Curated OER
Foundations
Students investigate the history of literature in America by looking at the types of genres first read in the United States. They look at the foundations of how the original colonists had the intention of transmitting religious and moral...
Curated OER
Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq
Learners evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an essay...
Curated OER
Colonial Research Fun
Students review the characteristics of the thirteen colonies. In groups, they use the internet to research one of the colonies more in depth and answer questions about it. They develop a newspaper or travel brochure to share the...
Boston University
South African Short Stories: Apartheid, Civil Rights, and You
How are short stories from South Africa connected to issues of civil rights in the United States? A unit plan uses South African short stories to discuss issues such as apartheid, colonization, and civil rights. Questions and activities...
Curated OER
An Untold Triumph
High schoolers examine and analyze the history and experience of Filipinos in Hawaii and California. They identify the contributions of Filipino Americans to the US war effort in World War II, and analyze the many causes that led to...
Curated OER
The Happy Progress of Our Affairs: George Washington and the U.S. Constitution
Students engage in a lesson which uses Washington's own words to illustrate the events leading to the establishment of our national government, and the crucial roles he played throughout that process.
Curated OER
Candide: Problematic Situation
"Would a rational and well-regulated world include human suffering?" "If the plight of human suffering is the 'best of all possible worlds' do humans have freewill?" Class members develop their position on an issue raised by Candide,...
Curated OER
Jamestown Journey Part 1
Fourth graders work to solve one of the major problems facing the Jamestown settlers, the best location to settle upon arrival in Jamestown. Students discuss and review the past European and American events that lead to the...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving Menu
Students explore the First Thanksgiving. In this U.S. history instructional activity, students read about the Pilgrims and Native Americans and discuss how they obtained and prepared food. Students develop a possible first Thanksgiving...
Curated OER
Colonization
Fifth graders discover where and why groups of people colonized and settled in the United States by building their own colonies. Using Kidpix, have students make a poster persuading all the other students to come live in their colony.
Curated OER
What Should I Wear Today? Pilgrims Didn't Ask
Second graders compare the clothing of today with the everyday dress of the Pilgrims.
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Revolutionary Idea
Students take a field trip to watch a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. In groups, they participate in the same daily chores as the soldiers and examine the contributions of the colonies. To end the lesson, they eat a typical...
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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...
Curated OER
Book: The Southern Colonies: Quest for Prosperity
Students, after reading Chapter 1 in the book, "The Southern Colonies: Quest for Prosperity,"begin to analyze the motivation behind European colonization. They convey the setting of the scene into a writing piece to illustrate the...
Curated OER
"Some Excellent Dumb Discourse:" Caliban as native American
Explore The Tempest and how language and power are intertwined in the play. Through a series of questions (provided) and an intense activity that has groups translate Caliban's speech into American Sign Language, learners recognize...
Curated OER
"Shooting An Elephant": George Orwell's Essay on his Life in Burma
Students read an essay by George Orwell's life in Burma and place it in its cultural and historical context. They identify the main points of the essay and Orwell's use of symbolism in the essay. They explain how each persuasive tool...
Curated OER
Serach for the Lost Cave People
Students examine primary source documents to draw inferences about 17th century American colonists.
Curated OER
History: Fact of Fiction?
Students find a historial novel online and distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books. They research three historical events related to their novel and write a letter to a figure from their novel's time period.
Curated OER
Life in Plymouth - Pilgrim Study Unit
Students write a timeline showing significant events in the Plymouth Colony that occurred between 1621 and 1628. They define and illustrate key vocabulary words which are imbedded in this lesson plan. This simple activity is designed to...
Curated OER
Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today
Students use Web technology to access immigration history and develop an understanding of the concept of immigration. Then they develop oral history writing skills, including note-taking and conducting an interview and read for detail....
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 2—The Pilgrim Story and My Immigrant Story
The tradition of the First Thanksgiving is really a story of immigration. Connect the feelings and customs of the early Pilgrims to the experiences of the immigrants in your class with an introduction to the 13 colonies, the Mayflower,...
Curated OER
U.S. History Timeline
Fifth graders complete a timeline activity in which they outline the events from explorations to the early Colonial era. In groups, they discover an overview of the events that lead up to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. ...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving and Agriculture
Students listen to the book "The Pilgrim Story" and discuss the Pilgrims and why they came to America. Students role play the Thanksgiving story and write about how Pilgrims and Indians relate to them today.
Curated OER
Pilgrims: The First Americans
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time. In this Thanksgiving activity, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write...