"Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," from The Jungle Book, offers young readers a chance to examine how Rudyard Kipling uses setting and personification to bring to life the brave mongoose who battles cobras to protect his family. Class members...

Fifth graders understand chronological order of events. In this Boston Tea Party lesson, 5th graders compare the events surrounding the Boston Tea Party to current times. Students learn vocabulary and customs of the revolutionary times....

Students work in groups to create a list of the items needed by the Pilgrims to bring to America.  In this wants vs. needs instructional activity, students must agree on what should be on the list. Students create their list by...

Marine biology apprentices interpret data of sturgeon interaction with gill nets. They use the data to calculate the percentage of fish entangled in each twine size to discover if there is any correlation. This is a valuable exercise in...

Young scholars examine the concept of historical perspective in writing. They read the diary of Sally Wister, a young Patriot from Philadelphia during the Revolutionary Era. Additionally, they must include different points of view in...

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,...

Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...

Learners explore colonial life and society during that time.

Students describe life in the Virginia colony. They explain how geography influenced the relocation of Virginia's capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg, to Richmond. Students compare/contrast life in Jamestown and Williamsburg.

Students describe life in the Virginia colony. They explain how geography influenced the relocation of Virginia's capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg, to Richmond. Students compare/contrast life in Jamestown and Williamsburg.

Second graders identify: why the Pilgrims came to America; how they adjusted to life in America; what impact the Native Americans had on the survival of the Pilgrims; and what events brought about the First Thanksgiving.

Twelfth graders examine the causes of freedom by revolutionary patriots. In this Civics and Economics lesson, 12th graders analyze primary sources. Students work cooperatively to write a freedom declaration for their group.

Eighth graders discuss the importance of the Second Continental Congress. They compare and contrast present-day athletic mascots and their roots in the Revolutionary War. After discussing Loyalists and Patriots, 8th graders write...

Benjamin Franklin's famous aphorisms are a perfect time capsule of colonist values in the mid-18th century, as well as a clever reminder of the way life still works today. Middle and high schoolers select one aphorism to interpret...

Learners examine the contributions of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson to American Independence. In small groups, they conduct Internet research, read and discuss primary source documents, and complete a chart.

Explore the implications of the Japanese occupation of Korea during World War II. Learners read Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood, participate in classroom discussions about the novel and keep journals in which they respond to...

Students discover how European values dominated colonial life. They also examine the effects of slavery in the Americas. Students compare the planning of their home town with that of colonial Williamsburg. They locate key sites such...

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...

Fourth graders analyze the existence of slavery in the North. In this slavery lesson, 4th graders research primary and secondary sources regarding Dutch colonial slavery in New York. Students consider how archeology made it possible to...

Sixth graders write a historical fiction narrative. In this interdisciplinary lesson, 6th graders read the historical fiction Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy. Students write a piece from the point of view of the main...

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning instructional activity, students find an act of philanthropy in a book and then illustrate 4 examples people doing good for others.

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...

Students read excepts from various government documents on the issue of slavery in America. Using the internet, they research a topic related to slavery of interest to them and present to the class their findings. They examine the life...

Combine history and Spanish instruction with an exploration of descriptions of fines given in Florida in 1790. Partners read the brief text, fill out a graphic organizer about the crimes described, and interview each other about fines....