Pilgrims Lesson Plans

Young scholars complete internet research on the first Thanksgiving, the Mayflower, Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony and the Wampanoags. Using specified websites, they visit the ship of the Mayflower, and experience Mayflower interviews. Students write a diary as if they were a Pilgrim on the Mayflower. They research settlers' motivations and preparations for sailing to the New World. Additional hands-on activities are listed.

Students explore the First Thanksgiving. For this holiday lesson, students create a KWL chart on what they know about the First Thanksgiving and conduct Internet research on this topic. Students use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the lifestyles of the Pilgrims to the Wampanoags.

Students investigate The First Thanksgiving. In this Thanksgiving lesson, students explore the experiences, actions, and decisions of the settlement of the Plymouth colony. Students research information, use timelines, and KWL charts to understand the reason for the journey to the New World.

Students complete activities with Cobblestone magazine October 2009. In this pilgrim lesson, students read articles about the pilgrims and their voyage to America. They answer questions, discuss new vocabulary, complete writing activities, and more.

Students research a pilgrim by name that travelled on the Mayflower.  In this Mayflower lesson, students explore what life was like for a pilgrim on the Mayflower, then make a map of the journey and create a drawing of the ship.

Students develop an understanding of historical events from different perspectives while practicing reading comprehension and creative writing. They access the Internet to explore information on the Mayflower, Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving.

Students use distance measuring tools to follow directions and chart the path the pilgrims made from Plymouth, England to Boston, Massachusetts. In this Pilgrim voyage lesson, students use a map to chart the distance traveled by the Pilgrims in 1621. Students write their answers to the three questions and discuss pilgrim journeys for their ancestors.

Third graders discuss the book on the pilgrims. They write a poem of the hardships of the boat or on the land. Students write journal entries as a pilgrim on boat or on the land. They complete a collage of the foods that the pilgrims ate (can either be drawn or cut out).

Students explore U.S. history by researching an important holiday. In this Thanksgiving lesson plan, students discuss the importance of the Native American and Pilgrim alliance during the early days of the 1600's. Students utilize the Internet to research the holiday and complete a KWL chart.

Students complete a graphic organizer comparing differing views.  For this compare and contrast lesson, students work in groups and read about the differing views of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians.  Students use a graphic organizer to compare the two groups and hold a class discussion about what they learned.