Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom to Worship

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read the biographies of seven colonists and determine their position on the freedom of religion. They conduct a panel discussion of seven personalities and debate the religious freedom in America.
Lesson Plan
Organization for Community Networks

Academy Curricular Exchange: A Practical Experiment in Colonization

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A detailed lesson plan depicting life in the early American colonies.
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Introduction to American Colonial History

For Students 9th - 10th
Introductory article on American Colonial History in which the author takes a look at the first European settlers who made the voyage to America and addresses the essential question of who they were as people and hence, why they made...
PPT
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art: Art and Identity in British North American Colonies

For Students 9th - 10th
Consider the English identity of American colonists by examining the sorts of imported goods and decorative arts Americans chose to purchase and display.
Website
Other

American Centuries, View From New England

For Students 9th - 10th
A multi-purpose site that provides information on history and historic artifacts from New England. There are also some interesting games that serve to enhance learning about New England. Be sure to watch video demonstrations of Early...
Primary
University of Illinois

University of Illinois: Early Trade With China: Early American Trade Routes to China [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Once the colonies gained their independence, American ships began to search the oceansfor markets to replace the British colonial markets from which they were now excluded (theWest Indies) or in which they were subjected to heavy tax...
Primary
Lumen Learning

Lumen: Early American and Puritan Literature: "A Model of Christian Charity"

For Students 9th - 10th
"A Model of Christian Charity" is a 1630 sermon by Puritan layman and leader John Winthrop, who delivered on board the ship Arbella while en route to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It is also known as City upon a Hill and denotes the...
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Second Generation of British Colonies

For Students 9th - 10th
The religious and civil conflict in England in the mid-17th century limited immigration, as well as the attention the mother country paid the fledgling American colonies.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

National Park Service: Saugus Iron Works: Life & Work at an Early American Site

For Students 9th - 10th
Use this site to learn about life and work at an early American industrial site. Understand the need for iron ore for the early Puritans through excellent history info, an inquiry question, maps, images, readings, activities and more....
Interactive
Quia

Quia: American Colonial Government and Policies

For Students 9th - 10th
Review your knowledge of the early American government with these interactive games. Play concentration, matching, flashcards, or click on "list of terms" to see the vocabulary used in each activity.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Then and Now Life in Early America

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Select from lesson plans that challenge students to compare everyday objects from colonial times to present day objects. Links to sites with photos and other primary sources will assist students in their comparison.
Article
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art: American Portrait Miniatures of Eighteenth Century

For Students 9th - 10th
The Metropolitan Museum of Art provides this informative page on American portrait miniature paintings of the eighteenth century.
Interactive
Quia

Quia: The English Colonies

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Test your knowledge of the thirteen colonies with these interactive games. You'll find matching, concentration, flashcards, and a word search, along with a list of terms to refresh your memory.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Utopian Promise: William Bradford

For Students 9th - 10th
Seventeenth century author, William Bradford, set sail on the Mayflower and embarked on a journey to the New World using his experiences for his writings. Click on "William Bradford Activities" for related artifacts and activities.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Second Generation of British Colonies

For Students 9th - 10th
The religious and civil conflict in England in the mid-17th century limited immigration, as well as the attention the mother country paid the fledgling American colonies. In part to provide for the defense measures England was...
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Early Settlements

For Students 9th - 10th
The early 1600s saw the beginning of a great tide of emigration from Europe to North America. Spanning more than three centuries, this movement grew from a trickle of a few hundred English colonists to a flood of millions of newcomers....
eBook
OpenStax

Open Stax: The Early Years of the Revolution

For Students 11th - 12th
Section from a textbook style book explains the British and American strategies of 1776 through 1778 and identifies the key battles of the early years of the Revolution.
Lesson Plan
University of Florida

Florida Museum of Natural History: First Colony: Our Spanish Origins

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource is a lesson plan from the University of Florida Natural History Museum. It is a lesson on the impact that the immigrants of Jamestown, VA had on American culture and the melting pot they created in the early colonial days.
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Jamestown

For Students 9th - 10th
The first of the British colonies to take hold in North America was Jamestown. On the basis of a charter which King James I granted to the Virginia (or London) company, a group of about 100 men set out for the Chesapeake Bay in 1607....
Handout
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Colonial Indian Relations

For Students 9th - 10th
By 1640 the British had solid colonies established along the New England coast and the Chesapeake Bay. In between were the Dutch and the tiny Swedish community. To the west were the original Americans, then called Indians.
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Pocahontas

For Students 9th - 10th
Among the most famous women in early American history, Pocahontas is credited with helping the struggling English settlers survive.
Handout
State Library of North Carolina

N Cpedia: Stephen R. Claggett: Native American Settlement of North Carolina

For Students 9th - 10th
The English began exploring and settling into the Carolina Colony in the late 1500-early 1600s. The land was already inhabited by Native American tribes. How did they all get along? Who were the Native Americans on the land?
Unknown Type
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Social Studies: Grade 5: Early Colonization of North America

For Teachers 5th
This sample task contains a set of primary and authentic sources about the early colonization of North America.
Handout
State Library of North Carolina

N Cpedia: John W. Kinchelo, Iii: American Indians at European Contact

For Students 9th - 10th
Native Americans inhabited the New World long before European explorers began establishing settlements on the land. This entry addresses the challenges the natives had to face upon Europe's arrival, trials in relationships, and how...