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History

Antitextbook

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Colonies

At AntiTextbook.org, we have curated the best active learning lesson plans for American History Teachers. We have sifted through the resources on amazing free sites like Digital Inquiry Group (formerly S.H.E.G.), Gilder Lehrman, and Facing History and Ourselves. We’ve picked the best activities and given you a brief description. You could skim through these sites yourself and read each of the 15-page activity descriptions. Or you can let us do the work of searching and synthesizing for you.

Each box below contains a lesson. The icons under each image tell you if the lesson contains primary sources, secondary sources, research, group work, a writing assignment, videos, or games. The description tells you which free site the lesson comes from, what grade levels it is intended for, how much class time it will take, and how much reading is required. We've added a word or two about the remote-readiness of each lesson. Click the orange button at the bottom of each box for more information on the lesson.

Lessons on this page are about British Colonies in America. We have divided the Activities into 3 categories:

Pocahontas_by_Simon_van_de_Passe_1616 (1)_edited.jpg

Jamestown,

Virginia, and

Southern Colonies

Jamestown, Virginia, and Southern Colonies

Each of the teaching ideas below pertain to Jamestown, Virginia, and the southern colonies. Each teaching idea appears in its own box. And each box indicates where the resources if from, the recommended grade level, whether it's remote ready, how long it will take, the length of the reading, and the link to the resource. To learn more about it, click the box.

Catchy Tune

Jamestown Song

From: Mr. Betts

Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College)

Remote Ready: Yes!

Time: 3 min

Length of Reading: None

Link: Jamestown Colony ("Shut Up and Dance" parody) - @MrBettsClass

Check out Mr. Betts song about the Jamestown colony set to Walk the Moon's "Shut Up and Dance." It's super catchy and funny, and it helps students remember important stuff! In fact, you won't be able to forget the lyrics, even when you try. The YouTube video has one ad before the video begins.

Lesson: Graphic Organizers

John Smith and Pocahontas

From: Digital Inquiry Group

Grade Level: (MS), (HS)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 1 Class Period or Less

Length of Reading: Paragraphs

Link: Pocahontas

Did Pocahontas really rescue John Smith? Play the clip of the rescue from the animated movie; you might find this on YouTube. Then read 2 very short accounts from the actual John Smith. Both describe his capture and encounter with Powhatan (Pocahontas's father). But the accounts have some key differences. Students fill in the graphic organizers with a partner. Teachers have the option to assign short documents on what a historian said about each account in the longer version of this lesson.

Lesson: Secondary Source

Drawing the Color Line: How was the Idea of Race Constructed?

From: A People's History of the United States, History is a Weapon, and Zinn Education Project

Grade Level: (HS), (College)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 1 Class Period if reading is done for homework

Length of Reading: Chapter

Link: The Color Line

Colonial elites created laws to keep poor white indentured servants, blacks, and Indians apart. Read about it in Chapter 2: "Drawing the Color Line" from A People's History of the United States. This chapter from Howard Zinn's book is made available for free online by History is a Weapon. The Color Line activity at Zinn Education Project goes with this chapter. Using a list of questions (see last page of download), students first predict laws that would keep these parties apart. Then they check their answers by reading the chapter mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Lesson: Graphic Organizer

Examining Passenger Lists: Virginia vs New England

From: Digital Inquiry Group

Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 1 Class Period or Less

Length of Reading: Paragraphs

Link: Examining Passenger Lists

Have students compare a list of passengers headed to Virginia with another list of people headed to New England. They fill out a graphic organizer and answer a couple of questions in pairs or groups.

Lesson: Jigsaw

We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region

From: The Smithsonian's Native Knowledge 360°

Grade Level: (MS), HS

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 2-3 class periods for all activities

Length of Reading: Chapter

Link: We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region

Students do a map activity. They then read a chapter on Native peoples in the Chesapeake, answer questions, and discuss. Finally, each of 3 groups is assigned a topic. They read 2 pages on that topic and then explain it to their classmates.

Movie: Hit the Library

Nightmare in Jamestown

From: National Geographic

Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College)

Remote Ready: With Films on Demand

Time: 51 min

Length of Reading: None

Link: None

The documentary Nightmare in Jamestown provides an overview of the settlement of Jamestown and what went wrong there. It includes historical reenactments and CSI-style excavation of archeological evidence. Find it at your local library. Or, if your local library (college or community college library) subscribes to the Films on Demand database, you may be able to watch it online with your library card.

Lesson: Primary Sources

Virginia Colony

From: Gilder Lehrman

Grade Level: HS, (College)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 1 Class Period or Less

Length of Reading: Pages

Link: The Virginia Colony

Students read 3 primary sources on the starving time, the Virginia Company's instructions to settlers, and the supplies the settlers were encouraged to bring (1-4 pages each). Students then answer 3 overarching questions about the colony.

Lesson: Secondary Source and Movie

Inventing Black and White: Bacon's Rebellion

From: Facing History and Ourselves

Grade Level: HS, (College)

Remote Ready: Yes!

Time: 1-2 Class Periods

Length of Reading: Page

Link: Inventing Black and White

Check out this short reading and questions surrounding race and Bacon's Rebellion. If you log-in, there's a link to a 1-hour documentary on the left side of the screen that you can pair with the reading. The film is called Race: The Power of an Illusion (Episode 2: "The Story We Tell").

