Paul Revere's Midnight Ride

Suggested levels for Guided Reading, DRA, Lexile, ® and Reading Recovery are providedin the Pearson Scott Foresman Leveling Guide.Paul Revere’sMidnight RideGenreNarrativenonfictionComprehensionSkills and Strategy• Sequence• Draw Conclusions• Ask QuestionsText Features• Labels• Map• GlossaryScott Foresman Reading Street 5.2.5ì

Reader ResponsePaul Revere’sMidnight Ride1. Fill in a chart like the one below to show the sequenceof Paul Revere’s actions after he alerted Adams andbyHancock.Stephanie Wilderillustrated First by Phyllis Pollema-CahillNextLast2. Think of two questions you would like to haveanswered based on what you just read. Where couldyou find answers to your questions?3. Look at the word fearless in the glossary. It means“without fear.” Think of two more words that end inthe suffix -less. What do those words mean? Use eachword in a sentence.4. Information in nonfiction books can come fromboth words and pictures. Turn to page 10 and tellsomething that you learned from the picture.Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New YorkSales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts • Duluth, Georgia • Glenview, IllinoisCoppell, Texas • Ontario, California • Mesa, Arizona

Earlier that night, Revere’s friend Robert Newman hadput two lanterns in the bell tower of the Old North Churchin Boston. The lanterns would glow in the night sky as awarning to the Sons of Liberty.The Sons of Liberty was a group that wanted to leadthe colonies away from British rule. The two lanterns toldthem that British soldiers were on their way to Lexington bysea. If Newman had put only one lantern in the bell tower,it would have meant that the British were coming by land.The water route was faster, so Revere would have to workquickly.45

When Revere arrived on the other side of the river, hemet with his good friend Deacon Larkin. The deacon waswaiting with a strong steed to take Revere through thecountryside.Revere climbed onto the horse and set off quickly intothe dark night. The journey was long and hard. Reverehad trouble seeing where he was going. The darknessmagnified his fear that he might run into British soldiers,who would surely try to stop him.Revere was brave, though. He would not let his fearskeep him from warning all the people who lived in thevillages that the British soldiers were coming.In case the Sons of Liberty had not seen the glimmerof the lanterns, Revere needed to go to Lexington in personto tell Samuel Adams and John Hancock the message.Hancock and Adams were leaders of the Sons of Liberty.Revere wanted to warn them that the British army wascoming to arrest them. He also wanted to tell them that theBritish planned to march on to Concord after stopping inLexington. The colonial militia, or army, needed to stopthem to save the weapons and supplies stored in Concord.67

While Revere was busy making his way to Lexington,the British were busy with their march too. The Britishtroops made their way northwest through the town ofMenotomy, which is now called Arlington.At the same time, another rider named William Daweswas traveling to Lexington with the same message thatRevere carried. The two were riding along different roads incase one was stopped by the British.Just after midnight, both Revere and Dawes arrivedsafely in Lexington. Revere went straight to the house ofReverend Clark, where Adams and Hancock were staying.As Revere rode along the path to the house to warnAdams and Hancock, his horse made too much noise, anda colonial guard told him to be quiet. Revere was angryat this and said, “Noise! You’ll have noise enough beforelong.” If the British troops were not stopped by the militia inLexington, there would certainly be more noise when theyreached Concord and fought a bigger battle there.89

Revere woke Adams and Hancock and told them aboutthe British. Hearing the news, the two men planned toreturn to Boston within a few hours.Then Revere met with William Dawes to decide what todo next. They both would ride on to Concord. There theywould be able to help in the fight against the British.Along the way, Revere and Dawes met Dr. SamuelPrescott. Dr. Prescott joined them, and the three men rodeon together.At two o’clock that morning, Revere’s biggest worrycame true. He and his friends were stopped by Britishsoldiers who were keeping watch over the roads. Dawes andDr. Prescott were able to get away, but Revere was takenprisoner. The fearless Revere would not be held for long,though. He soon began to think of a plan to get away fromthe British.1011

The British soldiers asked Revere many questions, buthe was very smart. He told them that the British troopswould face a battle at Lexington and that they should fleefor their lives. The soldiers took Deacon Larkin’s horse andgave Revere one of their tired ones. They let Revere go, andhe set out again into the dark night alone.Revere had been on his way to Concord. But now thathis strong horse had been taken from him, he decided tohead back to Lexington to see if his friends were still there.He reached Reverend Clark’s house at three o’clock in themorning, and Adams and Hancock were just preparing toleave. Together the three men made a quick escape.12 13

As they climbed into a stagecoach, Hancockremembered something important. He’d forgotten his trunkat Buckman’s Tavern, where he and Adams had stoppedearlier that night. The trunk contained important documentsthat he did not want the British to see. Revere volunteeredto retrieve the trunk and told his friends to go on ahead.It was four-thirty in the morning when he reached thetavern and found the trunk. He was tired and hungry,but he was happy that he had done his part to warn thecolonies’ leaders. He was relieved that Adams and Hancockwere safe and that the trunk was safely in his own hands.Would he make it, though, to fight in the battle that wasabout to start?1415

As dawn broke on Lexington Green, the colonial militialined up to meet the British army. The colonists had onlyseventy-seven fighting men at Lexington. They would faceseveral hundred British soldiers. The militiamen believedin the colonies’ right to rule themselves as much as Revereand the Sons of Liberty did. They stood bravely on the fieldand awaited their fate. It would be the first battle of theAmerican Revolution.On that somber morning in 1775, the colonial militiafaced the well-trained British army. Revere listened froma distance as the “shot heard round the world” was fired.The battle for the colonies had begun. The colonists wereoutnumbered by the British and were forced to retreat. Eightmilitiamen lost their lives as the British pushed throughLexington Green and on toward Concord.1617

Later that morning, the British arrived in Concord. Butwhen they got there, they found more than three times asmany militiamen as they had faced at Lexington. The fightwould not be won as easily this time. The colonists wereable to force the British troops back to Boston. They savedtheir supply of weapons and took an important first steptoward freedom.Paul Revere did not fight in the Battles of Lexingtonand Concord on that April morning, but he did play a bigrole. His legend lingers in history and is a story that makesAmericans feel proud. If he had not braved the dark of nightand warned the people of the British attack, the colonistswould not have been ready for the fight.18 19

Glossaryfate n. things that happento people that cannot becontrolled.fearless adj. brave;without fear.glimmer n. a faint,unsteady light.lingers v. stays.magnified v. increased.somber adj. serious.steed n. a lively horse.Reader Response1. Fill in a chart like the one below to show the sequenceof Paul Revere’s actions after he alerted Adams andHancock.FirstNextLast2. Think of two questions you would like to haveanswered based on what you just read. Where couldyou find answers to your questions?3. Look at the word fearless in the glossary. It means“without fear.” Think of two more words that end inthe suffix -less. What do those words mean? Use eachword in a sentence.4. Information in nonfiction books can come fromboth words and pictures. Turn to page 10 and tellsomething that you learned from the picture.20