Students reflect on the events that led up to slavery in the early years of North America.  In this United States History lesson, students read excerpts from the book "Out of Many," then gather in small groups to answer specific...

Imagine going from being one of the richest, most important cities in the world to one of the poorest. Imagine the history captured in the architecture of such a city. Imagine these same now abandoned buildings being destroyed. How would...

Marine biology apprentices interpret data of sturgeon interaction with gill nets. They use the data to calculate the percentage of fish entangled in each twine size to discover if there is any correlation. This is a valuable exercise in...

Students explore the grievances of the American colonists. They relate to that which is held most dearly i.e. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

What does the French and Indian War have to do with the American Revolution? Following the war, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763 in an attempt to limit the colonists' western expansion. To understand how the proclamation, the...

Eighth graders bring early America to life. In this George Washington instructional activity, 8th graders listen to a lecture about the first president, explore the relationships he had with his slaves, and research the backgrounds of...

The Pilgrims first arrived in America in order to gain religious freedom. Here is a lesson that takes the class on this journey with the Pilgrims, stopping to look at how they got here, who they met when they arrived, and a peek into...

Benjamin Franklin's famous aphorisms are a perfect time capsule of colonist values in the mid-18th century, as well as a clever reminder of the way life still works today. Middle and high schoolers select one aphorism to interpret...

Incorporating the arts into regular classroom practices isn't an easy task. Learners will research background information regarding Russian culture, history, and conflict then see how those things have applied to the rigors of Russian...

Primary source analysis is a great way to bring history to life. Learners examine a series of personal inventories taken from Southern white males who died during the Civil War era. They analyze the documents to determine the social and...

What does it mean to be an American citizen? Lieutenant Colonel Commander William Barret Travis believed that it meant honor to country first—even above one's own life. Middle and high schoolers read his final letters from the Alamo that...

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...

Students research life in Colonial America then write and stage a play about life in Colonial times. creating a variety of characters who might have lived at that time. They, in groups, generate seperate lists of characters who would...

Students research how children dressed during Colonial times. Students design and create life-sized likenesses of themselves, dressing the paper dolls in colonial dress.

Fifth graders study about Colonial Williamsburg and become "experts" in one aspect of that period. They will actively seek and share their knowledge via the internet.

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.

Tenth graders learniabout life in Deerfield during growth period through the examination of artifacts and documents of Stebbins and Wells.

Students explain how England's Glorious Revolution affected the colonies and investigate how the Great Awakening and Enlightenment affected the colonies. Students determine how the outcome of the French and Indian war affected N. America...

Students examine the life and lifestyles of New England colonists in the year 1628, and then investigate what life was like in their own area during the same time period. They watch segments from the PBS hands-on history series COLONIAL...

Third graders draw pictures to show the life of early colonists and how they set the standard for rice farming. In this rice farming lesson plan, 3rd graders read about how and when Americans set the standards for growing and producing...

Fourth graders assess primary sources to analyze the effects plantation life and slavery had on Colonial Virginia. They study the issues of slavery, rural life, movements, colonization and revolution. Each student makes predictions,...

Eleventh graders analyze works by John Donne and Thomas Heriot. For this Colonial America lesson, 11th graders examine pieces of literature, documents, and video clips to identify the issues regarding religion in the colonies. Student...

Learners listen in on American historical events. In this colonial America lesson, students participate in an activity that requires them to watch video segments that detail slavery and participate in an Incidents in the Life of a...

Learners examine waves of Jewish immigration during three time periods and analyze a variety of primary sources, including letters, memoirs, and laws, to gain insight into both the American immigrant experience and American society...