Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taking a Page From Franklin

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students analyze sentences from Benjamin Franklin. They use their notes to state the same ideas in essay form. They compare the new work to Franklin's orginal work.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Objects as Self

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Young scholars examine how objects and setting help complete a self-portrait. They analyze Franklin's self-portraits before creating their own. They try to create the self-portrait as if they were in Franklin's time.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson Plan on Benjamin Franklin

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders utilize Internet research methods to gather information about the inventions of Benjamin Franklin. They prepare oral reports and present them to the class incorporating at least one visual aid.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

First Grade American Civilization: February

For Teachers 1st
First graders examine and discuss the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere, Redcoats, Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. They conduct an experiment done by Benjamin Franklin, solve a word puzzle written in code by Ben...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ben Franklin Half Dollar

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students research contributions to American culture and technological progress through Benjamin Franklin's quotes and inventions. They also analyze research in order to design a coin honoring Ben Franklin's contributions.
Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: Albany Plan of Union (1754)

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the original text of Benjamin Franklin's early proposal for unification of the colonies in common defense against the French. Proposed in 1754, Franklin's framework is considered one of the founding documents of the American republic.
Website
Bibliomania

Bibliomania: Simonds History of American Literature

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site presents the full text of the "Simonds History of American Literature." This detailed reference book explores the literature in early colonial times, the eighteenth century, the beginning of the nineteenth century, the New...
Handout
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Harcourt: Biographies

For Students 9th - 10th
A fantastic resource where you can find biographies of historical figures. You can search by the person's name or by topics, such as Presidents, United States Leaders, Scientists, Inventors, Humanitarians, Explorers and Pioneers,...
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Journals of the Continental Congress

For Students 9th - 10th
These journals from the Continental Congress of the United States will provide students with a greater understanding of the foundations of American government as established in the late 18th century. Includes handwritten documents by...
Primary
National Humanities Center

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Predicaments of Early Republican Life

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Primary resource material focusses on predicaments in early American history. Students read primary source text to answer questions surrounding the nature of society following the American Revolution, learning about the hopes and fears...
Website
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: American Independence

For Students 9th - 10th
Part of Fordham University's Internet Modern History Sourcebook, this site gives historical background and extensive web resources on American Independence.
Primary
University of Virginia

U. Of Virginia: "A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature and " by Benjamin Franklin

For Students 9th - 10th
The original text of a 1729 essay by Benjamin Franklin entitled "A Modest Enquiry into the Nature and Necessity of a Paper-Currency." Franklin supports paper currency to encourage trade.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Making Friends With Franklin

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Come meet Benjamin Franklin and some of his scientific friends. Learn about them through the eyes of early American portraiture. Following the introduction are three great lesson plans for teachers of language arts, science, and visual...
Handout
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography Inventors

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information on American inventors Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Singer, Wilbur Wright, Thomas Alva Edison, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. It offers pictures from and...
Primary
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Benjamin Franklin's Speech

For Students 9th - 10th
From James Madison's notes, this speech is Benjamin Franklin's final speech of the Constitutional Convention.
Activity
PBS

Pbs: Timeline of the Revolution

For Students 9th - 10th
A timeline beginning at the ascension of King George of England in 1760 and ending at the passing of the US Bill of Rights, is brief but informative. A Revolutionary War game, as well as other educational sites are available.
Activity
PBS

Pbs Liberty!: High Tea in Boston Harbor

For Students 9th - 10th
Presented in a newspaper format, this site explores the rise of independence in the colonies with a focus on the Boston Tea Party as it occurred on April 1, 1774 and Benjamin Franklin's experience in London. Content includes a look at...
Article
PBS

Pbs Liberty!: Independence! Philadelphia 1776

For Students 6th - 8th
The newspaper layout makes it simple to read the accounts of the reaction to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The article includes valuable links including an introduction to Thomas Paine and his role in this event.
Primary
Franklin and Marshall College

Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary: Franklin and the American Enlightenment [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Essay on the Enlightenment as typified in America by Benjamin Franklin.
Website
Franklin and Marshall College

Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary: Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World

For Students 9th - 10th
This attractive, well-designed site, developed to mark the three-hundredth anniversary of Franklin's 1706 birth, tells the story of Franklin's life and accomplishments. Learn how his roots as an ambitious, outspoken teen helped him to...
Website
Other

Indiana University: Secrets of the Hellfire Club

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent collection of published articles, and a video, on the Hellfire Club, its history, and the people involved with it, including Benjamin Franklin.
Activity
McGraw Hill

Glencoe Literary Library: "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin" Study Guide [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore Benjamin Franklin and his "Autobiography" with the help of background information, vocabulary lists, brainstorming exercises, and thought-provoking writing prompts on Franklin's talents and contributions. Also, use what you have...
Primary
Yale University

Avalon Project: Albany Plan of Union

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the text of the Albany Plan of Union which advocated a union of the colonies under a royal governor. Although not adopted, it was the first step in colonial unification.
Handout
The Franklin Institute

Franklin Institute: Franklin's Lightning Rod

For Students 9th - 10th
See a picture of the lightning rod Benjamin Franklin used in 1746 and learn about his discovery of electricity.