Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Life of a Private Lesson Plan
In order to understand the challenges the Continental Army faced during the American Revolution, class members analyze primary source materials including a soldier's journal and an officer's letter, and watch a short reenactment video.
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Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
Fifth graders explore how important print media is to everyone's daily life. Students use present daily newspapers and they are to reproduce weather forecasts.
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Jobs in Jamestown
Students research data on Jamestown settlers in order to learn about the daily life and events in the colony. In this investigative history lesson, students work in groups to analyze the results of the Jamestown census. Students take...
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?
Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...
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Myth-Conceptions
Students examine the myths and misconceptions surrounding early European colonists in the New World. They analyze images, artwork, and media relating to the early colonists and discuss their accuracy.
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Caught Between Worlds: Frontier Life as Reflected in Captivity Narratives
Students analyze captivity narratives written between the 1600's and 1800's. In this narrative lesson, students think critically about the interaction between Native peoples and the settlers to understand the cultural beliefs held by...
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American Heroines
Third graders explore the heroines of the Revolutionary War. In this Revolutionary War instructional activity, 3rd graders read a passage about famous heroines and discuss the trade practiced during Colonial times.
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The Old Folks Will Bless You and the Girls Kiss You
Fourth graders reflect on the Revolutionary War. For this Colonial America history lesson, 4th graders discuss various battles of the war, specifically the Battle of Cowpens. Students begin by watching a video chronicling that...
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Jamestown's Economy
Students examine goods made and used by Native Americans and colonists at Jamestown. They complete a worksheet noting characteristics of the objects. They answer questions to make generalizations about scarcity and trade.
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A Practical Experiment In Colonization
Role-play and simulation exercises are fantastic ways to help learners understand the reality behind many social and historical events. Pretending they are colonists, upper graders choose a location, create a history, establish laws, and...
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Having a Great Time - Wish You Were Here
Fourth graders explore colonial life in America.
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Latin American Colonial Diary
Students examine the class systems of New Spain. In small groups, they create a five-day diary about the family life, food, occupation, and government involvement of an assigned personality from the time of Colonial Latin America.
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Philanthropy in History Lesson 3: Self-sufficiency And the Community
Students study the characteristic of self-sufficiency in people that lived during Colonial times. They investigate the contemporary movement of Habitat for Humanity. They listen to the story of Donald Hall's, The Oxcart Man and write a...
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Journal Write about Colonial Times
Students write a journal entry relating to their reading. This this writing lesson, students relate a book they are reading about the colonial settlers to their own life situations through journal writing.
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Development of the English Colonies
Students research one of the original 13 colonies using the included worksheet. They also record their findings on a poster board to use during a class presentation. Students then take notes on the presentations using the provided...
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The Height of Diplomacy
Students explore issues that might be discussed at the G8 summit meeting hosted by the U.S. after reading and discussing the article "World Leaders Get a Glimpse of America's High Life" from The New York Times. Students work in groups...
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Thirteen Original Colonies
Students use maps, the Internet, graphic organizers and discussion to explore the history of the Middle American Colonies. They consider how the colonies were founded and the ideas of religious freedom and self-government they embodied.
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 5 - Dear Mem
Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...
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My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...
Utah State University
Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Gratitude
Learn about the first Thanksgiving with a unit centered around the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. First graders read and discuss books, create a mural, complete a worksheet about five blessings in their life, prepare recipes from...
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Johnny Tremain/Boston Tea Party
Fifth graders understand chronological order of events. In this Boston Tea Party lesson, 5th graders compare the events surrounding the Boston Tea Party to current times. Students learn vocabulary and customs of the revolutionary times....
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Dos mapas de Florida, el Caribe y parte de Sur America
What can maps tell us about the past? Find out with a Spanish lesson that incorporates geography. After examining maps individually, comparing two old maps of Spanish Florida and writing notes in the provided Venn diagram, pupils pair up...
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Revolutionary Money
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included.
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Disney's Pocahontas: Fact or Fiction?
Did you know that Pocahontas was 12 when Jamestown was established? Did you know that she later married John Rolfe? Did you know that she lived in London for two years? Did you know that she died of small pox? Class members study the...