Memorial Hall Museum
Dedham Deed
Class members examine primary source documents that expose the contrasting views of land ownership between the Pocumtuck and English settlers.
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Lives of Native Americans and Settlers
Students assess the effect of contact between the Native Americans and Europeans after 1492. They explore the lives of the early European colonists and the Native Americans living along the East Coast of North America. Lesson contains...
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From a New Nation to a Divided Nation
Quiz your students or prepare them for the big exam with this presentation. Included are 24 multiple choice questions related to Early American Government, The Colonial Period, Westward Expansion, and State Formation.
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Jobs in Jamestown
Students research occupations of Jamestown settlers using census data, and evaluate the data to show the needs and activities of the colony.
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Jamestown Celebrates 400th Anniversary
Students view a world map and identify the locations of England and Virginia and discuss what kinds of things they would take with them on this kind of trip. They read the words in the news box on the student page and fill in the blanks...
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Early Settlements
Students embark on a journey through colonial times. In this early settlement lesson, students come to understand what life was like for the settlers in the early colonies. Students research and create projects illustrating their new...
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Colonial Migration
Students, in groups, create a student book for an assigned group of immigrants to the Colonial United States (Huguenots, Scots, Irish, Africans.) They create drawings for the book and rhyming text that depicts three struggles that...
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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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Crossword: First Settlements
In this elementary social studies worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle with 14 words related to settling the first U.S. colonies.
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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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The Jamestown Colonies
In this colonial American worksheet, learners read a 1-page selection about the Jamestown Colony and then respond to 5 short answer questions about the selection.
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Taming Wild Land
Third graders consider the habitat needs of living things and how extensive farming in an area can affect the plants and animals of a region. They participate in a simulation to show how changing the habitat in one area can greatly...
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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I Helped the English Settlers
In this early America worksheet, students complete the sentence "I helped the English settlers because..." that is in a dialog bubble. A picture of what appears to be Pocahontas is on the page.
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Seeking a Fortune in 18th Century Maritime Boston
Study the Revolutionary War era practice of recruiting seamen to prey upon the British shipping industry, and discuss the impact this practice had on the Colonial war efforts. Learners read and interpret recruiting advertisements for...
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American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students explore daily life and its influences in the late 1700s for two families in different colonies- Delaware and Massachusetts by becoming historical detectives. After gathering information from artifacts to make inferences about...
Teacher Vision
The Wampanoag Indians: A Thanksgiving Lesson
Spark some lively conversation about American holiday traditions and debunk accepted notions about the first Thanksgiving at the same time. After reviewing the mainstream version of the Thanksgiving story with your class, offer some...
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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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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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Exploring Life in Jamestown Settlement
Third graders locate Jamestown settlement on a historical timeline and research colonial life. They name a restaurant, identify who their potential customers might be and prepare a typical colonial menu.
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English-Indian Encounters in Early 17th Century Virginia
Young scholars participate in a three part activity in which they examine the initial encounters between the English and the Indians, the different ways in which the colonist and Indians interacted and why English settlers and Native...
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Reading Trees: Understanding Dendrochronology
Pupils examine tree-ring dating and discuss the lack of water the settlers in Jamestown faced. They create paper tree rings, simulate rain patterns, and describe the history of construction paper tree sequences.
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Settlement Survival
Young scholars fill out worksheets about the landforms and developments needed to form settlements like when the colonists settled. In this settlement lesson plan, students learn about how different land formations played a key role in...
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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.