Curated OER
Ancient Gold Working
Students create a sculpture inspired by the masks, pendants, or human and animal forms found in ancient Indian art of the Americas. They focus on the techniques of metalworking, especially repousse.
ProCon
Gun Control
According to some estimates, there are more guns than people in the United States. Learners decide if America should enact more gun control laws. They analyze information about gun deaths in the United States by year, read about the...
Curated OER
Patriots and Loyalists
Young scholars 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.
Curated OER
Latin American Colonial Diary
Middle schoolers 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.
Curated OER
social studies: Life in Colonial America
Students explore the trials and tribulations early colonial life and note its successes. Through literature, Internet research, and interactive software, they engage in various activities to evaluate early social and cultural development.
Curated OER
"Some excellent dumb discourse:" Caliban as native American
Twelfth graders explore some of the colonial implications of The Tempest, analyzing how language and power interrelate in the play and using another American voice, American Sign Language, to consider the different forms of communication...
Curated OER
My Brother Sam is Dead: A study of the Revolutionary War
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...
Curated OER
Jamestown
Seventh graders examine life at the Jamestown settlement. In this colonial America lesson plan, 7th graders visit the noted Web site to analyze artifacts from the settlement. Based on their findings, students write descriptive pieces...
Curated OER
Johnny Tremain for the 21st Century
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the American Revolution based on the novel, 'Johnny Tremain.' They define key vocabulary terms, develop a timeline, write a report on a colonial craft, make a colonial flag, and create a...
Curated OER
Art of Cynicism
Learners analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural attitudes...
Curated OER
Philanthropic Movements in the United States to 1900: 1765 to the Declaration of Independence
Middle schoolers watch and discuss the Johnny Tremain video. They discuss the actions of citizens during the American Revolution and describe these actions as patriotic and/or philanthropic.
Curated OER
Language Arts: Novel Guides
Students discuss the Revolution and consider the causes of the war, the attitudes of the colonists, and the position of the British. Then students explore American involvement in wars since the country's inception.
Middle Tennessee State University
Preparing for Revolution
Class members create a timeline of actions by both the British parliament and the colonists that led to the outbreak of the American Revolution. Groups use the provided Primary Source Analysis Tool to examine and...
Curated OER
One Room School House Reading Lesson
Learners explore schools during the Colonial period. In this American history lesson, students participate in a simulation of school days in Colonial America. Learners visit a museum and use the schoolhouse as a setting for their...
Curated OER
Freedom Trail News
Students take a virtual "Freedom Trail" tour to gather information and materials for a "newspaper" on the political situation in Boston in 1775. They describe historical places, people, and events connected to the beginning of the...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Vocabulary
Build vocabulary and have a class discussion. Use this PowerPoint to illustrate concepts of Early American History, including, Bill of Rights, Supreme Court, elections, and the Constitution. Note: Each slide has only a single vocabulary...
Curated OER
American Revolution: A European Battle
Students create a timeline of events during the Revolutionary War and conduct research of historical figures. They construct acrostics or diamantes of the figures' names. They evaluate the involvement of Europeans in the war.
Curated OER
A Country Is Born-The American Revolutionary War
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...
Curated OER
Dressing in Early American Times
Fifth graders, by doing research and seeing actual and simulated artifacts, gain knowledge of and make comparisons about clothing in the Colonial and early Republican eras with attire of present time.
Curated OER
Dear Abby- Colonial Style
Students review the Colonial period in American history and read literature from this era. They assume the roles of a colonial young person and an adult to compose letters from each and communicate their ideas through the letter writing...
Curated OER
Colonial Life in Virginia
Fourth graders compare and contrast life in England with plantation life in America. They study the dependencies or mini-industries that could be found on plantations.
Curated OER
Pilgrims: The First Americans
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time. In this Thanksgiving activity, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write...
Berkshire Museum
The Three Life-Giving Sisters: Plant Cultivation and Mohican Innovation
Children gain first-hand experience with Native American agriculture while investigating the life cycle of plants with this engaging experiment. Focusing on what the natives called the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash - young...
K12 Reader
Eastern Woodland Natives
Supplement your social studies instruction with a reading passage about the Eastern Woodlands. After reading the passage, learners respond to five related questions.