Curated OER
Colonial Currency
Fifth graders develop a common currency. In this colonial currency lesson, 5th graders exchange beads, rice, coins, and paper bills for goods and services. Students explore web tools to research ways colonists used money, even if it was...
Curated OER
What can money tell us?
Students study the physical presence, imagery and written text on a reproduction of colonial currency. They apply their research to a modern day quarter to compare and contrast two coins. In addition, they design their own colonial...
Curated OER
Colonial Vacation Planner
Looking for a good lesson on the Colonial Period for your upper-elementary class? Then, this lesson is for you! They use website designs, U.S. travel publications, and maps to plan a family vacation to states which were part of the...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Colonial American Trade, Currency, and Economy: The instability of a colonial economy
Students view an image of Nathanial Hurd's "Table of Conversions." They will work in small groups to complete a worksheet. Students participate in a discussion about colonial Boston's economy. This lesson is a precursor to a visit to the...
Power Show
Colonial North America
This 54-slide PowerPoint outlines the significant events in the history of Colonial North America, beginning in 1603 with the ascendance of James I to the throne of England. Designed to accompany a lecture on this time period, the...
Annenberg Foundation
Colonial Designs
The adventures of the New World came at a cost for Native Americans. Scholars investigate the economic side of settling the European colonies. Using video clips, statistical evidence, and primary sources, they create hypotheses and...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Colonial Tobacco Economy
Tobacco as money? Middle schoolers investigate how eighteenth-century Virginia farmers used tobacco as a cash crop to buy tools, livestock, and household goods. They also examine the connection between tobacco production and the slave...
Curated OER
A Lesson to Accompany "Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of a Paper Money Economy"
Young scholars examine the role of money in the colonial economy by participating in a trading activity. In this colonial economy lesson plan, students complete an activity to learn about colonial trade and what happens when there is a...
Curated OER
Spanish Influence on United States Currency: The Origins of the "Dollar"
Sixth graders research the Spanish influence on early colonial America and the process of establishing the present U.S. currency. They read and discuss an informational handout in small groups, and take a short quiz. Students then...
Curated OER
A Trip to Colonial Virginia
Young scholars consider prices while planning a trip to Colonial Virginia. In this budgeting lesson plan, students construct an itinerary of events for a vacation. Young scholars are responsible for working within the approved budget.
Curated OER
Colonial America: Causes of the American Revolution
Fourth graders analyze colonial rule and policies with regard to the causes of the American Revolution. For this Colonial America simulation lesson, 4th graders role play in an Independence Game, reacting to a variety of "events" that...
Curated OER
National and Regional Identity
Students examine state quarters to identify symbols that represent national and regional identity. They discuss the process used to determine what is put on the quarter. They review colonial money, and euros to look for cultural images.
Curated OER
Describe How Money Barter, and Credit Were Used in Colonial Virginia
Fourth graders listen as the teacher lectures about bartering. They work in small groups to define and create a skit about one term related to bartering. Students create an Economic Terms booklet. They review that tobacco was a cash crop...
Curated OER
Colonial Vacation Planner
Students plan a family vacation to states that were among the original 13 colonies. The groups determine which state they visit, map their route, calculate the mileage, and determine how much money they spend on gasoline.
Curated OER
Money Talks
Young scholars examine paper money from the time of the American Revolution. They use the issue dates of the bills to construct a chronology of political changes during the Revolution.
Curated OER
The Coming of Independence
Provide your learners with an opportunity to show what they know. Have them answer 10 questions on colonial America, 13 Colonies, colonial legislature, and popular sovereignty. There are 5 true/false and 5 multiple choice questions.
Curated OER
It's in Your Pocket
Students examine American coins. In this American currency lesson plan, students study how American money came to be as well as the responsibilities of the U.S. Mint. Students discover details regarding American coins and design their...
Curated OER
Colonial Silver and Tea
Students examine silver pieces from colonial Boston in order to determine the social context of these objects. They compare signs of social status in colonial Boston with those of today by looking at the associated visuals.
Curated OER
A Lesson to Accompany "Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of a Paper Money Economy"
Students investigate the role of money in the colonial economy. In this colonial economy lesson, students participate in a trading activity, read the booklet "Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of a Paper Money Economy," participate in an...
Curated OER
I Have No Money, Would You Take Wampum
Students engage in a discussion about their experiences with goods, services, and money. In this bartering lesson plan, students read The Wampum Bird story and brainstorm their personal experiences with economics.
Curated OER
Buying Without Money
Students describe life in the Virginia colony. They explain how money, barter, and credit were used. Students simulate trading items among classmates. Students compare/contrast credit and trade.
Curated OER
Economics During Colonial Virginia
Students communicate their knowledge of life in the Virginia colony. They describe how money, barter, and credit were used. Students observe a United Streaming video on trade. Students complete a review guide and write an essay.
Digital History
The Stamp Act and Virtual Representation
"No taxation without representation!" While many have heard this rallying cry of the American colonists prior to the Revolutionary War, rarely is time given to hear the British reasoning behind their implementation of the Stamp Act. This...