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...

Explore Puritanism and Puritan values with your high schoolers. A general overview is provided, and Puritan laws, family life, plainness, and temptation are all covered. Pictures and an occassional cartoon keep the presentation...

Before reading Arthur Miller's The Crucible with your middle and high schoolers, consider running through this short PowerPoint. Five slides introduce the plot, the author, and Puritanism. The slides are text-heavy, and not much...

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...

The Scarlet Letter is a treasure trove of topics awaiting exploration by readers of Nathaniel Hawthorne's romantic opus. Whether looking for imagery (light/dark, mirror, scarlet letters), symbols (static or evolving), ironies, etc.,...

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...

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 read and analyze the novel, 'The Witch of Blackbird Pond.' They list choices they have in society today, conduct a debate on freedom, role-play interviews with characters from the novel, create a timeline of a character, and...

Students learn how death is an indicator of the community beliefs and values, and how have the rituals surrounding death changed over time.

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...

The complete text of Hawthorne's classic novel, "The Scarlet Letter." The text can be read online or downloaded by individual chapters in MP3 or PDF format. In addition, each chapter has downloadable support material which focuses on...

Full text of Cotton Mather's work, "The Education of Children."