TeachersFirst's Resources Related to Colonial America
Bring Colonial America to your class with the reviewed resources shared in this section. The colonial history of the United States covers the period of time from 1607 to 1776, when the thirteen colonies joined together to declare their independence. Therefore, the term Colonial America also refers to the thirteen colonies located on what is now the eastern coast of the United States. People came to the New World for many different reasons: religious freedom, commerce, and starting new lives after serving time in jail. Education was important to the colonies, and the economy was based most often on farming and trade.
Looking for more resources related to Colonial America? Check out this larger collection.

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1619 in America: 400 years ago, a ship arrived in Virginia, bearing human cargo - USA Today
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1600s (20), african american (109), american revolution (80), civil rights (200), civil war (136), colonial america (93), slavery (77)
In the Classroom
Share this article with students during your studies of American History, Civil Rights, and slavery. Consider using Wakelet, reviewed here, to curate and share information with students such as videos, articles, and other media. Engage students by creating interactive timelines using Canva Timeline Templates, reviewed here, or eStory, reviewed here, to deepen understanding and provide historical context to the events of 1619. Take advantage of the 1619 Project Curriculum, reviewed here, to find additional resources for students in all grades.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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The 1619 Project - New York Times
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): 1600s (20), african american (109), american revolution (80), civil rights (200), civil war (136), colonial america (93)
In the Classroom
This document is part of the 1619 Project Curriculum, reviewed here, which includes a comprehensive set of teaching materials for students of all grades. Include a link to this document on student devices for students to access the information at any time; however, consider using smaller portions of the paper during your lessons due to the length and intensity of the content. For example, select a couple of pages and save them as a separate file using a PDF converter tool such as PDF Converter, reviewed here. In addition, PDF Converter includes tools for adding images, highlighting text, and drawing lines on documents. Use these tools to highlight important information and additional images to add context. For more difficult-to-read portions of this document, copy and paste the text into Summarize This, reviewed here, to view a summary of the highlights.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Open-Ended Social Studies - Thomas Kenning
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), 1800s (75), 20th century (62), american revolution (80), civil war (136), colonial america (93), colonization (20), gettysburg (15), gettysburg address (12), native americans (96), OER (43), washington (27), westward expansion (39)
In the Classroom
This site is an excellent addition to any middle or high school social studies curriculum. Bookmark this site to include with your other lesson resources. Use individual lessons to supplement your lessons through a new viewpoint since many of the tasks encourage students to think of history through the eyes of a traveler. Each lesson begins with a series of focus questions to keep in mind throughout the article. Engage students in learning and provide support for focusing on important information using Read Ahead, reviewed here. This handy tool lets you transform any text into a guided reading activity that highlights critical components of the text. As students collaborate on learning activities, enhance learning by using Notejoy, reviewed here, as a collaborative note-taking tool. Ask students to add the preview questions listed before the lesson and any other focus points, then share ideas and responses in Notejoy throughout the reading and discussions of the content. As a final learning extension, ask students to use Open-Ended Social Studies as a model for telling history through the eyes of a storyteller or from the perspective of one location. Use Vizzio, reviewed here, to create interactive timelines using animated maps. Include text descriptions, images, and videos as part of your interactive timelines.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Evaluating Art as Historical Evidence - Digital Inquiry Group
Grades
9 to 12tag(s): american revolution (80), art history (92), artists (83), assessment (152), china (74), civil rights (200), civil war (136), colonial america (93), comics and cartoons (55), declaration of independence (15), egypt (46), france (40), japan (57), mayans (13), mexico (30), native americans (96), nazis (8), thanksgiving (24), womens suffrage (50)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this list for use throughout the year with many different history lessons. Include these art activities to provide context and visual perspective to important events. Use a curation tool such as Padlet, reviewed here, to create an ongoing resource for students to use for review and as a guide for understanding history through a wider lens. For example, when using Padlet, choose the timeline feature and add a piece of art onto the timeline. Upload videos, text, and additional images to create an interactive timeline that tells a story through art. As a final project, ask students to share their learning using Sway, reviewed here to write a reflective piece on the use of art throughout any period in time. Have students include student work, images, links, maps, and more in Sway projects.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Whole New World: Using Books to Help Teach Students About Colonial America - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), colonization (20)
