Fever 1793 Activities, Project Based Learning Unit, Middle School Novel Study

Are you teaching Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson and want more than chapter questions and worksheets? This comprehensive Project-Based Learning unit transforms Laurie Halse Anderson’s powerful historical novel into an immersive classroom experience where students research, analyze, create, design, and make real-world connections.

Instead of passively reading about the Yellow Fever epidemic, students step into history. They will...

⭐Compare Yellow Fever to COVID-19.
⭐Design Public Service Announcements.
⭐Build dioramas.
⭐Research 1790s Philadelphia.
⭐Create survival guides, scrapbooks, menus, timelines, and more.

This unit moves students from readers to historians, journalists, designers, and critical thinkers.

🗂️ What’s Included (15 Engaging Projects):

✅Timeline Project

✅Historical Research Project

✅PSA Poster Project

✅ Mattie’s Scrapbook “In Her Shoes” Diary

✅Types of Conflict Activities

✅Newspaper Article Project

✅Blanchard’s Balloon Nonfiction & Symbolism Activities

✅Hot Air Balloon Metaphor & Theme Activities

✅Cook Coffeehouse Shoebox Diorama

✅Coffeehouse Menu Design Project

✅Letters to Lucille Writing Activity

✅Mattie’s Transformation Booklet

✅Book Cover Project

✅Yellow Fever Survival Guide

✅Yellow Fever vs. COVID-19 Infographic Comparison

Each project includes structured guidelines, student planning sheets, and rubrics to support rigorous learning and clear expectations.

Perfect For:

✏️Upper Elementary & Middle School ELA
✏️Cross-curricular connections (History + Literacy)
✏️Project-Based Learning classrooms

✏️Sub plans or extended units
✏️Teachers who want meaningful engagement instead of busywork

Why Teachers Love This Unit:

Students don’t just read about resilience — they analyze it.

They don’t just study epidemics — they compare them across centuries.
They don’t just summarize — they create.

This unit fosters:

💡Critical thinking

💡Research skills

💡Writing development

💡Historical empathy

💡Real-world connections

If your students lived through COVID-19, this novel becomes deeply personal. If they didn’t fully understand it, this unit helps them process history through a powerful lens.

If you're looking for a rigorous, creative, standards-aligned way to teach Fever 1793, this Project-Based Learning unit will transform your classroom into a space where history, literacy, and real-world relevance truly come alive.

Everything is saved as both a PDF and a shareable Google Slides.

Personal classroom use only.