Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Columbus Day

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students create a boat out of cardboard egg cups, clay, and more for Columbus Day. In this Columbus Day lesson plan, students also watch a Columbus Day video.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Paulo Coelho

For Students 4th - 8th
In this famous person worksheet, students read a passage about Paulo Coelho  and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Columbus Day Word Search

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this Columbus worksheet, students find nine words related to Christopher Columbus in a word search puzzle. Teachers can add or remove words on this worksheet builder to customize it to their needs.
Website
Mex Connect

Mexico's Colonial Era Part Ii: Religion and Society in New Spain

For Students 9th - 10th
This article examines religion in Mexico beginning with the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, and some of the changes since then.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Mission Churches as Theaters of Conversion in New Spain

For Students 9th - 10th
Mission churches, which followed a similar architectural plan but varied in terms of decoration, are among the earliest examples of colonial architecture. View pictures and read the history of these mission churches, or conventos, in New...
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: The Conquistadors

For Students 9th - 10th
A huge website that provides a virtual field trip exploring the Spanish adventurers who quested for gold and land in the New World. The site has information on Pizarro, Orellana, Cabeza de Vaca, Cortes as well as extensive information...
Primary
Texas A&M University

New Spain Index: Adams Onis Treaty of 1819

For Students 9th - 10th
After a brief introduction, you can read the full text of the Adams-Onis Treaty negotiated with Spain by John Quincy Adams.
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Britain in the New World: The House of Burgesses

For Students 5th - 8th
The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first elected legislature in the New World. Find out why the governmental conditions in England led to this representative government and how it was so different from the governing of colonies in...
Article
NPR: National Public Radio

Npr: Syrian Refugee Builds a New Life

For Students 9th - 10th
Read about the new life in Spain that a Syrian refugee is creating after footage emerged of him being tripped by a camerawoman as he crossed the border into Hungary. An audio version of this story is available.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Introduction to the Spanish Viceroyalties in the Americas

For Students 9th - 10th
When the Spanish Crown (the monarchy) learned of the promise of wealth offered by vast continents that had been previously unknown to Europeans, they sent forces to colonize the land, convert the indigenous populations, and extract...
Handout
Other

Texas Beyond History: Early Ranching on the Northern Frontier of New Spain

For Students 9th - 10th
The history of early ranching during the westward expansion and the cattle boom from the eighteenth to the nineteenth century.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: 9 Lucky New Year's Food Traditions

For Students 9th - 10th
Champagne, noise makers and confetti are all New Year's Eve staples. But, in some parts of the country and the world, so are black-eyed peas, lentils, grapes and pickled herring. Hailing from the Low Country of South Carolina to Japanese...
Website
US Department of State

Office of the Historian: Treaty of San Lorenzo/pinckney's Treaty

For Students 9th - 10th
Pinckney's Treaty was a diplomatic success for the new nations. It resolved territorial issues between Spain and America and opened the Mississippi for navigation by American ships. Study how this treaty originated and read about the...
eBook
Curated OER

National Park Service: Fort Raleigh: The Roanoke Voyages: A Mystery Story for Young People

For Students 4th - 8th
The history of the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island is told in story form. It tells of the conflict between England and Spain to establish a foothold in the New World, the voyages arranged by Sir Walter Raleigh, the establishment of a...
Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Britain in the New World: Joint Stock Companies

For Students 5th - 8th
A very good explanation of how early English settlements were financed, and why the English government refused to invest in such ventures. See who led such companies, who were willing to go to the New World, and why English colonies were...
Handout
Other

New World Encyclopedia: Mexican War of Independence

For Students 9th - 10th
Find out about the early nineteenth century armed conflict between the people of Mexico and the Spanish rule.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Biombo With the Conquest of Mexico and View of Mexico City

For Students 9th - 10th
The influence of Asian art on colonial Latin America is particularly evident in viceregal textiles, ceramics, and furniture. Some examples are the resplendent biombos, or folding screens, made in Mexico beginning in the seventeenth...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Featherworks: The Mass of St. Gregory

For Students 9th - 10th
View pictures and read descriptions of the oldest surviving featherwork from colonial Mexico in this essay.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Convento of San Nicolas De Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo

For Students 9th - 10th
After the Conquest, Spanish colonizers' first task was to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity and eliminate their religious beliefs. Painted murals within their missions demonstrate the great fear and urgency of the...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: St. Michael the Archangel in Huejotzingo

For Students 9th - 10th
The Franciscan monastery of Huejotzingo is a landmark in the development of sixteenth-century art in central Mexico. View pictures of this mission and read details about the architectural elements in this essay.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Miguel Cabrera, Virgin of the Apocalypse

For Students 9th - 10th
Miguel Cabrera was one of the most celebrated and prolific artists of viceregal Mexico in the eighteenth century. View pictures of "The Virgin of the Apocalypse" and read about the iconography in this essay.
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: The Medici Collect the Americas

For Students 9th - 10th
Across Europe, many powerful individuals sought to acquire objects taken from the Americas, as a way to know the unknown, to exert some control over the colonial processes underway, and to possess exotic and rare things. The Medici...
Article
Digital History

Digital History: Overview of the Colonial Era

For Students 9th - 10th
The year 1492 marks a watershed in modern world history. Columbus's voyage of discovery inaugurated a series of developments that would have vast consequences for both the Old World and the New. It transformed the diets of both the...
Website
New York Times

New York Times: Europe

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] The New York Times covers the latest news, issues, and events in Europe, the UK and Ireland today.