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.

After studying the reasons settlers entered the New World, primary learners try to persuade others to enter this new land. Class members present their arguments in a variety of ways including posters, writings, and charts. Richly...

Fourth graders recognize and can describe the settlers of Early America. For this American colonies lesson, 4th graders research using primary and secondary sources, Native Americans, Europeans, and African Americans role in the...

Students embark on a journey through colonial times.  In this early settlement instructional activity, students come to understand what life was like for the settlers in the early colonies. Students research and create projects...

Students practice graphing and other math skills to track number of honeybee colonies present in United States since 1978, discuss major crops that are dependent on insect pollinators, and examine reasons for decline of United States...

Fifth graders research the Jamestown settlement and examine life in the colonies from 1607-1610. They explore websites, develop a timeline, select two settlers to research, and write three letters written from the point of view of their...

Students use a globe. In this geography and early settlements lesson, students learn about the settlement of missions and haciendas in New Mexico. Students locate Mexico City and San Francisco on the globe and determine the distance...

What brought settlers from Europe to North America? By exploring primary sources, such as posters seeking recruits for the new lands, class members take a deeper look at these motivations. To finish, they present their findings to...

Students read information about George Washington Carver and outline the information. They are given peanuts in the shell, students examine them and eat them. Students discuss the following questions: Why did George Washington Carver...

Students investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration lesson, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding his adventure....

Fourth graders create their classroom rules.  In this Mayflower Compact lesson, 4th graders listen to the Plymouth story and learn about the Mayflower Compact.  Students analyze the Mayflower Compact and create a class compact...

Students create a timeline of events during the Revolutionary War and conduct research of historical figures. They construct acrostics or diamantes of the figures' names. They evaluate the involvement of Europeans in the war.

Fifth graders study how the potato famine affected the Irish population. They speculate on how the Irish were viewed by the English and the new Americans. They examine why the Irish immigrated to the new colonies. and evaluate how new...

Students work together to research the names of places in their state. They divide up their state so that each group can research a different section and complete a chart of the different names. They create a key for the map to explain...

To better understand the role women played in early 17th century US history, class members examine the National Women's History Museum's online exhibit, Building the New World: the Women of Jamestown Settlement. After studying the 11...

Sea explorers and scientists have found that because of temperatures being two to three degrees Celsius at the bottom of the ocean, most animals are lethargic in order to conserve energy. In this web quest, pairs of learners read about...

Students analyze the significance of Jamestown in the broader picture of colonization and analyze a historical document to determine the effects of previous explorations on the expectations of the Jamestown colonizers

Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included. 

Students read and interpret primary source documents regarding historic Jamestown. In small groups, they read the primary documents, answer questions, and view online maps of Jamestown Island and Virginia.

Students explore life as early settlers in Frederica by pretending to be crafts/tradesmen there and writing letters describing the fort/town to a friend or family member still in Great Britain, debating reconstruction vs. preservation,...

Young scholars researchhow Queen Ann's War of Europe affect Native Americans in New England. After reading excerpts from History of Deerfiel by George Sheldon and Nuthatch's Dilemma, a story about a Pocumtuck woman, students are prepared...

Pupils study Taino Art and identify their crafts and stone carvings. They read the life of Campeche as presented and discuss with their teacher the economic and political situation of Puerto Rico in the eighteenth century and how life...

The settlement of the colonies in America is the focus of this article. The course of events is divided into topics and time periods, making it easier to understand. Note is made of the effects to the already present Native Americans as...