Students, through a variety of activities, discover historical aspects of the American Revolution. They make maps and create timelines to track significant events. They create a book about the American Revolution and re-enact Paul...

Students access the Library of Congress's collection of Broadsides (printed material with news, entertainment, advertisements, etc.) and explore their impact on events leading up to the Revolutionary War. They create a timeline with...

Students investigate the Colonial Era by completing a template on their computers.  In this U.S. History lesson, students discuss the differences between primary and secondary sources and identify several different sources as one or...

The impressive story of Benjamin Franklin, including his rise from a printer’s apprentice to a statesman, color upper-level scholars’ understanding of the possibilities of life in colonial Philadelphia. But not everyone had the...

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.

Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...

From the trade of the colonial era to the Clean Water Act, water has shaped American history. Class members unpack how water affected the American story using primary sources that span events including the Lewis and Clark expedition to...

Students discover the times of Colonial America by creating a timeline.  In this U.S. History lesson, students research a teacher-directed website about African Americans in early colonial times.  Students utilize their...

How would a Frenchman, Englishman, and Native American have each viewed the French and Indian War? Your young historians will learn about their unique perspectives and the war as a whole through a role-playing activity,...

Fifth graders practice creative writing  by describing events from the Colonial era.  In this U.S. History lesson, 5th graders identify King George III and George Washington, the roles they played, and the differences between...

Students research Colonial America. In this Colonial Times lesson, students view the PBS Colonial House Interactivewebsite and create a timeline of important events during the Colonial period. Students print and share their timelines.

Seventh graders construct a historical timeline of events leading up to and during the Revolutionary War. They give a speech pleading the cause of independence and compare and contrast today's news media with the ideals of the...

Students analyze primary and secondary source documents to help them describe the cooperation and conflict that existed among the American Indians and new settlers. Then, students analyze the purpose, challenges, and economic incentives...

Students visit the Memorial Art Gallery's exhibit, "About Face: Copley's Portrait of a Colonial Silversmith." They complete a worksheet based on the career of John SIngleton Copley as a colonial American artist. They experience the role...

Each phase of the Vietnam War is fully developed and defined in terms of political cause and effect and social action. Phase one covers the onset of the war in 1945 through the French defeat at Dienbienphu. Phase two discusses American...

Eighth graders examine various political cartoons from the American Revolution era. Using present day political cartoons, they compare and contrast the ones from the past to the ones of today. As a class, they discuss the use of...

Young scholars investigate the colonial era and the crafts practiced in each of the trades as an expression of the interdependence the colonists had on each other. The impact of emigration from an American colonial town is experienced as...

Students examine a series of documents which discuss the contradiction in the Americans' rhetoric about slavery. They act as members of designated Committees of Correspondence in the five different colonies, communicating their...

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...

Fifth graders read about and discuss American Colonial Folk styles of the 18th century. They research architecture and design found Huguenot Street and use their research and observations to design an original home.

Students compare and contrast the colonies in British North America. As a class, they brainstorm a list of people, places and ideas associated with the Colonial Era. They discover the relationships and interactions between the...

Seventh graders research styles, construction, fabrics, colors, and cost of Colonial era clothing. They create a life-sized model of themselves wearing Colonial period clothing and write a report about the clothes they designed.

Students examine portraits by John Singleton Copley and discuss how the subject's appearance communicates important information about his or her life. They write a diary entry from the point of view of a portrait subject.