Johnny Tremain, written by Esther Forbes, is a timeless book that has spanned and thrived with several generations of students. First published in 1943, Johnny Tremain still captivates readers with its enduring language and with its factual and fascinating historical events that are interwoven throughout the storyline. Readers sympathize with Johnny, an orphan silversmith apprentice, his tragic accident, and the rebuilding of his identity during the courageous events leading to the Revolutionary War.
I first read this book in 8th grade, and now my son is reading it in 7th grade. As a middle school girl, I was not one for diving into a war book; however, I remember thoroughly enjoying learning about the road to America’s independence within the fictional tale of Johnny and his world in Boston, MA. Students find this book enthralling, stirring, inspirational, and informative.
Johnny Tremain is a novel that is made all the better by pairing it with project-based learning to dive into literature and history. Students can connect to the setting of colonial Boston and to the multifaceted main character through various hands-on projects that will bring the book to life and help readers step into the cobbled shoes of Johnny.
We have curated a list of gripping and exciting projects that pair perfectly with Johnny Tremain.
#1 Johnny Tremain Silversmith Activity: Create a Colonial Trade Project
Johnny Tremain is an apprentice to a silversmith. He has spent years learning the trade under his master, Mr. Lapham. He has become quite talented for a young man his age, and he hinges his entire future on this occupation. Students will find it interesting to learn the history behind silversmithing, how it compares and contrasts with blacksmithing, and how both trades were used during the Revolutionary War.
To extend learning about these two trades, students can brainstorm an object they would like to make as a silversmith or blacksmith’s apprentice. They draw a picture of their creation (it could be a tool, a weapon, or an everyday item), label their drawing with the materials they would use, and write about explaining why their item would be important to someone in Boston at that time. Next, using craft materials such as clay, tin foil, popsicle sticks, etc, students build and create their object.
Students will connect with Johnny and this interesting trade as they get hands-on with brainstorming, designing, and creating their silversmith or blacksmith object.
This entire project is in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
#2 Revolutionary War Propaganda Poster Project for Johnny Tremain
During the American Revolution, long before TV, radio, or social media, people had to find creative ways to share their ideas. One way they did this was through propaganda posters. These posters were pictures and messages designed to convince people to support the Patriot cause or warn them about the British. Johnny saw how propaganda and the actions of groups like the Sons of Liberty influenced everyday life in Boston. In the story, Johnny’s world changes when he becomes part of the movement for freedom.
Through his eyes, readers can see how important messages, like those on posters, inspired ordinary people to take action and help fight for independence. Propaganda was like the “viral posts” of the 1770s. It spread important messages quickly and could change how people thought.
Task students with designing a Revolutionary War propaganda poster, either for the Patriot or Loyalist cause. Students complete research about propaganda posters, specifically ones from the 1770s, and use these as inspiration for their own. Students can use Google Slides, Canva, or just old-fashioned paper and colored pencils to craft their propaganda posters.
This entire project is in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
#3 Colonial Boston 5×5 Setting Exploration: Johnny Tremain Research Project
The setting of Johnny Tremain is crucial to the plot. The setting of colonial Boston, Massachusetts, in the 1770s drives the story’s events as students read all about the Revolutionary road to America’s independence in one of the original thirteen colonies. Use this historical setting as a cross-curricular opportunity by having students complete a 5×5 setting exploration.
A 5×5 project is one in which students research 5 categories relating to the setting, by finding and presenting 5 facts in each one. Students will research New England life in the 1770s, along with various historical events that took place during this time period, such as the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. Students then create slideshow presentations all about what they’ve learned.
By learning about the setting of the novel and its specific factual events, students are not only learning history but also connecting with the novel on a deeper level, understanding the story’s events more profoundly.
This entire project is in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
#4 Boston Tea Party STEM Challenge: Hands-On Johnny Tremain Activity
We absolutely love any opportunity to incorporate STEM into literature. In fact, we wrote a blog post recently all about this very topic. Read it here:
We believe that STEM within literature is a gateway for students to dive into the shoes of the characters and to experience authentic learning, all while exploring imagination, problem-solving, and discovery.
