Students explore schools during the Colonial period. In this American history lesson, students participate in a simulation of school days in Colonial America. Students visit a museum and use the schoolhouse as a setting for their...

Fifth graders share information on one aspect of colonial life with an email partner each week. They take on the personal of a character from Colonial iamsburg and tell their partner about they have done that day with a focus on a...

Fourth graders write from the perspective of a child in the colonial period. In this writing lesson, 4th graders create a fictional character living in the colonial period and write about daily life from their perspective.

High school readers examine George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" for examples of symbolism, metaphor, connotation, and irony. They analyze how these literary tools convey the writer's main point and contribute to the persuasive...

Fifth graders examine schooling now and in New England Colonies. In this compare and contrast instructional activity, 5th graders describe schools of the present to schools of the past. Students also investigate the goals of schooling...

In this colonial life activity, students read a 1 page article on colonial life, make a Venn diagram that shows how life for colonial children was different from and similar to theirs and discuss what part of colonial life they liked...

Fifth graders write emails to a friend imagining they are traveling to colonial America.  In this emailing penpals lesson plan, 5th graders discuss appropriate language and topics in email communication, use correct format and write...

Students discover the history of Colonial America by creating a class presentation.  In this U.S. History lesson, students utilize the Internet to research one of 20 topics in which they will create a PowerPoint or other type of...

Fifth graders research their assigned regions, complete regional guide and prepare presentations about the New World colonists. They refer to "Everyday LIfe: Colonial Times" as well as searching marked internet sites.

Third graders increase reading strategies while learning about Abigail Adams and her role in history. In this Abigail Adams lesson, 3rd graders read about the American Revolution and Abigail Adams using all the balanced literacy...

Sixth graders examine the different aspects of life in Colonial America. At home, they make traditional colonial recipes to share with the class. In groups, they read a book about the purpose and act of quilting and create their own...

Students explore the life and accomplishments of Benjamin Franklin. In this colonial history lesson, students research Benjamin Franklin's work as a printer, a writer, a statesman, and an inventor. Students determine what his most...

Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...

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...

Learners identify the main ideas from expository text. In this main ideas lesson, students read a piece of text and practice identifying what is most important. Learners complete another sample reading with a group then discuss as a class.

Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...

Fifth graders connect reasons for coming to the New World with identity. The create identities and place them in one of three settled regions. They refer to prior study notes in their Colonial Notebooks to establish their identities.

Students, in a high school class for autistic children, take a virtual tour of Boston's "Big Dig" and the artifacts discovered there. During weekly lab sessions, they discover the processes involved in artifact preservation. Using...

Students develop strategies to create a successful colony by analyzing the environment, individual rights, and responsibilities. They gain an understanding of the challenges faced by colonists.

Students pretend they are visiting a relative in the Chuuk nation of Micronesia. Using their knowledge of the 4th of July, they compare and contrast the holiday to the Chuuk's independence day. They create travelogues that outline...

Students develop a visual display illustrating an event from F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and write a paper showing the relationship between the visual and The Great Gatsby.  In this The Great Gatsby lesson, students research the life...

Eleventh graders trace Taylor's use of conceit or extended metaphor in his poem "Huswifery" where he compares the process of cloth making to God's salvation of man, and write a poem in which they compare a personal transformation with an...

Third graders discover the importance of the Virginia Assembly in English America as a governing body. After discussing the formation of the House of Burgesses, they elect their own representatives to make class decisions. In groups,...