Early American and Colonial Period Arts Teacher Resources

Looking for a good lesson on the Colonial Period for your upper-elementary class? Then, this lesson is for you! They use website designs, U.S. travel publications, and maps to plan a family vacation to states which were part of the...

Students research how early colonists lived. They investigate late 17th century colonist's lives from Massachusetts and Delaware. Using their research, students write historical fiction in the form of friendly letters between the two...

How did Colonists react to British rule prior to the American Revolution? Give your high schoolers a taste of oppression with this role-play activity, then let them come up with a revolution of their own. This excercise is intended to...

What was everyday life like in Colonial Virginia? To find the answer cooperative groups work collaboratively to read an informational handout and complete a graphic organizer. The speaker of the group then shares their new-found...

Students examine and analyze culturally significant objects from colonial Boston. They construct a story around the life and work of Nathaniel Hurd from a list of keywords excerpted from a passage about Nathaniel Hurd. In addition, they...

Students research and discuss the origins of the American colonies and explore how colonists were still influenced by English culture. As a follow-up project, students produce a portrait of an individual.

Young history sleuths examine an inventory of the belongings of a Virginia colonist and use deductive reasoning to determine what the document reveals about colonial life. They then use a Venn diagram to compare the inventory with a...

The second lesson in a historical fiction series encourages pupils to develop a character profile of a colonial person using research acquired in the previous unit. Learners prepare their historical fiction narrative by responding to a...

Prepare yourself for a top-notch presentation on colonialism in Africa! Discussed are the reasons for African multilingualism. Maps and a country-by-country look at various colonists that made their mark on the African continent are...

Young historians compare and contrast differences in the laws that regulated the activities of slaves and servants. They review and analyze a series of primary source documents to explain the social constructs related to slaves and...

Fourth graders write from the perspective of a child in the colonial period. In this writing activity, 4th graders create a fictional character living in the colonial period and write about daily life from their perspective.

While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...

Students explore the colonial period to describe and contrast the life and experiences of people who lived at that time with the lives of individual's in the current era. the lives of researched characters are dramatically enacted and...

Students explore the extent of colonialism from the early periods in the 1500's to the later years in the mid 1900's. They explain how colonization differed in regions around the world and examine the lasting effects on the colonized...

What educational opportunities were available to women during the colonial era in American history? How did the opportunities available to women differ from those for men? To answer this question, class members examine a series of...

This 54-slide PowerPoint outlines the significant events in the history of Colonial North America, beginning in 1603 with the ascendance of James I to the throne of England. Designed to accompany a lecture on this time period, the...

Fourth graders practice using a graphic organizer to record their notes and answer text-dependent questions while supplying evidence of how they found their answer. They focus on a machine called the wheelright, which was commonly used...

What do people do for fun around here? Explore colonial period games, toys, and life with a look at entertainment during the American Revolution. Discover the games, sports, and songs that were popular during the time of the Revolution.

Here is part three of a fine three-part series which covers the period after the American Revolutionary War. Topics covered include Eli Whitney and the cotton gin, Congress' abolishing the importation of slaves in 1808, shifting patterns...

Ninth graders differentiate the Native American and European values. In this world history instructional activity, 9th graders define colonialism in their own words. They study the effects of epidemics and other diseases to Native...

Quiz your students or prepare them for the big exam with this presentation. Included are 24 multiple choice questions related to Early American Government, The Colonial Period, Westward Expansion, and State Formation.

  Students watch a teacher presented Readers Theater about Colonial America to introduce the students to the topic.  In this Colonial America lesson, 4th graders recreate a timeline of early American history, using unconventional...

Young scholars discuss reasons why early europeans immigrated to North America. Working in groups, they complete Internet activities on the PBS Website. They take a simulated voyage to the new world and rercord their actions on...

Fourth graders analyze colonial rule and policies with regard to the causes of the American Revolution. In this Colonial America simulation lesson, 4th graders role play in an Independence Game, reacting to a variety of "events" that...