Lesson Plans and Worksheets
As a first year teacher Lesson Planet was an incrediable help. I could see what other teachers had done to give me ideas. The time guidelines, materials needed and resource information gave me guidance in structuring my own plans. Many of the plans are well laid out and were very usable, which was a great time saver.
- Aiken, SC
- 10-03-10
House of Burgess Teacher Resources
Find teacher approved House of Burgess educational resource ideas and activities
Fifth graders role-play a session of the House of Burgesses, an early colonial judicial body. At the end of the role-play students discuss their perceptions of the House of Burgesses.
Fourth graders draw a picture to represent possible situations that could occur without rules. They also elect one student as a representative for the group in making classroom group decisions. Allow the elected representatives the opportunity to make simple decisions for their group during class period. Finally, 4th graders relate the need for rules today with the need for rules in the early Jamestown colony.
Third graders discover the importance of the Virginia Assembly in English America as a governing body. After discussing the formation of the House of Burgesses, they elect their own representatives to make class decisions. In groups, 3rd graders compose lists of rules that would benefit early settlements such as Jamestown.
Students explore slavery by reviewing the written laws intended to keep African Americans subservient. In this U.S. slavery lesson, students analyze a time-line of the history of African Americans. Students discuss the patterns of the time-line and how the legal codes restricted freedom of black men and women based upon their population.
Fourth graders identify and interpret the structure and responsibility of Virginia's government. They access the computer to find names and pictures of delegates and senators from their regions. They locate information about the governor. Finally, 4th graders generate a bill, such as whether or not students should wear school uniforms, and argue back and forth the pros and cons of passing the bill.
Students examine George Washington's life as a young British colonial officer during the French and Indian War.
Students examine the first permanent English settlement in America. Using the Internet, they identify the importance of the Virginia assembly. They answer questions based on different scenarios given to them by their teacher and how addressing problems is different today.
In this American Revolution worksheet, students read 5 paragraphs, each giving clues about a famous person in the Revolutionary War. Students use a word bank to find the answer.
Eighth graders, in groups, design, research, and create a newspaper that explains four historical events that have influenced the American system of government.
Have you just finished teaching chapters 1-5 of your social studies book and are ready to test your class? If so, you are in luck! Here is a well-organized cumulative review that covers multiple topics, main ideas, and vocabulary related to the age of exploration, American colonization, The Revolutionary War, and the forming of the US government.