In the Classroom
Bookmark and save this resource to use when teaching about Colonial America. Engage students in learning by incorporating suggested book titles that help students understand colonial times through a personal perspective. Help students compare and contrast current times to the colonial time period using a Venn Diagram. Canva's Venn Diagram Creator reviewed here, includes easy to use tools for creating and sharing a variety of Venn Diagrams. Extend learning by asking students to create animated videos using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here to tell the story about a character or event from colonial times.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Mr. Betts' Class YouTube Channel - Timothy Betts
Grades
6 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): bill of rights (31), colonial america (93), elections (82), electoral college (23), explorers (65), great depression (29), pilgrims (12), presidents (136), world war 1 (79), world war 2 (160)
In the Classroom
Engage students by sharing videos from this YouTube channel at the start of history units corresponding to video topics. Enhance student learning with these videos by using edpuzzle, reviewed here, to create interactive lessons that include voice comments and questions embedded into the video. Extend learning and challenge your students to create their own history videos using a video creation tool such as Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Read. Inquire. Write. - University of Michigan
Grades
6 to 10tag(s): civil war (136), colonial america (93), concept mapping (15), debate (42), democracy (21), evaluating sources (28), greece (28), inquiry (24), maps (212), mexico (30), middle east (49), native americans (96)
In the Classroom
Instead of using paper documents, scan the included PDF or Word documents into Google Classroom or your school student/teacher platform to share and assign to students. Be sure to include mentor texts for student use. Enhance student learning by asking students to use highlighting and note-taking tools within their word document to provide documentation for their responses. Although this site includes many high-quality graphic organizers, create your own and using Diagramo, reviewed here to engage students and personalize for your classroom use. Have students use a digital portfolio tool to share their investigations. Spaces, reviewed here includes many resources for creating online portfolios and web pages. Consider sharing the activities found on this site with your peers as a model for redesigning lessons you already use in your classroom. Use Padlet, reviewed here to collaborate and share ideas, activities, and resources as you work toward incorporating inquiry lessons into your classrooms.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Teach Dear America - Colonial Period - Scholastic
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): 1600s (20), 1700s (36), colonial america (93)
In the Classroom
Bookmark this site and combine it with TeachersFirst's CurriConnects leveled reading list forColonial America and the Revolution and Frontier Forts on the American Revolution for multiple offerings and angles on the Colonial and Revolutionary time period. Create a link to various activities, quizzes, and downloadables for students to explore on classroom computers. Include crafts and recipes from the site during your unit. Have students create an annotated image about Colonial times including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here to demonstrate concepts learned when making crafts or recipes. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Use an online tool such as Interactive Two Circle Venn Diagram, reviewed here) to compare Colonial life to present day. Have students create timelines using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Timeline JS also offers the option to upload and add photos, videos, audio, Tweets, and Google Maps making it interactive. Have students use Fakebook (reviewed here) to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about a student their age living in Colonial America.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Founders Online - National Archives and University of Virginia
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): american revolution (80), colonial america (93), colonization (20), constitution (93), declaration of independence (15), franklin (12), jefferson (18), primary sources (119), washington (27)
In the Classroom
Search and view information from this site on your interactive whiteboard or projector. Find documents from similar time periods and events to compare and contrast different points of view. Have students download to create an annotated image including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Google Drawings, reviewed here. Google Drawings allows you to annotate an image with links to videos, text, websites, and more. Not familiar with Google Drawings? Watch an archived OK2Ask session to learn how to use: OK2Ask Google Drawings, here. Have students create timelines (with music, photos, videos, and more) using Timeline JS, reviewed here. Have students use Fakebook, reviewed here, to create a "fake" page similar in style to Facebook about any of the founding fathers included on this site.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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CurriConnects Book List - Colonial America - TeachersFirst
Grades
1 to 12tag(s): book lists (165), colonial america (93), independent reading (86)
In the Classroom
Make history more real during your unit on Colonial America. Have students choose a book from this list and present their impressions from it in the form of a blog post from the times. If you are beginning the process of integrating technology, have students create blogs sharing their learning and understanding using Tumblr, reviewed here. Collect the links to all the student posts on your class web page for students to browse and gather a "human" experience of history.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plimoth Plantation - Plimoth Plantation
