K12 Reader
An Independent Nation
If your kids are curious about the American Revolution, help them understand more about its background with a reading passage and comprehension questions. Kids use context clues to answer each question, some of which require more...
Boston University
South African Short Stories: Apartheid, Civil Rights, and You
How are short stories from South Africa connected to issues of civil rights in the United States? A unit plan uses South African short stories to discuss issues such as apartheid, colonization, and civil rights. Questions and activities...
K12 Reader
Escaping Persecution
Pilgrims, puritans, and Pennsylvania are all featured in a reading comprehension activity that asks kids to read a short passage about these early settlers and then to answer a series of questions based on the article.
Read Works
First Thanksgiving Meal
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...
Curated OER
College Education
What do Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have in common? They're both billionaires, and neither one has a college degree! Using the website, scholars explore whether having a college education is truly worth the money it costs. They read...
K12 Reader
Apprentice System
As a reading comprehension exercise, kids examine a short article on the apprentice system, and then use information found in the text to respond to a series of comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Paul Revere and Point of View
Students analyze the engraving of Paul Revere to make a judgment about the time period of the Boston Massacre. The objective is that one creates an account of the event from the perspective of a British soldier.
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
Fifth graders explore how important print media is to everyone's daily life. Students use present daily newspapers and they are to reproduce weather forecasts.
Curated OER
Guide to Writing Your Letter Back to England
Fifth graders write a letter back to England from Jamestown. They describe their trip and how they are fairing in the New World. They also discuss how they feel about John Smith.
Curated OER
How To Think Like An Archaeologist
Students take a field trip to historical Jamestown. Using artifacts given to them, they must identify them and discover who would have used them and for what purpose. They create a database to organize the information and share it with...
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact
Students use primary source documents to discuss the Mayflower Compact and the story of the first Thanksgiving. They discover how the Pilgrims were influenced in developing a community and American democracy.
Curated OER
Changing Images of Childhood in America: Colonial, Federal and Modern England
Students compare and contrast maps of New Haven, Connecticut from today and the past. After taking a field trip, they draw sketches of the types of architecture and discuss how the buildings have changed over time. They read journal...
Curated OER
Jamestown Journey Part 4
Fourth graders review their prior knowledge from the previous lessons of this unit on Jamestown. After reading a novel, they examine and discuss the life of Pocahontas. Using the internet, they answer comprehension questions and write...
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact-Freedom Contract
Students examine the main goal of the Pilgrims and the first amendment of the Constitution. They read and discuss "The Mayflower Compact," role-play excerpts of the reading, and write a journal entry.
Curated OER
Jobs in Jamestown
Students research data on Jamestown settlers in order to learn about the daily life and events in the colony. In this investigative history lesson, students work in groups to analyze the results of the Jamestown census. Students take...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving Mural
Learners create a mural of the history of Thanksgiving. In this holiday lesson, students recall the history of Thanksgiving and create a mural of the holiday using large paper and crayons.
Curated OER
Pilgrims in Style
Students explore the Pilgrims and their clothing. They discuss current trends in fashion and complete a Venn diagram comparing the Pilgrim attire to present day clothing and research websites regarding the Pilgrims. After researching,...
Curated OER
Comparison between Wampanoag and Pilgrims
Second graders compare and contrast the lives of Pilgrims and Wampanoag. Students conduct research using an interactive website and collect information about each group. Students then decide which they would rather be, a Pilgrim or a...
Utah State University
The First Thanksgiving
Second graders examine the development of the first Thanksgiving. They develop a list of the resources and technologies both the Pilgrims and the Indians shared with each other, listen to the book "The First Thanksgiving," and...
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
Postcards From Mars
Fifth graders research and explore what life would be like for human colonists on Mars. They explore various websites, read and discuss newspaper articles, develop a chart of the hardships and conditions that would be faced by colonists...
Curated OER
The Crucible
Young scholars explore the historical drama, "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller looking for examples of society's mistrust of nonconformity and the injustice that can as a result of fear.
Curated OER
The Stamp Act Effect
Sixth graders examine the Stamp Act. In this Stamp Act lesson, 6th graders analyze documents surrounding the Stamp Act. Students determine the reasons, oppositions and impacts of the Stamp Act and organize this information on a chart....
Library of Congress
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Does the lens of history portray George Washington as a good leader? A three-lesson unit looks at Washington's early military career as the commander of the Virginia Regiment, his role in the fight for independence...