Curated OER
Religious Freedom
Sixth graders examine the religious issues of the early settlers in the New World and the current issue of separation of church and state. They discuss a list of colonial laws from the 1600s, participate in a class discussion, and in...
Curated OER
VA Statute for Religious Freedom, III
Students analyze the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedoms and consider its implications. In this governing principles lesson plan, students explore primary and secondary sources regarding the document penned by Thomas Jefferson.
Mr. Nussbaum
Thomas Jefferson Reading Comprehension
Discover a little bit about Thomas Jefferson in a brief reading passage. Learners then answer a set of multiple choice comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Thomas Jefferson
Students explore the accomplishments of world leaders. For this Thomas Jefferson lesson, students list the accomplishments achieved by Jefferson and read his epitaph. Students then write epitaphs for recent world leaders or celebrities.
Curated OER
Jefferson's Blood
Students view the video "Jefferson's Blood" and complete a series of activities, dealing with both Thomas Jefferson's public and private life, in order to better explain Jefferson as a man and politician.
Curated OER
Thomas Jefferson
In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the accomplishments of Thomas Jefferson . Students may check some of their answers on the interactive...
Curated OER
VS.6b
Sixth graders explore, analyze and identify the ideas of George Mason and Thomas Jefferson as expressed in the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom. They list and declare the responses stated in...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
Learners research, list, define and discuss all the aspects to the United States Bill of Rights. They assess their foundations by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and reflect on all the conditions happening at the time period of...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Founding Documents
Teach the class about the predecessor to Declaration of Independence—the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Using the foundational documents, scholars examine the two writings to consider how they are similar and how they are different. A...
Curated OER
Nickel Knowledge
Learners report facts found on Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of American Independence. Students find the original words on the epitaph that Thomas Jefferson wrote for placement on his grave upon the time of his death. Learners...
Louisiana Department of Education
The Scarlet Letter
Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...
Curated OER
The Beginnings of Constitutional Government
Students examine excerpts of Thomas Paine's Common Sense. In this early American history instructional activity, students read Paine's pamphlet and analyze the information according the rubric provided.
Curated OER
The Mayflower Compact
Eighth graders investigate historical documents of the United States by reading the Mayflower Compact. In this U.S. History lesson, 8th graders analyze the wording of the original Mayflower Compact of the first U.S. settlers and...
Curated OER
History 1 Word Search Puzzle
In this social studies activity, students look for the words in the puzzle that are related to the theme of the word search. Spelling skills are worked on.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Act for Establishing Religious Freedom
A learning module that begins with "Act for Establishing Religious Freedom" by Thomas Jefferson, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Digital History
Digital History: Religious Freedom and the Founders
Read the background for the Founding Fathers' support of freedom of religion and separation of church and state. Included are parts of letters in which George Washington and Thomas Jefferson celebrate the fact that the United States was...
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg: Colonial Religion
The site provides a detailed overview of role religion played in the lives of the colonists. Content explores how religion played a part in the Revolution, and the statute for religious freedom, as well as providing a lesson plan, a link...
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson hoped that he would be remembered for three accomplishments: his founding of the University of Virginia, his crafting of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and his authorship of the Declaration of Independence....
Cengage Learning
Houghton Mifflin: Thomas Jefferson (1743 1826)
Houghton Mifflin provides biographical information regarding Thomas Jefferson, including his involvement in the Declaration of Independence, the presidency, and much more.
Read Works
Read Works: Jefferson, Church and State
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a about the Act for Establishing Religious Freedom that was written by Thomas Jefferson to ensure a separation of church and state. A question sheet is available to help students build...
PBS
Pbs: Archive of Thomas Jefferson's Documents
A PBS website that contains Jefferson's views on political, religious, social, personal, and intellectual freedoms in the form of his original documents. Contains the Louisiana Purchase agreement. Tied to a larger site on a Jefferson...
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg: Thomas Jefferson, Son of Virginia
Excerpted from the Colonial Williamsburg Journal, this essay offers details of Thomas Jefferson's life and his long and varied career.