Grades
3 to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): colonial america (93), pilgrims (12), thanksgiving (24)
In the Classroom
Change the commercial traditions of tradition and bring on a study of history. Fascinating worlds of primary resources are at your computer! Virtual field trips, historical sleuthing, genealogy, and so much more. Challenge your students to take a closer look and decide for themselves. Debate information lines the pages of this website. Have students keep a virtual journal about what they are learning (that is new to them) from Plimoth Plantation. Use an easy virtual journaling tool such as Penzu. With Penzu you can add images or your own artwork as illustrations. Study history not false information. Share this and other sections of the "http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/colony/index.cfm" TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Colonial Tour from TeachersFirst - TeachersFirst
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): boston (10), colonial america (93), jamestown (6), philadelphia (10), roanoke (6), williamsburg (7)
In the Classroom
Use this colonial tour as a starting point for a virtual experience of colonial America. Assign different student groups to each colonial location, and have them create an extended virtual "tour" using a tool such as Google Earth, reviewed here, or (simpler) MapHub, reviewed here. Then have the groups take each other's tours to "discover" the colonies! If you don't have enough time for an extended project, share aspects of the tour and supplement by sharing photos from Google Earth's Panoramio layer on your projector or interactive whiteboard.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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How the Pilgrims Lived - Amy Ridenhour
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), pilgrims (12)
In the Classroom
Share this and other sections of the TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Plimoth Patuxet Museums Digital Resources - Plimoth.org
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), native americans (96), pilgrims (12)
In the Classroom
Share this and other sections of the TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - National Park Service Department of the Interior
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): colonial america (93), virtual field trips (115)
In the Classroom
Share this and other sections of the TeachersFirst Colonial America tour as part of your study of the colonies so students can see what these historic locations look like today.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Colonial Williamsburg: Virtual Tours of the Town - Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), virtual field trips (115), williamsburg (7)
In the Classroom
If you have a whiteboard or projector, you will have a captivated class. Individual or paired computer experience will allow your students to walk through the streets on their own. How about having a cyber-scavenger hunt? You will need to walk through the town yourself to find tidbits along the way, then later, ask the students to find them. They must give you the location where they were found.Younger students will need to be shown how to cyber-walk through the streets. You can ask them to report to you about the citizens they meet along the way. Ask students to draw their own colonial town based upon a layout like Williamsburg.
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Colonial Williamsburg Lesson Plans - Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): colonial america (93), williamsburg (7)
In the Classroom
These resources make it easy to plan an entire unit on life in Williamsburg, from Daily Life to in the History in Practice which includes Research Methods. This unit is so massive you could divide students into small groups to read and research one topic under the categories and use a multimedia tool to present their findings to the class. Use Genially, reviewed here for this presentation since students can choose the type of tool for the presentation (slide presentations, interactive images, videos, infographics, more). While you are at this page, sign up for the free e-newsletter to keep up to date on offerings to teachers from Williamsburg. Make sure you visit the More Resources for additional information to enhance your lessons like Primary Sources Content Lessons, How a Bill Becomes a Law Debate Activity, and several others.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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History is Fun: Jamestown and Yorktown - Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Grades
5 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), colonization (20), india (27), jamestown (6)
In the Classroom
Using a projector or interactive whiteboard, you may enhance your lesson by viewing the short one-minute videos. What a great activator or anticipatory set! With a quick click, this site allows you to buy tickets to these two historical places, so you will want to monitor students.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Distant Cousins - EDSITEment
Grades
3 to 5tag(s): colonial america (93), massachusetts (7)
In the Classroom
Take advantage of the free lesson plan offered by EDSITEment! This would be a great lesson for an American HIstory course - there are even options to extend the lesson.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Famous Moments in Early American History - Varsity Tutors
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): colonial america (93), declaration of independence (15), franklin (12), video (263)
In the Classroom
Use these quick videos as a way to either review or introduce the American Revolution in your classroom. There is a lot of material in here, so we recommend creating some kind of graphic organizer or follow-along to help students digest and remember what's important.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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