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Jamestown Changes
Students examine how the Jamestown settlement changed the first few years after it was founded. They take a virtual field trip of Jamestown, read primary source documents, discuss census information, and write a summary of changes in...
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Comparing Covenants
Fifth graders investigate what a covenant was and how they relate to contemporary government ideals. In this comparing covenant instructional activity, 5th graders examine primary source documents that are examples of covenants from 18th...
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Life on Plymouth Plantation
Third graders research life of Plymouth Plantation and write letters about life there home. In this Plymouth life lesson plan, 3rd graders complete a webquest as they gather information about the journey to America on the Mayflower and...
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American Colonial Life in the Late 1700s: Distant Cousins
Students research how early colonists lived. They investigate late 17th century colonist's lives from Massachusetts and Delaware. Using their research, students write historical fiction in the form of friendly letters between the two...
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The Art of Growing Things
Students discuss how the Pilgrims brought seeds, from England, into the new settlements and explore the history of seed nurseries. After observing packets of seeds and their contents, students list information found on the packets and...
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Rice Around the World
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...
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English Settlement
Students study the development of the New England colonies, their rationale for settlement, and the importance of Puritan theology in this development. They research towns in England and their copies in Massachusetts.
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Early Indian Inhabitants of Deerfield
Eleventh graders explain that there is evidence of New England's being inhabited by Indians as far back as 10,000 years ago.
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Pumpkins By the Pound
Use pumpkins of various sizes to experiment with weight and perimeter. First the class lifts the pumpkins one by one, estimating each pumpkin's weight. They arrange the pumpkins from lightest to heaviest, and then string weigh each one...
Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area
Life as a Pioneer
Learners examine historical documents and research why early pioneers settled on the Iowa prairie. They review maps, describe the impact of railroading, describe life in pioneer times, and identify the effects of drought, prairie fire,...
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Forward, Into the Past!
Students, during a (virtual) visit to a burial ground, think about the past by viewing tombstones as primary sources. They explain how the attitudes of Deerfield residents toward death and burial evolved from 1780-1880.
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Queen Anne's War and Its Impact on Deerfield
Class members read a series of primary and secondary source materials to examine the effects of Queen Anne's War, also know as the War of Spanish Succession, on the Pocumtucks and other Native Americans in the area of Deerfield, MA.
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The Story of How Deerfield Came to Be
Eleventh graders explore how the native peoples had lived in the Connecticut Valley for nearly 10,000 years, prior to the English settlement and how their culture and life ways were markedly different from that of the English settlers.
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A Cultural Study of Arkansas and Saline County for Eleventh Grade Non-College American Literature
Eleventh graders divide into research groups and select a topic to pursue from a list that ranged from historical sites to local ghost stories to the nearby aluminum plant.
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Cotton Production and Milling
Students examine cotton production and milling. They compete in a hand-ginning contest to realize how difficult it was to separate the seeds from the fibers of cotton. They discuss why Eli Whitney's cotton gin was an important invention.
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When Maine Was Part of Massachusetts
Students analyze a map of Maine to determine its proportions in 1795. They examine Osgood Carleton's map of Maine from 1795 and complete a worksheet. They share their observations with their group and evaluate a present day map of Maine....
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What is the history of rice in the United States?
Fifth graders become familiar with the history of rice and create a board game. In this rice lesson, 5th graders understand the history of rice through the playing of a game. Students use vocabulary words related to the...
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The Million Mile Journey
Students read quotes. In this philanthropy lesson, students read Historic Excerpts of The Europeans. Students work in pairs and pick one quote to illustrate.
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Geography of the English Settlements
Third graders locate several important American colonial cities on a map and research how their proximity to water and nearby arable land affected the rate and success of settlement.
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Religious Tolerance in Colonial Maryland
Young scholars complete worksheets and analyze passages about religious tolerance in Colonial Maryland. In this religious tolerance lesson plan, students discuss Maryland as a colony and answer short answer questions about it.
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American Thanksgiving Through Time
Students explore five web sites in order to identify the various ways Thanksgiving has been celebrated in the past and how it is celebrated today. They consider the diversity of United States and this affects celebrations of the day.