Curated OER
A River, Dead or Alive: Native Americans and European Colonists' Treatment of a River
Young scholars write an expository paragraph about the uses of the Nashua River for the Native Americans and the European Colonists. In this river uses lesson plan, students determine the causes and effects of both parties using the river.
Curated OER
Pre-Colonial Native American Groups
Students investigate U.S. history by researching the Internet and taking a test. In this American Indian group lesson, students identify the many specific Native American tribes and their geographic locations. Students research the web...
University of California
Impact of the California Missions on Native Americans
While the Spanish claimed to bring civilization to California indigenous peoples, in reality, they also brought violence and forced assimilation to European values. Primary sources, such as the reports of Catholic priests and Europeans...
Curated OER
Native American Philanthropists
Students demonstrate how Native Americans were philanthropic. In this philanthropy lesson, students read Squanto's Journey and brainstorm ways that the Native Americans were helpful towards the Pilgrims. Students reflect on the long-term...
Curated OER
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: The American Revolution
The contributions of African-Americans to the American Revolution are the focus of this Social Studies and language arts lesson. After reading and discussing Linda Crotta Brennan’s The Black Regiment of the American Revolution, class...
Curated OER
Bison on the Plains
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America in...
California State University
Life in the Missions of California
Academics explore the topic of life in California Missions for Native Americas. Class members complete a research activity, respond to writing prompts, and engage in hands-on-activities to learn who lived in the missions and what life...
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
Language Arts: Native Americans and Onomatopoeias
Fifth graders read the Native American tale, "The Frog and the Crane," focusing on the use of onomatopoeia in it. In groups, they brainstorm list of words that are examples of the device. Finally, 5th graders write their own stories...
K12 Reader
Eastern Woodland Natives
Supplement your social studies instruction with a reading passage about the Eastern Woodlands. After reading the passage, learners respond to five related questions.
Curated OER
Molly's Pilgrim
Students read the story of Molly's Pilgrim, create a Native American doll, and explore the meaning of the word pilgrim.
Curated OER
Thanksgiving Menu
Students explore the First Thanksgiving. In this U.S. history lesson, students read about the Pilgrims and Native Americans and discuss how they obtained and prepared food. Students develop a possible first Thanksgiving menu and draw a...
Read Works
Plymouth Colony
Read about the tumultuous beginning to the United States with an informational text passage about Colonial America. As young researchers peruse an article about the arrival of the Mayflower, the settlers' relationship to the neighboring...
Curated OER
Native American and Colonial Literature Debate
Students compare the tone, purpose, point of view, etc. of traditional Native American poems and creation myths to traditional Colonial American literature. they debate which is the right way of thinking/living.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 1: The First Great Awakening
High schoolers examine the First Great Awakening and how it affected religious belief in colonial America. They read and analyze primary source documents, explore various websites, and write a five-paragraph essay examining the beliefs...
Curated OER
Caught Between Worlds: Frontier Life as Reflected in Captivity Narratives
Students analyze captivity narratives written between the 1600's and 1800's. In this narrative lesson, students think critically about the interaction between Native peoples and the settlers to understand the cultural beliefs held by...
Curated OER
Happy Thankgiving: Traditions in Culture
Students relate their own Thanksgiving experiences to those of the past through colonial games, Thanksgiving story books, and personal interviews. They develop a concept of how to celebrate Thanksgiving and plan a class time celebration,...
Curated OER
"Some excellent dumb discourse:" Caliban as native American
Twelfth graders explore some of the colonial implications of The Tempest, analyzing how language and power interrelate in the play and using another American voice, American Sign Language, to consider the different forms of communication...
K12 Reader
Rocky Relationships
Conflicts between Native Americans and colonists are the focus of a comprehension worksheet that asks readers to use information found in the provided article to answer comprehension questions.
Curated OER
The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
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...
Curated OER
The Telling: A Thanksgiving Story
students use literature to compare and contrast different points of view on the first Thanksgiving.
Read Works
First Thanksgiving Meal
Cranberries, oysters, lobster, deer, and cabbage were just a few of the foods found on the table at the First Thanksgiving. After reading a two-page passage about the historic meal, class members respond to 10 reading...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
Curated OER
The Role of African Slaves on South Carolina Rice Plantations
Fourth graders investigate the role of African American slaves in rice plantations. In this slave life lesson, 4th graders discuss the products produced in the 13 colonies. Students discuss the importance of rice to South Carolina's...