Curated OER
Puritan Ideals: Background Notes
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...
Annenberg Foundation
Utopian Promise
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...
Curated OER
Puritans
In this Puritan worksheet, students read a page that describes the ideals and living conditions of the Puritans. They look at an image of what the Puritans looked like. There are no questions associated with this page.
Curated OER
Witches through History
Spark interest in a historic phenomena that lasted over 1000 years. The topic, witch hunts throughout history! A timeline beginning in 1000 BC follows how various religious groups have persecuted those thought to be witches up through...
Simon & Schuster
Curriculum Guide: The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter may be a classic, but keeping high schoolers engaged in the reading of Hawthorne's vocabulary, syntax, imagery, and historical references presents it own set of challenges. Here's a guide that offers readers...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...
Curated OER
The Scarlet Letter and Transcendentalism
Enhance your unit on The Scarlet Letter with a thorough and applicable lesson. Learners use the anchor text in this unit plan that asks them to consider the Transcendental concepts intertwined within Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic tale.
Curated OER
Being Me in the Face of Adversity - Americans Who Stood Up for Their Beliefs
Young scholars identify important Americans from the colonial, revolutionary and slavery periods who are noted for standing up for their beliefs in the face of peer disapproval. They identify the importance of music in motivating and...
Curated OER
Anonymous Patriots: Songs of the Revolution
Give your class a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind early American song lyrics. By reading the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" and "Revolutionary Tea," high schoolers will practice analysis by examining the structure and...
Curated OER
Patriots and Loyalists
Young scholars examine portraits by John Singleton Copley and discuss how the subject's appearance communicates important information about his or her life. They write a diary entry from the point of view of a portrait subject.
Curated OER
The Incorporation of America
The incorporation and industrialization of America is covered in this image-rich slide show. While text is limited, there is no shortage of great images showing the progression and causes of American Industrialization. Perfect...
Curated OER
The Massachusetts Bay Colony
In this Massachusetts Bay Colony worksheet, students read information and assess comprehension and vocabulary skills. In this multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and true or false worksheet, students answer ten questions.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Colonizing the Bay
Eleventh graders review the goals of John Winthrop. In this American History lesson, 11th graders read Winthrop's speech and summarize his key points. Students predict the possibilities for success and failure in the Massachusetts Bay...
Curated OER
Caught Between Worlds: Frontier Life as Reflected in Captivity Narratives
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...
Curated OER
Slave Narratives
Young scholars use a database to find and read examples of slave narratives. In groups, they read the various narratives and discuss their feelings about them. They also research the time period in which the narratives were written to...
Curated OER
Communities in Transition
Students examine the communities in transition in New Haven, Connecticut. In groups, they create a timeline of the important events of Newhallville and research the city's industries and immigrant populations. They compare and contrast...