Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Life of a Private Lesson Plan
In order to understand the challenges the Continental Army faced during the American Revolution, class members analyze primary source materials including a soldier's journal and an officer's letter, and watch a short reenactment video.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
George Washington: General, President, Slave Owner
Times change; behaviors that were once considered acceptable can be seen in a very different light. Middle schoolers revisit the legacy of George Washington in a three-day lesson plan that uses primary sources to reveal Washington as a...
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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.
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The Mayflower Compact
Students 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.
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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.
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Presentation of Pilgrims
Students 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.
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American Civilization
First graders research and examine various events during the American Revolution. They locate the thirteen colonies on a map, create Boston Tea Party boats, and construct Paul Revere paper lanterns.
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State of Affairs Between the Native Americans and the European Settlers
Students examine relationship and contact between Native Americans and European Settlers, using primary sources.
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Making Faces: Understanding Artifacts Through Design Elements
Students examine and discuss drinking container artifacts from Jamestown. They view images of the artifacts, discuss their purposes, draw an original facial expression for a brown paper jug, and write a description of the facial expression.
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"You Shall Do Your Best Endeavor" - Working With Primary Documents
Students read and interpret primary source documents regarding historic Jamestown. In small groups, they read the primary documents, answer questions, and view online maps of Jamestown Island and Virginia.
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"What Do You Mean?" How Language Changes Over Time
Students examine words used at Jamestown in 1607. They predict what the words meant in 1607, write sentences using three of them, then analyze the sentences after they have read the actual definitions of the words.
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"it's All in the Cellar"
Seventh graders examine the process of constructing a site plan map at archaeological sites. They discuss the process of mapping techniques and calculation of percentages, create a plan site map of a cellar at Jamestown, and calculate...
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What Lies Beneath
Students conduct Internet research on the history and archaeological excavations at historical Jamestown. They explore various websites, and develop a Powerpoint presentation to present to the class.
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Art or Artifact?
High schoolers analyze and discuss illustrations of the New World by John White. They examine the images, answer questions about each one, and write an essay.
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Networking at Early James Fort
Students examine the impact of global trade on regional civilizations of the world after 1500. They research and analyze images of pottery excavated at Jamestown, and create a poster that presents information about world trade networks...
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Thanksgiving and Agriculture
Students 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.
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Revisiting Pocahontas
Students discuss the characteristics that make a historical resource reliable. As a class, they brainstorm a list of examples of possible historical resources and why they are important. In groups, they discover the consequences of...
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The Merits of Pocahontas Examined
Students continue their examination of the life of Pocahontas. In research teams, they create brief reports of their findings and share them with their classmates. They take notes which could be used in their presentations. As each...
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How To Think Like An Archaeologist
Students take a field trip to historical Jamestown. Using artifacts given to them, they must identify them and discover who would have used them and for what purpose. They create a database to organize the information and share it with...
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The First Thanksgiving
Young scholars explore the first Thanksgiving through the use of literature. Students discuss the pilgrims and where they came from as well as how the Native Americans helped the Pilgrims. Young scholars create Pilgrim hats.
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Pilgrims/Voyage to America
Second graders are read the story "Tattered Sails". Using the text, they discover the reasons why the Pilgrims came to America. They identify the hardships they faced on the voyage and once they settled on land. Using a map, they locate...
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Africans and Women in Jamestown
Young scholars examine the first settlement at Jamestown and its citizens. Using the internet, they discover the role of women and Africans in Jamestown. They role play what the settlement was like before and after women and Africans...
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Turkey and Indians
Students color pictures and tape one to each side of a piece of cardboard. They line up opposite one another in the middle of the gymnasium about 4 feet apart. Designate each line as one of the groups that corresponds to the pictures on...
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VS.3e
Third graders explore, examine and identify the importance of the arrival of Africans and women to the Jamestown settlement. They review the groups of people in Virginia during the early 1600s and explain how having a government brought...