Curated OER
The Living Museum: George Washington, the Slave Owner
Eighth graders bring early America to life. For this George Washington lesson, 8th graders listen to a lecture about the first president, explore the relationships he had with his slaves, and research the backgrounds of some of his...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Colonial Tobacco Economy
Tobacco as money? Middle schoolers investigate how eighteenth-century Virginia farmers used tobacco as a cash crop to buy tools, livestock, and household goods. They also examine the connection between tobacco production and the slave...
Student Achievement Partners
You've Been Lied To: The REAL Christopher Columbus
Looking for resources that explore alternative perspectives of the Christopher Columbus story? Check out the images, videos, cartoons, primary source documents, and other texts in a packet designed to spark debate.
Curated OER
Early Colonial Labor Force: Indentured Servants and Slaves
Learners study the labor force used during Colonial America. In this Colonial America lesson, students discuss labor types used in the colonies. Learners read about indentured servants and the use of African slaves. Students use the...
Curated OER
Children and Slavery Document Search
Students review the causes of slavery, the Middle Passage, triangular trade and the spread of slavery throughout colonies. They work in small groups and search documents in order to find the answers to a question and document packet.
Curated OER
Slavery in Connecticut 1640-1848
Sixth graders explore ways to tie Afro-American history into the study of Connecticut. They compare Blacks in Connecticut with the different situations of Blacks in other parts of America. They study the period from 1848 to the present.
Center for History Education
Runaway Slaves: From the Revolution to the New Republic
Who were the enslaved people in colonial America? Using ads from enslavers looking to recapture escaped people, young historians put faces and identities to them. Primary sources, such as wanted ads, help scholars reconstruct who these...
Curated OER
Time Marches On
Students discover the times of Colonial America by creating a timeline. In this U.S. History activity, students research a teacher-directed website about African Americans in early colonial times. Students utilize their information to...
Curated OER
Stono Rebellion
Fourth graders explore the Stono Rebellion. In this Colonial America lesson, 4th graders research the Stono Slave Rebellion using primary and secondary sources. Students study how the rebellion affected the treatment of slaves in America.
Curated OER
Labor Needs in Colonial America
Students 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 a slave...
Curated OER
Development of the English Colonies
Students research one of the original 13 colonies using the included worksheet. They also record their findings on a poster board to use during a class presentation. Students then take notes on the presentations using the provided...
Curated OER
Early America
Fifth graders, in groups, study the differences between the 13 Original Colonies, then explore the relationship between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
Curated OER
From Slavery to Segregation
Students study the causes and effects of slavery and segregation. They write an essay (including either pictures, charts, graphs or copies of documents to support their essay) which addresses the African American's journey from slavery...
Curated OER
Samuel's Choice
The book, Samuel's Choice is used to illustrate the decisions that African Americans who were enslaved during the Revolutionary War had to make. The series of four lessons is designed to be implemented after the book is read. The book,...
Curated OER
What We Leave Behind
Students 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...
Curated OER
Chapter 1 – The Constitution
In this colonial America worksheet, students read assigned textbook pages detailing the U.S. Constitution and respond to 46 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Questions to “Drawing the Color Line”
In this African American history worksheet, students watch "Drawing the Color Line" and then respond to 6 short answer questions about slavery.
Curated OER
American Revolution and Constitution Take Home Assessment
In this early American history worksheet, students create posters that feature the branches of government as established by the U.S. Constitution. Students also research founding ideals of the nation and use Venn diagrams to compare and...
Curated OER
Samuel's Choice - Social Studies Using Children's Literature
Fifth graders read a book about independence, freedom, and slavery. Students create a story map of the book. They research the causes of the Civil War. Students write a newspaper article from the point of view of an American colonist.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Towne Planning in Tidewater
Learners discover how European values dominated colonial life. They also examine the effects of slavery in the Americas. Students compare the planning of their home town with that of colonial Williamsburg. They locate key sites such...
Curated OER
Being Me in the Face of Adversity - Americans Who Stood Up for Their Beliefs
Young scholars identify important Americans from the colonial, revolutionary and slavery periods who are noted for standing up for their beliefs in the face of peer disapproval. They identify the importance of music in motivating and...
Curated OER
Rules, Rules, Rules
Fourth graders create their classroom rules. In this Mayflower Compact lesson plan, 4th graders listen to the Plymouth story and learn about the Mayflower Compact. Students analyze the Mayflower Compact and create a class compact of...
Curated OER
A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?
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...
Curated OER
Legacies of the Middle Passage
Students research the Atlantic slave trade during the 18th century. In this slave trade lesson, students read a narrative about colonial expansion in the Americas and the rise of slavery in the United States. Students write down what...