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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: New England Colonies: The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony

For Students 5th - 7th
Read a brief description of the Pilgrims' journey to North America. Find out how many travelers on the Mayflower were actually Pilgrims, and find out why a mistake in navigation led to the first written constitution in the New World.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Colonial House: Fearless and Faithful

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan based on the PBS program, Colonial House, which aired in 2004. The program is available on DVD and the link to the activity is still available. This lesson plan explores why ordinary people left their homes in Europe to...
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Website
Other

Plimoth Plantation: Mayflower Ii

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource gives a detailed history of both the first Mayflower and the current Mayflower II that sits in the harbor of Plimoth Plantation.
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Website
Other

Plimouth Plantation

For Students 9th - 10th
Plimoth Plantation brings us "Living, breathing history," and lots of fun delving into various aspects like the Wampanoag, the English Colonists, the colony itself, and, of course, Thanksgiving - myth and reality. This is a site with...
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Activity
Other

Plimoth Plantation: Make It at Home

For Students Pre-K - 1st
As part of the comprehensive Plimoth Plantation site, this page gives directions on how to create games that the Wampanoag children and Pilgrim children might have played. Find pictures that show how to make these games.
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Article
Ancestry

Squanto

For Students 9th - 10th
Tells the little known story of the friendship of Squanto, the Indian famous for his kindness to the Pilgrims upon their arrival in the New World, and Ferdinando Gorges, the explorer.
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Unit Plan
Enchanted Learning

Enchanted Learning: Thanksgiving Crafts, Decorations, and Printouts

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Enchanted Learning provides a wealth of Thanksgiving-related ideas for crafts, decorations, and activity worksheets. Make a turkey from handprints and footprints, create a thankful leaf wreath or a easy-to-make scarecrow, or follow the...
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Activity
Scholastic

Scholastic: Pilgrim John Howland

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Fictional interview with John Howland, a farmer in Plimoth Village in 1621. He describes what pilgrim life might have been like from the viewpoint of a farmer and a man.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: New England Colonies: William Bradford; The First Thanksgiving

For Students 5th - 8th
Plymouth Colony did not suffer the same problems as the English colony farther south, Jamestown. Read about the leadership of William Bradford, and the relationship between the settlers and the Native Americans who helped those who lived...
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Website
abcteach

Abcteach: Thanksgiving

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] At this site, you can find some useful and fun children's activities to use in developing a unit around Thanksgiving.
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: Us History: Plymouth Colony

For Students 9th - 10th
The story of how Plymouth Colony came to be. Looks at the Puritan movement with its roots in England, the sailing of the Mayflower, and the progress of the settlers in their first years in New England. Describes their first encounters...
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Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
In this activity, students discuss the reliability of a painting of the First Thanksgiving to introduce the idea that is crucial to consider a source's date.
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Puritan New England: Plymouth

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the Puritans who facing religious persecution in England set sail for the New World establishing the colony at Plymouth.
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Article
A&E Television

History.com: Why the Wampanoag Signed a Peace Treaty With the Mayflower Pilgrims

For Students 9th - 10th
The peace accord, which would be honored on both sides for the next half-century, was the first official treaty between English settlers and Native Americans, and a rare example of cooperation between the two groups. On the orders of...
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Unit Plan
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: Outline of American Literature

For Students 9th - 10th
Department of Humanities Computing provides a brief biography about the life and works of William Bradford (1590-1657).
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Activity
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Colonial Period

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Background information about the literature of the Colonial period in American history. Discussions of capitalism, Puritan theology, and stewardship as found in the thought and literature of the period.
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Activity
Open Door Team

Open Door Web Site: The Pilgrim Fathers

For Students 9th - 10th
This very brief entry tells about the discrimination against the Pilgrims in England. Click on links below the article for information about the Pilgrims in the New World.
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Unit Plan
Open Door Team

Open Door Web Site: The Mayflower and the Mayflower Compact

For Students 3rd - 8th
Although brief, this article gives information about the Pilgrims and "strangers,", size of the Mayflower, and the reason for the Mayflower Compact.
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Activity
Open Door Team

Open Door Web Site: Plymouth Settlement

For Students 3rd - 8th
Settlement at Plymouth had a rocky start. Read about the disease, bad weather, and help from the Indians.
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Activity
Open Door Team

Open Door Web Site: The First Thanksgiving

For Students 3rd - 8th
This brief article tells of the help the Indians gave the Pilgrims in learning about the land, resulting in the first Thanksgiving.
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Website
Other

Pilgrim Hall Museum: Who Were the Pilgrims?

For Students 9th - 10th
Pilgrim Hall defines "Pilgrims." They are sometimes known as "Separatists" or religious travelers.
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Lesson Plan
Other

Puritan vs Pilgrim Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson for Grade 8 designed to explore the differences between Pilgrims and Puritans using online primary and secondary sources.
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Handout
Other

Religious Tolerance in Colonial America

For Students 4th - 8th
Religious tolerance was an important but often misunderstood contribution of the colonial era. Tolerance developed only after time. Groups such as the Pilgrims and Puritans who left Europe to escape religious persecution often were...
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Interactive
New York Times

New York Times: Crossword Puzzle: The Pilgrims

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The New York Times Learning Network presents a variety of interactive and printable crossword puzzles. This one is about The Pilgrims.