Witness Account

This worksheet helps students in Grades 4 and 5 strengthen narrative writing, historical understanding, descriptive language, and perspective-taking by imagining themselves as eyewitnesses to the Boston Tea Party. Students write a 5-7 sentence paragraph describing what they would have seen, felt, and done during the event, blending sensory details with historically accurate information about colonial protest and unrest.

Learning Goals

• Historical Narrative Writing (Grades 4-5) – Students craft a clear, organized narrative grounded in a real historical event.
• Sensory & Descriptive Writing – Learners use sight, sound, emotion, and action to bring history to life.
• Understanding Colonial Protest – The activity reinforces key events, motivations, and actions surrounding the Boston Tea Party.
• Applying Historical Knowledge – Students demonstrate comprehension by accurately embedding facts into creative writing.

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with elementary ELA and social studies standards.
• Builds Historical Empathy – Writing from an eyewitness perspective helps students connect emotionally to the past.
• Supports Developing Writers – Sentence-length expectations provide structure without limiting creativity.
• Flexible Classroom Use – Ideal for writing workshops, assessments, enrichment, or discussion follow-ups.
• Low-Prep Printable – Ready to use in classroom or homeschool settings.

This Witness Account worksheet helps students combine imagination with historical accuracy to deepen understanding of colonial resistance. By writing a first-person narrative using sensory detail and factual context, learners strengthen narrative writing skills while building empathy and insight into the experiences surrounding the Boston Tea Party. It’s an engaging, meaningful resource for classroom and homeschool instruction.

This worksheet is part of our The Boston Tea Party Worksheets collection.