Students can transport themselves to the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. The Sons of Liberty, disguised as Native Americans, dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest the Tea Act. In the story, Johnny helps haul the tea crates, showing both the teamwork and determination of the colonists.
This STEM challenge allows students to step into Johnny’s shoes and think like the colonists. Just as the real crates had to be heavy enough to sink and durable enough to withstand rough handling, students will design and build miniature tea crates to explore the science of buoyancy and durability while making connections to the Boston Tea Party and Johnny Tremain. Students will test their tea crate’s buoyancy and durability, and sinking time, all while recording their findings. Students also have an opportunity to redesign their crate to make it more successful.
This entire STEM project is in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
#5 Patriot Secret Communication Activity: Codes & Invisible Ink in Johnny Tremain
During the American Revolution, Patriots like the Sons of Liberty had to find creative ways to communicate secretly. They used codes, invisible ink, and even lantern signals to share messages without being caught. Students can step into their shoes and try their hand at creating and solving secret messages. Their secret message should involve a warning about the British coming or a pertinent message for the Patriots to know. Students can utilize a simple encryption code, such as A=Z, B=Y, or they can create their own codes.
Students can even use lemon juice to write an invisible message that other students will have to hold under a light to decipher. This is a fun activity that will make students feel like they are living in the Revolutionary War era, all while feeling like secret spies!
This entire project is in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
#6 Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride Simulation: Johnny Tremain Cooperative Project
If you’re looking for an opportunity for cooperative learning, this simulation is just what your classroom needs. In Johnny Tremain, Paul Revere’s famous ride is told, allowing the reader to feel like they’re right there with Johnny.
In this project, students work in groups to put on a simulation, acting out Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride. Students work together creating a script and incorporating historical events like “One if by land, two if by sea,” at the Old North Church in the script. They will also create a map, a secret message, and utilize props to enact the simulation. Students will learn how Revere and other Patriots spread urgent news using lantern signals, secret messengers, and horseback riders during this famous midnight ride simulation.
This entire project is in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
#7 Revolutionary Recipes: Colonial Cooking Activity for Johnny Tremain
Students can transport themselves back to the Revolutionary era by trying their hand at interesting recipes that colonists cooked in the 1700s. Students can cook Easy Colonial Brown Bread or Colonial Indian Pudding. These are real colonial staples from that time period. Cooking colonial recipes and reflecting on what’s been cooked and how it tastes gives students a taste (literally!) of colonial Boston life and allows them to feel like Johnny himself!
Recipes are reflection questions are in our Johnny Tremain Project-Based Learning Unit. Find it here!
Looking for more interesting and hands-on Johnny Tremain projects? Our Project-Based Unit contains the following 15 projects and activities:
- Types of Conflicts Activity
- Setting (Time Period & Boston) 5×5 Exploration Project
- Character Diary Scrapbook Project
- Boston Tea Party STEM Activity: Design & Test a Tea Crate
- Character Booklet
- Revolutionary Recipes
- Blacksmithing & Silversmithing Nonfiction Article/Questions/Blacksmithing & Silversmithing Project Activity
- Patriots vs Loyalists Article & Comic Strip Activity
- Historical Event Newspaper Project
- Sons of Liberty War Propaganda Poster Project
- Revolutionary Boston Map Project
- Paul Revere’s Poem & Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride Simulation Project
- Patriot Secret Communication Activities (Code Creation & Ciphering)
- History Timeline Project
- Taxes, Tea, and Tension Nonfiction Article & Opinion Writing Activity
Conclusion:
Johnny Tremain is more than just a historical novel. It’s a story that allows students to connect with courage, resilience, and the fight for freedom. Pairing this timeless classic with hands-on, project-based learning helps bring the Revolutionary era to life in a way that textbooks alone simply can’t. Whether students are crafting secret messages, designing propaganda posters, or simulating Paul Revere’s ride, these activities give them the chance to walk in Johnny’s footsteps while building both historical understanding and critical thinking skills.
Are you ready to make Johnny Tremain an unforgettable learning experience for your students? They will explore our complete Project-Based Learning Unit filled with engaging activities that blend literature, history, and creativity.
