In this Massachusetts Bay Colony learning exercise, students read information and assess comprehension and vocabulary skills. In this multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true or false learning exercise, students answer ten questions.

Discover the stories behind each of the thirteen stripes on the American flag with this straightforward presentation. Complete with learning objectives, discussion questions, and solid information about each of the original thirteen...

Eleventh graders review the goals of John Winthrop.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders read Winthrop's speech and summarize his key points.  Students predict the possibilities for success and failure in the...

Was Puritan society governed as more of a theocracy or democracy? After comparing and contrasting a series of primary source documents, middle and high schoolers form small groups and debate the question.

Young scholars determine that the lands the English settled on were owned and inhabited by 70,000 Indians. They consider that the London Company sold land charters to the English, which gave them illegal title to lndian land and that the...

With graphic organizers galore, learners will follow the changes of church and state in early colonial America. They look at the differences between the pilgrims and the puritans in terms of beliefs and life ways. Myths and...

Students gain comprehensive background knowledge of the Salem witch trials in preparation for reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible. They participate in a role-play activity designed to simulate a modern day witch-hunt.

Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time.  In this Thanksgiving lesson, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write a...

High schoolers understand the similarities and differences between English and Native American conceptions of the land and town settlement. They understand how the colony of Massachusetts developed and expanded. Students understand the...

In this online interactive history quiz worksheet, students respond to 49 multiple choice questions about John Winthrop. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Pilgrims, puritans, and Pennsylvania are all featured in a reading comprehension worksheet that asks kids to read a short passage about these early settlers and then to answer a series of questions based on the article.

Beans, or legumes as they are sometimes called, are the topic for an integrated multi-subject lesson. Youngsters will read, write, observe, and research everything there is to know about beans. They read a bean story, conduct a bean...

In this lesson plan, 5th graders learn about the people who founded the New England colonies and the role that religion played in shaping them. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary resource readings...

Provides background information and the complete text of the charter of the Massachusetts Bay 1629.

An overview of the Puritans who established the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the New Haven Colony and Rhode Island. The internal and external struggles with these colonies is discussed including the Salem Witch Trials, King Philip's War,...

An outline of the important information to study on the establishment of the New England Colonies by the Puritans, first in the Massachusetts Bay area, and their evolution and expansion beyond that.

Complete text of the Charter of Massachusetts Bay, 1629.

Learn a little about Puritan beliefs and see the importance of religion and the clergy in Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Read about how the colony of Connecticut grew from an expansion of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. See how Thomas Hooker's idea of government resulted in a model of colonial charters, and find out how two very different settlements in...

This lesson supplements one on the "Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies of New England." It looks at religious dissent and intolerance among the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Students look at Roger...

John Winthrop's "Model of Christian Charity" was delivered as a sermon aboard the Arabella, as the Puritans approached their destination of Massachusetts Bay in 1630. The speech spells out his vision of the society they hoped to create...

This site describes the influence of the Reverend Joseph Bellamy and religion in 18th century colonial life. This lesson plan has excellent information, an inquiry question, historical context, maps, readings, images, and activities.

No group has played a more pivotal role in shaping American values than the New England Puritans. The seventeenth-century Puritans contributed to our country's sense of mission, its work ethic, and its moral sensibility. Today, eight...

Encyclopedia Britannica provides a biography of Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643), the woman expelled from the Massachusetts Bay Colony for "Traducing the ministers," of the Puritan Colony. She and other religious dissenters founded Rhode Island.