North American History Lesson Plans

Young scholars discuss reasons why early europeans immigrated to North America. Working in groups, they complete Internet activities on the PBS Website. They take a simulated voyage to the new world and rercord their actions on worksheets. Then they role-play as colonists writing letters home or making journal entries.

Students use maps and photographs to describe the geographic regions of North America. Using their text, they answer specific questions related to one of the eight regions. They compare and contrast their region to another and share their observations with the class.

Research everyday life of people living in British North America in the mid 1800s. Use this British North America history lesson to have students discuss resources to use for researching history. They will read about the Hensley Horror, complete an analysis sheet for primary and secondary sources, and a photograph analysis sheet.

Fifth graders are introduced to their year-long study of North America. Students will investigate regions of North America, American Indian cultural regions and the influence of European colonization. During their study, 5th graders will create a picture book documenting their learning.

Sixth graders identify the eight regions of North America. In this special education lesson, 6th graders review the physical characteristics of the eight regions and fill out a worksheet. They match the descriptions in the worksheet to visuals of each region.

Students compare and contrast the colonies in British North America. As a class, they brainstorm a list of people, places and ideas associated with the Colonial Era. They discover the relationships and interactions between the Europeans, Africans, and American Indians.

Students locate place in Canada and explore highlights of early of early American exploration and settlement. In this North American history lesson, students locate provinces, major cities, and physical features of Canada. Students use atlases and a map of Canada to label various locations. Students cut out facts about Canada and the U.S. and match them to the correct nation.

Learners examine the role of archaeology in gaining information about past civilizations. After reading an article, they discover evidence of the Viking settlement of North America. They summarize the information in the article by making a map of their explorations. They evaluate the role of archaeology in an essay.

Students reflect on bird migrations and develop a project to collect data on bird species from across North America to further investigate the ranges and migrations of common birds. They create a field guide of North American birds.

Students explore the history of Virginia. In this lesson on early statehood, students view several PowerPoint presentations and then research, design and create a classroom time line of Early American history. This lesson includes several activities, multiple slide-shows, and primary resources.