Stanford University
Native Californians and the Portola Expedition
What was California like before the Spanish came? Class members discover the answer to the question using images of Native Americans and diaries of the early Spanish explorers. Scaffolded activities allow instructors to adapt the...
Reading Through History
Early History and Exploration Unit
We all know about Christopher Columbus, but who else explored the Americas, and specifically, the future United States of America? Learners find out these answers and more in a resource that includes four different reading sections,...
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social studies: Life in Colonial America
Students explore the trials and tribulations early colonial life and note its successes. Through literature, Internet research, and interactive software, they engage in various activities to evaluate early social and cultural development.
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Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Long Ago and Today
Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...
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Religious Tolerance in Colonial Maryland
Students complete worksheets and analyze passages about religious tolerance in Colonial Maryland. In this religious tolerance lesson plan, students discuss Maryland as a colony and answer short answer questions about it.
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Jamestown
Seventh graders examine life at the Jamestown settlement. In this colonial America lesson, 7th graders visit the noted Web site to analyze artifacts from the settlement. Based on their findings, students write descriptive pieces about...
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Conflict in the Frontier town of Deerfield
Learners use primary sources to investigate, explore and represent varying perspectives on the 1704 Deerfield Raid. They consider the reasons Deerfield was at the center of English, French and Native American conflicts in the early 18th...
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Into the Wild: Settling the South Carolina Backcountry
Eighth graders select their own plot of land in the Backcountry to settle in the 1700s in SC. Students first find a point for settlement and sketch out the best route from the Lowcountry to arrive at the point. They then draw out a...
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Volunteering Requires Freedom of Choice
Students explore ways to volunteer. In this volunteerism and philanthropy lesson, students brainstorm how the early Americans benefited from philanthropy, then discuss how others benefit from our philanthropy and how we choose ways to...
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Colonial Living: A Look at the Arts, Crafts, History, and Literature of Early Americans
Sixth graders examine the different aspects of life in Colonial America. At home, they make traditional colonial recipes to share with the class. In groups, they read a book about the purpose and act of quilting and create their own...
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Early Discovery & Settlement (5)
In this online interactive American history worksheet, students respond to 21 matching questions regarding colonial America. Students may check their answers immediately.
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Jamestown Changes
Students examine how the Jamestown settlement changed the first few years after it was founded. They take a virtual field trip of Jamestown, read primary source documents, discuss census information, and write a summary of changes in...
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
Students examine how the European voyages of discovery influence American culture even today. They map eighteenth century Europe's impact on the United States.
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The Brief American Pageant: The Planting of the English America
A series of maps illustrate the early growth of English America, which includes the Maryland, Virginia, Carolina, and Georgia colonies. Settlements such as Jamestown, Roanoke, and Charleston are labeled on the map, allowing a teacher or...
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The House of Burgesses
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.
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Globe Skills Lesson 4 The Colonial Period
Students practice their map skills. In this Colonial geography lesson, students complete an activity that requires them to locate English colonial locations using latitude and longitude coordinates.
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Life on Two Colonial Plantations in South Carolina
Fourth graders compare two colonial plantations. In this South Carolina history lesson plan, 4th graders compare the Drayton Hill plantation of Charleston Co. to the Walnut Grove Plantation of Spartanburg Co. This lesson plan uses...
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Settling America in 1640
Second graders listen to a presentation on life in colonial America in 1640. They compare early colonial life to the present and use software to write a story showcasing their research.
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COLONIAL FLYERS/TRAVEL BROCHURES TO THE COLONIES
Students investigate concepts of history and geography in this lesson. They create travel brochures for travelers who are crossing the Atlantic Ocean to populate the colonies of early America. The brochure has topographical information...
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Barter Day
Fifth graders research bartering. In this bartering lesson, 5th graders investigate bartering as a way to trade for goods and services. Students experience bartering first hand while playing a game.
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The Land of Milk and Honey: Reasons for Migration
Fourth graders analyze migration patterns. In this colonial North Carolina lesson, 4th graders listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of immigrants from Switzerland who settled North Carolina. Students write...
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Coming to America: A Look at Colonization in the 1600s
Students analyze the European colonization of America. In this colonial America lesson, students use provided Internet resources to research colonization and representative government. Students use their finding to create webpages,...
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The Architecture of New England and the Southern Colonies as it Reflects the Changes in Colonial Life
Learners compare and contrast the various types of architecture in the Southern colonies. Using slides, they discuss how the homes were made and the materials used. In groups, they identify how the types of homes reflected the...
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English Settlement
Young scholars study the development of the New England colonies, their rationale for settlement, and the importance of Puritan theology in this development. They research towns in England and their copies in Massachusetts.