Students examine and explain the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War. In this Revolutionary War instructional activity, students summarize and evaluate several of the major battles that defined the Revolutionary War.and major...

Students listen to songs from the French and Indian War period. They answer questions about the song and identify any historical terms. They examine the role of music in their own lives.

Middle schoolers examine the labor needs in colonial America. Using primary and secondary resources, they explore the major events and life in the United States during colonial times. They complete a chart listing the pros and cons of...

In this spread of revolutions study guide worksheet, students respond to 16 fill in the blanks and graphic organizer questions.

Students explore five web sites in order to identify the various ways Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the past and how it is celebrated today. They consider the diversity of United States and this affects celebrations of the day.

Students identify people, events and issues of importance during the French and Indian War and compare them with issues that only affected New Hampshire. They discover how newspapers gave people a sense of identity.

Students 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.

Young scholars identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of...

Students consider the role of editorial cartoons on American politics. In this editorial cartoons lesson, students discover the history of the cartoons in America, analyze some cartoons, and then draw their own cartoons that make social...

What do the flag, the bald eagle, and the Statue of Liberty remind you of? After reading a short article about these national symbols, middle schoolers are asked to identify ideas that these items represent.

It's time for the feast! Young historians complete their study of the First Thanksgiving by completing an online activity, watching a slideshow, and examining a First Thanksgiving timeline. After answering text-dependent questions to...

Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...

Patriots or traitors? Class members analyze images that present widely differing views of the Boston Tea Party, identifying the point of view of the image, the propaganda devices used, and the intended audience.

Cranberries, oysters, lobster, deer, and cabbage were just a few of the foods found on the table at the First Thanksgiving. After reading a two-page passage about the historic meal, class members respond to 10 reading...

The work of building and maintaining a democracy is, in the words of Justice William Hastie, "never finished." To better understand what Hastie sees as an ongoing building process, class members listen to a seven-minute podcast about two...

Why did the Black Panther Party feel colonized, and what methods did they employ to achieve empowerment? Your class members will engage in an online PowerPoint presentation, analysis of several documents, and discussion in order to...

Ready to interpret the Declaration of Independence and understand its meaning? The resource divides scholars into pairs, where they work as a team to match translations with excerpts from the declaration. The class then engages in...

Young historians trace the roots of African slavery and learn about the causes and effects of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade through a PowerPoint presentation and by reading and discussing excerpts from the book Copper Sun.

Young historians play the role of history detectives as they investigate some primary source texts and images related to the early colonization of America, The Jamestown Settlement, and the Mayflower Compact. 

Imagine living in the hold of a sailing ship for 63 days, enduring rough seas and autumn storms. As part of a study of the voyage of the Mayflower, class members examine an online resource that details life about the ship, watch a slide...

A read-aloud anthology explores Colonial America. Third graders listen to informational texts, discuss what they heard, and participate in extension activities and writing. Take-home materials, assessments, and remediation opportunities...

Students learn about the legal foundations for slavery and explore autobiographical writings of slaves. Students trace the development of laws that enforced the slave status of Africans and their descendants.

Eleventh graders examine the presidency of Lincoln.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders watch various videos on Lincoln and the Civil War.  Students read and answer questions. 

High schoolers understand the similarities and differences between English and Native American conceptions of the land and town settlement. They understand how the colony of Massachusetts developed and expanded. Students understand the...