Folklife Resources for Educators

Materials Related to United States--History--Colonial period, ca. 1600-1775

There are 3 titles in this list.

German Settlement in Colonial Pennsylvania
by Historical Society of Pennsylvania
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=77

Lesson plan with activities related to German settlement in colonial Pennsylvania, geared to the middle and high school classroom, for use in the curriculum areas of history, geography, reading and writing. The lesson focuses on the hardships of the trans-Atlantic journey, immigration patterns and how they have changed over time, and reasons why people immigrated to the Colonies, especially from Germany to Pennsylvania. Background materials include a glossary, resources for teachers and students, and links to primary and secondary source materials drawn from the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. The lesson plan is correlated to the Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, History, and Geography.

Sponsoring Organization:
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
1300 Locust Street
Philadelphia PA 19107
(215) 732-6200
http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=1

Thanksgiving - Primary Source Set
by Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/primarysourcesets/thanksgiving/

Study photographs, paintings, letters, and official proclamations to discover historical perspectives on American Thanksgiving holiday traditions, beginning with the pilgrims who came to North America on the Mayflower. The resources in this primary source set are intended for classroom use. Includes a Thanksgiving teacher's guide (6 p. PDF), and photographs and manuscript materials drawn from the Library of Congress' online digital collections, and a link to primary source analysis tools.

Sponsoring Organization:
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington DC 20540-1300
(202) 707-5000
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/

We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region
by National Museum of the American Indian
http://americanindian.si.edu/education/files/chesapeake.pdf

Teacher guide for use with students in grades 9-12 that provides information and primary resource materials related to key periods and events in the history of the Algonquian communities of the Chesapeake Bay Region, especially the Powhatan, Nanticoke, and Piscataway peoples. Curriculum materials cover the period from the 1600s to the present and focus on how colonial settlement and the establishment of the United States have affected Chesapeake Bay Native Americans. With lesson plans, small group projects, and activities, the guide also introduces contemporary issues that are critical for these communities' survival, such as civil rights and the importance of legal recognition. Meets national curriculum standards for U.S. History and Social Studies. (28 p. PDF)

Sponsoring Organization:
National Museum of the American Indian
Fourth Street & Independence Avenue, SW
Washington DC 20560
(202) 633-6996
http://www.nmai.si.edu/