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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Utopian Promise

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
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...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Exploring Borderlands

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What motivated Europeans to explore the New World, and what effects did their exploration have on Native American populations? The second installment of a 16-part American Passages series prompts pupils to watch a video and read several...
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Activity
Big History Project

Human Migration Patterns II

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
While humans have always been on the move, the period between 1400 and 1800 saw vast migrations of people between the East and the West. These migrations—whether through slavery or a desire to colonize new lands—shaped the modern world....
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Activity
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Council for Economic Education

Why Didn't China Discover the New World?

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Who was Zheng He and why haven't we heard of him? Scholars consider the question as they compare his vast expeditionary force to that of Christopher Columbus. Young historians then ponder the intersection of science, economics, and...
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Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims

For Teachers K
Teach kindergartners about the First Thanksgiving with a series of lessons about the Pilgrims' journey to the New World. As they practice handwriting, CVC words, reading comprehension, and fun Thanksgiving songs, they learn about what...
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Worksheet
K12 Reader

Understanding the Context: The Mayflower Compact

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Scholars obtain a brief background of the Mayflower Compact, read its contents, and answer two questions that look at the passage's context to enhance reading comprehension.     
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Lesson Plan
Teachers.net

Columbus - Thanksgiving lesson plan

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students learn the history of Thanksgiving and Columbus Day, and they also create a "New World" mural in small groups.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christopher Columbus: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

For Teachers K
Learn more about maps by examining Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New World. Kindergartners will learn about basic map skills and how to identify the compass rose, oceans, and land masses. They will also discover the purpose of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Was Columbus Thinking?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Why is Christopher Columbus one of the most studied figures in history? Upper graders will investigate why Christopher Columbus traveled to the New World and what happened to the native people he encountered. They read and discuss...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Latino Religious Experience: People of Faith and Vision

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explain why Columbus said the native peoples he encountered when he reached the New World were "a people who lived in God." They explain if Latinos can still be said to be "a people who live in God." Students explain the role of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Now You See Them, Now You Don't

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore the settlement of the Roanoke Colony. They research this Lost Colony and try to predict what happened to them.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Did Foods Originate? (Foods of the New World and Old World)

For Teachers K - 12th
What do papayas, peanuts, pineapples, and potatoes have in common? Why, they are foods explorers brought back to the Old World. Young researchers use the Internet to investigate how New World explorers helped change the Old World's diet....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Explorers of the New World: Learning About Major Explorers of the New World

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars investigate the principal explorers of the New World and the contributions that they made to the European knowledge about America, the development of rivalries, and the effects on Native American cultures.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Our Political Beginnings: Ch 1

For Students 8th
Quiz your middle schoolers on the political beginnings of American government. They will answer 5 matching and 5 multiple choice questions. Great as a quiz, homework, or comprehension questions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jamestown

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read literature that explains several reasons the Virginia Company was established. In this history lesson, 5th graders use different learning styles; interpersonal, artistic, logical, visual, and auditory to understand all...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

But Where Is It On This Modern Map? A problem-solving, mind-boggling experience!

For Teachers 4th
Trace Columbus' voyages by locating them on 21st Century maps.  Using a navigators lesson, 4th graders will examine the Age of Exploration and trace Columbus's routes accurately on laminated world maps using different maps. Note: You...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christopher Columbus, The Explorer

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students brainstorm important facts about Christopher Columbus, input information into Kidspiration or Inspiration, watch United Streaming Video on Christopher Columbus and New World to gather information, research online to find...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christopher Columbus

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students read about the good and bad aspects of Christopher Columbus in Jean Fritz's book, "Where do you think you're going, Christopher Columbus?" They conduct and analyze a survey about common myths and create a pop-up book.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 3 - Marking Time

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders refer to text and timeline to fill in a graphic organizer and timeline from 1492-1607. They participate in a class discussion that allows for speedy accumulation of events and fill in their own timelines. They work in small...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 6 -To Leave or Not to Leave

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders connect reasons for coming to the New World with identity. The create identities and place them in one of three settled regions. They refer to prior study notes in their Colonial Notebooks to establish their identities.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lessons 7 - 10 What's My Line?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research their assigned regions, complete regional guide and prepare presentations about the New World colonists. They refer to "Everyday LIfe: Colonial Times" as well as searching marked internet sites.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 11 - Group Presentations and Summatives

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders give presentations on colonial research. The others take notes on the presentations. They play a card game which helps them review content. They take a summative assessment and present their research notebooks.