DocsTeach
Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation
While most Americans connect the celebration of Thanksgiving to a colonial celebration of pilgrims and Native Americans, the national holiday was actually the product of a war-time measure by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War....
Curated OER
Corn in Ancient America
Learners explore the importance of corn to the survival of early civilizations of the Americas. Through research and discussion activities, they read and describe how corn was used as food and currency in early civilizations. They...
Curated OER
First Nations Contributions
Eleventh graders recognize the contributions made my Indigenous people around the world. In this research skills lesson plan, 11th graders research native peoples of several countries and create presentations that feature the...
Curated OER
Comparison of American Colonies
Students explore the lifestyles of the American colonies. They conduct various activities according to their grade level including jigsaw research and creating a poster. Lesson includes primary source readings related to the topic.
Utah State University
Thanksgiving: A Celebration of Gratitude
Learn about the first Thanksgiving with a unit centered around the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians. First graders read and discuss books, create a mural, complete a worksheet about five blessings in their life, prepare recipes from...
Curated OER
Barter Day
Fifth graders research bartering. For this bartering lesson, 5th graders investigate bartering as a way to trade for goods and services. Students experience bartering first hand while playing a game.
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
Conflict On The Plains
Eighth graders investigate the culture and lifestyles of the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne tribes. They use a variety of resources for research. They create questions based on information to be used during classroom discussion...
Curated OER
A Colony is Born : Lesson 5 - Dear Mem
Discover colonies! Young historians will listen to a primary source journal entry read aloud with a backdrop of wave sounds. They discuss the entry, add historical facts to a chart and personal insights to another. Then they listen to...
Scholastic
Thanksgiving Lessons Grades PreK-2
A quintessential resource for teaching an elementary unit on the first Thanksgiving addresses a variety of skills, including informational reading, critical thinking, comparing and contrasting facts, technology tools, and historical...
Curated OER
Revolutionary Money
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included.
Curated OER
The Telling: A Thanksgiving Story
students use literature to compare and contrast different points of view on the first Thanksgiving.
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon A Time (Saxipak’a): Lesson Plan 1
As part of a study of the history of the Chumash on California's Channel Island chain, class members view the documentary Once Upon a Time, respond to discussion questions, and create a timeline for the different waves of migration.
Curated OER
Fur Trading
Students take on a role such as a farming community, hunting community or a trading post. They decide which products they focus on and then trade with the other groups.
American Museum of Natural History
Tools of the Trade
Archaeologist David Hurst Thomas details his search for a lost Spanish Mission on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. A great way to introduce youngsters to the life of and the tools used by archaeologists.
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 response questions.
Stanford University
Annexation of Hawaii
Once an independent nation, Hawaii became part of the United States only after a business-sponsored coup of its queen. After examining newspapers from the 1890s, learners consider whether native Hawaiians wished to become Americans at...
Center for History Education
This Land is Whose Land?
Whose land is it, anyway? Young scholars debate the question using primary sources from a case where Maryland indigenous people petitioned for land rights after they lost their original tribal lands. An included chart helps organize...
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
Trade Trials Treaties
Fourth graders explore the trade relationships that existed in the late 1700's Colonial America. In this American history lesson plan, 4th graders examine English and Cherokee trade treaties by reviewing primary and secondary sources....
Curated OER
Puritans vs. Seperatist
Eighth graders create a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the Puritans and Separatists. They about The Mayflower Compact and write a short summary about the document. After creating a foldable, 8th graders list ways the native...
Curated OER
Jamestown Colonies and the Powhatan Indians
Eighth graders discuss the Jamestown colony and the Powhatan Indians. In this colonial history lesson plan, 8th graders talk about conflicts between the Native Americans and the colonists. They read a biography about Pocahontas to help...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving: Multiple Perspectives
Students examine different perspectives about Thanksgiving that include those of the European Settlers and the Native Americans. They read and discuss an article about Plymouth being "America's Hometown." They develop a landmark for...
Curated OER
Plimoth Plantation Field Trip
Take a virtual field trip to the Plymouth plantation. Using the site linked in the lesson, discover how people lived during the 17th century in this part of the country. Discuss the role of the pilgrims and native Americans in the...