music played on the battlefield. 

Members of Boots and Saddles dressed in traditional attire from the period while teaching students about the cavalry, musket drills, and more. The actors explained how music was used during the war, including how drumming was used as a tool for communication with different drum patterns having different meanings. They also brought traditional props, such as clothing and pottery, to showcase how Americans lived during that time period. One of the most exciting aspects of the day involved students experiencing the process of firing a replica cannon. 

When describing the event, social studies teacher Barbara Falcone said “I like that for an entire morning or afternoon, students are out there in the fresh air and they are experiencing things. They aren’t just looking at the information on a computer screen or reading it in a textbook... I want them to have active learning and to experience it. I want them to know the people in these textbooks aren’t storybook characters, they were real people just like us.”