Curated OER
Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Long Ago and Today
Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...
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History In The Making
Learners visit Colonial America in a Time Machine to discover the process that a citizen today must follow in order to make or change a law. Students research the Colonial Era in their Time Machines. Learners encounter various government...
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Ben Franklin the Good Citizen
Students investigate Benjamin Franklin's contributions to society. In this history lesson, students read about Franklin's philanthropic behavior and play a bucket brigade game to re-enact how fires were put out during colonial times.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Common Sense: The Rhetoric of Popular Democracy
Students identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of Common...
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Into the Wild: Settling the South Carolina Backcountry
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 then draw out a...
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National and Regional Identity
Students examine state quarters to identify symbols that represent national and regional identity. They discuss the process used to determine what is put on the quarter. They review colonial money, and euros to look for cultural images.
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The United States Flag
Students study the United States flag. In this American history and government lesson, students define and give examples of familiar symbols. Students design a classroom flag. Students identify and describe the American flag.
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Different Viewpoints - Loyalist or Patriot
Third graders use primary sources to study U.S. history and government. In this primary sources lesson, 3rd graders practice gathering information from "eye witness" accounts of history.
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Affects of Geography on Colonial Cultures
Sixth graders examine the effects of geography on the development of culture. They discuss how geography can affect the lifestyles and development of a society's culture. Students examine the geography and climate of New England and the...
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Taxation Without Representation
Eighth graders empathize with how colonists felt when they were taxed without representation. They use a metaphor of students and a school principal to describe the strained relationship that developed between the colonies and Britain.
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The Preamble to the U. S. Constitution
Fifth graders explain the purpose of the government by examining the Preamble to the Constitution. They identify ways in which the government is preserving those rights today. They discover one of the fundamental principles of...
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WE HAD A RIOT
Students examine how one group reacted to government directives and how the government dealt with them. They describe how one non-governmental group acted to create NH history.
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Changes In The New Nation: New Beginnings
Students consider the role of American newspapers in the revolution and plans for new government. In this early American history lesson, students determine how communication provided by newspapers contributed to the organization of the...
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Legacies of the Middle Passage
Students research the Atlantic slave trade during the 18th century. In this slave trade lesson, students read a narrative about colonial expansion in the Americas and the rise of slavery in the United States. Students write down what...
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Uncle Sam is Rich Enough to Give Us All a Farm:
Students examine websites and video clips to become familiar with tenets of the Homestead Act, challenges faced by settlers and misconceptions about settlers. They role-play colonists on the Planet XR-38 and make choices similar to...
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Understanding Loyalist Vs. Revolutionary Ideology
Students understand some causes of the American Revolution. Students learn the viewpoints of the loyalists and the American Revolutionaries. Students learn a timeline of facts which they use to compare and contrast the views of the...
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The Mayflower Compact
Learners explore the concept of social contracts. In this Mayflower Compact lesson, students read handouts regarding the compact and participate in a classroom activity that requires them to author a social contract.
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Jamestown Journey Part 1
Fourth graders work to solve one of the major problems facing the Jamestown settlers, the best location to settle upon arrival in Jamestown. Students discuss and review the past European and American events that lead to the...
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Worksheet #33 Questions - Boston Tea Party
For this Boston Tea Party quiz worksheet, students test their historical knowledge with ten fill in the blank questions about various terms from the aforementioned subject.
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Jamestown Journey Part 4
Fourth graders review their prior knowledge from the previous lessons of this unit on Jamestown. After reading a novel, they examine and discuss the life of Pocahontas. Using the internet, they answer comprehension questions and write...
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Jamestown Journey Part 3
Fourth graders study the economy of Jamestown. In this early settlers lesson, 4th graders read about the trade between the English and the natives in Jamestown. This lesson is part of a larger unit and coincides with the novel The Double...
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Good Intentions...?
Students research and write an essay describing historical events surrounding the Canadian government's treaty with Aboriginal peoples. They examine the motives behind treaty documents and government acts to determine whether government...
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Freedom to Worship
Fifth graders read the biographies of seven colonists and determine their position on the freedom of religion. They conduct a panel discussion of seven personalities and debate the religious freedom in America.
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Freedom Now
Students watch a short video on colonial rule. They discuss how lives were changed once independence was granted in India. They create mock interview sessions acting as political figures involved in an independence movement. They...