Early Settlements Teacher Resources

Young scholars embark on a journey through colonial times.  In this early settlement lesson, students come to understand what life was like for the settlers in the early colonies. Young scholars research and create projects...

NASA has crafted an imaginative and memorable series of lessons, "NASA and Jamestown Education Module." This lesson is one of the five components. In it, middle schoolers connect history and science by comparing the settlement of...

Focusing on the Virginia and Maryland settlements in the 1600's, this presentation is a complete and thorough resource during a unit on Colonial America. It includes pictures, maps, and interesting discussion points for you to address...

In this online interactive American history worksheet, students answer 10 multiple choice questions regarding early settlements in colonial America. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Fifth graders encounter the TCI History Alive Assessment. Create a rubric together with other students. Use graphic organizers to brainstorm challenges that one would face attending school in a foreign country.

Early settlers in the American Midwest experienced constant struggle. This reading passage describes for young learners the hardships of homesteaders as they journeyed west and sought to start a new life. When finished, students identify...

The Le Moyne brothers, Jean-Baptiste and Pierre, were among the first explorers of the Gulf Coast. Class members read biographical information and journal entries about these men, study maps showing where the settlements they established...

Eighth graders research and discuss the early explorers, why countries sent out explorers, where they explored, and what their cultural contributions are to our US culture today.

Young historians play the role of history detectives as they investigate some primary source texts and images related to the early colonization of America, The Jamestown Settlement, and the Mayflower Compact. 

Students use a globe. In this geography and early settlements instructional activity, students learn about the settlement of missions and haciendas in New Mexico. Students locate Mexico City and San Francisco on the globe and determine...

Middle schoolers participate in a lecture to discover the history of how Puerto Rico was changed after Spain discovered the island. In groups, they compare and contrast the conditions on the island before and after Columbus' discovery. ...

Students, after studying The Early Peoples, explain and give examples of how Native Americans and Europeans adapted to living in certain environments. They give examples of early cultures and settlements that existed in North America...

Fifth graders examine how the environment and climate affected Pre-Colombian settlements. In this civilization lesson plan, 5th graders view pictures of different Native American tribes in different places and discuss how different...

Students are introduced to the way humans have settled and moved throughout history. In groups, they compare and contrast the settlement and movement of two different ethnic groups. They discover why some are more dominate in an area...

In this online interactive social studies worksheet, students answer 10 multiple choice questions regarding early Colonial America. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Fourth graders examine how the early explorers from Spain and England competed in their search for riches and new lands. They read and discuss text from their book, participate in a debate, and create a poster.

We all know about Christopher Columbus, but who else explored the Americas, and specifically, the future United States of America? Learners find out these answers and more in a resource that includes four different reading sections,...

What brought settlers from Europe to North America? By exploring primary sources, such as posters seeking recruits for the new lands, class members take a deeper look at these motivations. To finish, they present their findings to...

Young scholars use the Canadian atlas online to research early explorers and settlers in Canada. They also complete a Web Quest to gather information from maps. They make generalizations about the early settlement patterns as well.

Eighth graders select their own plot of land in the Backcountry to settle in the 1700s in SC.  Students first find a point for settlement and sketch out the best route from the Lowcountry to arrive at the point.  They...

Students complete a unit to learn about early American exploration. In this Americas exploration lesson, students complete eight lessons of activities to learn about Columbus's discovery of the new world and the early exploration of the...

In this early European settlements word puzzle, students identify settlements and terms pertaining to the early colonies. A list of 39 words is provided. An answer sheet is available.

In this online interactive American settlement activity, high schoolers answer 10 multiple choice questions regarding the original colonial settlements. Students may submit their answers to be scored.

Students locate place in Canada and explore highlights of early of early American exploration and settlement. In this North American history lesson, students locate provinces, major cities, and physical features of Canada....