Understanding Primary Sources: The Mayflower Compact
Students examine the text of the Mayflower Compact to understand the writers' intent and the context in which it was written.

Practical Experiments in Colonization.
The purpose of this activity is to provide an opportunity for American History students to gain practical experience in the basic types of challenges that may exist in the establishment of any early colony.

Colonial Society.
Students create an artifact of colonial life and share it in a class colonial fair. They also examine a sketch of an archeological dig to discover artifacts.

Life on an Island: Early Settlers Off the Rock-Bound Coast of Maine
The following activities will help students to appreciate the experience of living on Little Cranberry Island and Baker Island, and to compare that way of life to the experiences of early settlers in their own community.

A Day in the Life . Web based Lesson.
Students will investigate life in colonial America, focusing on the jobs, daily activities, and community involvement of a typical family. Students will draw conclusions about the importance of community and family during colonial times.

Olde Virginia.
Students work in small groups to examine clues about the problems encountered by settlers in Jamestown. Students develop a conclusion based on these clues and share their findings in a short presentation

The Race for Colonization. 
Students research revolutionary movements and new inventions that swept Europe during colonization and describe their effect on European Society. Students participate in charades, prepare a brief extemporaneous talk about suggested scenarios of voyagers, and write a short essay

Original Thirteen.
Multi-day task for a cooperative group research lesson that analyzes the political, social, and economic development of the first thirteen colonies of the United States
 

This Plymouth Colony Archive presents a collection of fully searchable texts, including: court records, colony laws, seventeenth century journals and memoirs, probate inventories, wills, town plans, maps, and fort plans; research and seminar analyses of numerous topics; biographical profiles of selected colonists; and architectural, archaeological and material culture studies

Thirteen Originals. Links to sites on the American Colonies

Secrets of the Dead (PBS presentation) Death at Jamestown

The Virtual Jamestown Archive

Jamestown Virtual Colony (includes lesson plans)

Alabama Virtual Library

History Timelines (Alternatime)

History Matters  Designed for high school teachers of U.S. history courses. A gateway for web resources and other useful materials for teaching U.S. history.

National Archives Digital Classroom

American Memory Primary source material from the collection of the Library of Congress.

Graphic Organizers
 

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