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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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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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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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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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A Special Relationship: Connecticut and Its Settlers
Students study both geological and geographical features of Connecticut and the New Haven area. They focus on map works and rock formation.
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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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THE MASSACHUSETSS FRONTIER:TURNER
Learners examine the political, social, religious, and economic world and national context in which the settlement of Deerfield occurred and the competing political agendas, and competition for land, power, and wealth in Deerfield.
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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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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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Seeking a Fortune in 18th Century Maritime Boston
Study the Revolutionary War era practice of recruiting seamen to prey upon the British shipping industry, and discuss the impact this practice had on the Colonial war efforts. Learners read and interpret recruiting advertisements for...
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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...
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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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Grid it, Map it
Learners participate in designing a city layout using grids and coordinates. They work on a city space and create a grid on a life size layout on the gym floor.
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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.
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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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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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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....