Scholars learn all about the Puritans in the third installment of a 16-part lesson series. After watching a video, they read and discuss biographies of Puritans and Quakers from American history, write journal entries and poetry, and...

How did literature evolve in America? This presentation briefly covers the transition from Puritan American all the way until today's Contemporary Period. Key figures from each time period are introduced, and a brief overview of each...

Read about the tumultuous beginning to the United States with an informational text passage about Colonial America. As young researchers peruse an article about the arrival of the Mayflower, the settlers' relationship to the neighboring...

As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War...

What were the virtues and values that helped form America? Pupils watch and discuss a video, read biographies of early Americans, chart the differences between early American religious movements, write journals and letters, draw, and...

Students write an essay comparing Arthur Mille's The Crucible and one of Tennessee Williams' plays. In this Tennessee Williams lesson, students discuss the influence of Puritanism on modern American drama. Lesson includes...

A great writing exercise should have it all. This one requires learners to think critically about cause and effect, compare and contrast, and summarizing. They compose responses to five short answer questions regarding Spanish and...

Benjamin Franklin identified 13 virtues that he felt would strengthen his character if he could focus on each one. A thorough lesson explores high schoolers' personal values in the context of their lives, and compels them to strive for...

Puritans, their origins, their beliefs, and values are the subject of a presentation that could be used to introduce viewers to early American history or literature. The PowerPoint could also serve as a model for group projects and would...

Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...

Students write letters to penpals. In this geography/literacy lesson, students become penpals with a classroom in England to learn about customs and society across the ocean. Flat Stanley by Will Holton is read aloud, and students...

Young scholars analyze captivity narratives written between the 1600's and 1800's. In this narrative lesson, students think critically about the interaction between Native peoples and the settlers to understand the cultural beliefs held...

After studying the reasons settlers entered the New World, primary learners try to persuade others to enter this new land. Class members present their arguments in a variety of ways including posters, writings, and charts. Richly...

Young scholars explore the historical drama, "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller looking for examples of society's mistrust of nonconformity and the injustice that can as a result of fear.

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.

Students explore the First Thanksgiving. For this U.S. history lesson, students read about the Pilgrims and Native Americans and discuss how they obtained and prepared food. Students develop a possible first Thanksgiving menu and draw a...

Students discuss the American dream and explain what the American Dream consists of. In this American Dream lesson, students listen to music about America for the reasons people love America.  Students create a list of wants and...

Students investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration lesson, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding his adventure....

Fifth graders explain the difference between democracy and monarchy. They see how the Queen Elizabeth and her Privy Council ran England. They explain the different terms involved in the Elizabethan government.

Students investigate the dramatic elements of The Crucible. In this drama lesson, students explore the elements and themes of the Arthur Miller play as they read the play and watch performances of some of the acts. Students then...

In this learning to summarize worksheet, students interactively answer 10 multiple choice questions about summarizing information from a given passage, then click to check their answers.

Students label blank maps with the names of the New England Colonies. They explain the difficulties that the Pilgrims had and how hard they worked to survive in Plymouth.

Students use the Internet and graphic organizers to research the Plymouth Colony the experience of the Pilgrims. Students compare and contrast different colonies and develop a timeline showcasing their research.

Pupils perform research in order to answer an essential question: How did the cultural characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and economic conditions of the French, English, and Indians contribute to the growth of inter-group...