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
The Mayflower Compact
Middle schoolers use primary source documents to discuss the Mayflower Compact and the story of the first Thanksgiving. They discover how the Pilgrims were influenced in developing a community and American democracy.
Curated OER
The English Settle America
Sixth graders compare immigration today with that of the colonial period. They locate colonies on a map and describe reasons their families immigrated to the United States.
Curated OER
Thanksgiving and Agriculture
Young scholars 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
New England News: All You Need to Know About the New England Colonies
Students explore the New England colonies inj this five lessons unit. The colonies of plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut are highlighted through a variety of techniques.
Curated OER
Colonial America
Students read the novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In groups, they conduct research using the Internet, encyclopedias, and books to gather information on an assigned colony. The projects are presented to the rest of the class.
Curated OER
Colony of Massachusetts
Third graders recall the reasons why the Pilgrims came to the New World. They ideology and compare and contrast the ideology of the Puritans and Roger iams. They study the colony of New York.
Curated OER
Groups Coming to America
Fifth graders use text or other references to locate different types of information about the Mayflower and pilgrims. They create a presentation for lower elementary classes about the Pilgrims.
Curated OER
Presentation of Pilgrims
Learners are given a category to research (clothes, life before the New World, the voyage, etc.) about Pilgrim life. s Students, in groups, create presentations using software program such as PowerPoint.
Curated OER
Thanksgiving Unit
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.
Bibliomania
Bibliomania: English in Virginia
This Bibliomania site surveys the literary history of the English in colonial Virginia. Includes analysis of the work of Captain John Smith, William Strachey, and George Sandys. Links to other notes about early American literature.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
This resource presents a collection of searchable texts, including court records, Colony laws, seminar analysis of various topics, and biographical profiles of selected colonists. It also includes a search engine and images.
Other
Pilgrim Hall Museum: William Bradford
This extensive biography of William Bradford includes links within the text to related primary and secondary sources. Also includes a timeline of Bradford's life. Some documents require Adobe Reader (PDF).
Yale University
Avalon Project: Mayflower Compact 1620
Read the actual words of these earliest Americans and their attempt at self-government with the writing of the Mayflower Compact. Link directly to other colonial charter pages.
University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Law Center: Mayflower Compact
Provides the full text of the Mayflower Compact, the first written framework of government in what is now the United States.
Library of Congress
Loc: America as a Religious Refuge
One of the primary reasons for colonization of the New World was to escape European religious persecution. This site provides stories of religious nonconformists, militants, zealots, reformers, and the faithful.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Challenges to Spain's Supremacy
This section of a chapter on "Early Globalization" identifies regions where the English, French, and Dutch explored and established settlements, describes the differences among the early colonies, and explains the role of the American...
C3 Teachers
C3 Teachers: Inquiries: Pilgrims and Wampanoag
A comprehensive learning module on relations between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag that includes three supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Topics covered...
Mayflower History
Mayflower history.com: Mayflower Passenger List (1620)
Provides the full list of passengers who traveled on the voyage of the Mayflower in 1621. Includes a link to an original handwritten list. Each name is also linked to a short biographical profile.
Other
Plimoth Plantation: What to Wear?: Wampanoag and Pilgrim Clothing
Compare the clothing of the Wampanoag people with the English clothing of the Pilgrims in the 1600s. Photographs provide clear images of how they would have dressed.
A&E Television
History.com: Thanksgiving
A detailed overview of the first Thanksgiving and the menu that the Pilgrims served which was quite different than the modern Thanksgiving meal. Features videos, a photo gallery, and links to many related articles and topics.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of the American Indian: Perspectives on Thanksgiving
Excellent resource for educating students on the American Indian perspective on Thanksgiving using the themes of environment, community, encounters, and innovations. Includes images, quotes, classroom activity ideas, and links to related...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies
In this lesson, 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 on the...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: American Indians and English Settlers in Colonial America
In this instructional activity, 5th graders examine the relations between Indians and the settlers in the 1600s and 1700s. Background information for teachers is included. Students will work in groups to look at three different colonies...