Plymouth,

Massachusettes Bay,

and New England Colonies

Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and New England Colonies

Each of the teaching ideas below pertain to Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, and the New England colonies. Each teaching idea appears in its own box. And each box indicates where the resources if from, the recommended grade level, whether it's remote ready, how long it will take, the length of the reading, and the link to the resource. To learn more about it, click the box.

Lesson: Graphic Organizer

Examining Passenger Lists; Virginia vs New England

From: Digital Inquiry Group

Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 1 Class Period or Less

Length of Reading: Paragraphs

Link: Examining Passenger Lists

Have students compare a list of passengers headed to Virginia with another list of people headed to New England. They fill out a graphic organizer and answer a couple of questions in pairs or groups.

Game

Who's a Salem Witch?

From: Unknown

Grade Level: MS, HS

Remote Ready: No

Time: 30 min or less

Length of Reading: None

Link: None

The teacher hands out slips of paper (or goes around the room and whispers) indicating whether each individual student is a witch or not. Students won't know which of their classmates are witches, but they are tasked with guessing. They must develop a method for deciding if classmates are witches and, to the best of their abilities, form the largest group possible that does not consist of any witches. The biggest group wins, but if a witch is ultimately found in a group, that group will lose the game. The irony is, of course, that the teacher has not made anyone a witch.

Movie: Hit the Library

Desperate Crossing: The untold Story of the Mayflower

From: History Channel

Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College)

Remote Ready: No

Time: 3 hrs (see shorter clip recommended below)

Length of Reading: None

Link: None

Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower provides an overview of the Pilgrim's voyage and settlement. It uses historical re-enactors and commentary from historical experts to tell its story. At 3 hours long, the film has time to examine in depth the religious situation in England. I usually skip that part and start at the segment where the Pilgrims land ("Scouts on Land" at the 1 hr 29 min mark).

Movie: Hit the Library

In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials

From: History Channel

Grade Level: (MS), (HS), (College)

Ready: with Films on Demand

Time: 50 min

Length of Reading: None

Link: None

In Search of History: Salem Witch Trials, from the History Channel, provides an overview of concerns about witchcraft, the accused girls' actions, and the trials themselves. Find it at your local library. Or if your local library (college or community college library) subscribes to the Films on Demand database, you may be able to watch it online with your library card.

Lesson: Graphic Organizers

King Phillip's War

From: Digital Inquiry Group

Grade Level: (MS), (HS)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: 1 Class Period or less

Length of Reading: Pages

Link: King Phillip's War

Examine 3 primary sources (one page each with large print) which shine light on what caused King Phillip's War. Then fill in the graphic organizers.

All Colonies

All Colonies

Each of the teaching ideas below pertain to the American colonies. Each teaching idea appears in its own box. And each box indicates where the resources if from, the recommended grade level, whether it's remote ready, how long it will take, the length of the reading, and the link to the resource. To learn more about it, click the box.

Lesson: Many Options

Slave Voyages

From: Slavevoyages.org

Grade Level: MS, HS, College

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: Depends upon which lesson(s) you choose

Length of Reading: Paragraphs

Link: slavevoyages.org

Slavevoyages.org has amazing resources, including databases on the Trans-Atlantic and Intra-America slave trades, maps, images, and lesson plans. Click the image above to see a description of our favorite lesson plans.

Lesson: Create Museum Exhibits

Democracy in Early America: Servitude and the Treatment of Native Americans and Africans

From: Gilder Lehrman

Grade Level: HS, College

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: At least 3 class periods if you assign readings as Homework. More if you don't.

Length of Reading: Chapters

Link: Democracy in Early America: Servitude and the Treatment of Native Americans and Africans prior to 1740

3 Day Activity. Students are divided into 5 groups. Each group is assigned one of the following topics: Indentured Servants, Native Americans, African Americans, Religion, or Early Signs of Democracy. Students read a number of lengthy, predetermined primary and secondary sources on their topics (mostly secondary sources). Each group discuss a the most important facts in their readings in order to create a museum exhibit on their subject. Each group presents to classmates. Finally, each students writes an essay or op-ed answering the 2 overarching questions. Gilder Lehrman resources are free but you must log in.

Lesson: Many Options

An Early History of Slavery (African and Indigenous)

From: SPLC Learning for Justice

Grade Level: MS, HS, (College)

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: Depends Upon Lesson

Length of Reading: Pages

Link: Teaching Hard History Framework

This site features short, curated lists of wonderful online resources and their descriptions, organized by topic. Follow the link, and scroll to the ship artwork and the "Pre-Colonial and Colonial Era (to 1763)" Heading. And then choose the Summary Objective that most interests you.

Lesson: Graphic Organizer

French and Indian War (7 Years War)

From: Gilder Lehrman

Grade Level: HS, College

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: Depends upon which lesson(s) you choose

Length of Reading: Paragraphs

Link: The French and Indian War

There are 4 short primary sources spread across 3 separate lessons. But each involves reading the primary source(s), answering questions, and/or filling out the graphic organizer(s). The primary sources are bite-sized and excellent; you get the perspective of Native Americans and colonists. Gilder Lehrman resources are free but you must log in.

Movie: YouTube

13 Colonies Song

From: Parlay Universe

Grade Level: MS, HS

Remote Ready: With Modifications

Time: Depends upon which lesson(s) you choose

Length of Reading: Paragraphs

Link: Settlement of the 13 Colonies

Check out the 3 min video, Settlement of the 13 Colonies, for a fun hip-hop summary of the economies of the New England, Middle, and Southern colonies. Then answer a couple questions (provided), and then respond to 2 classmates' answers.

Citations for transition images:

Van de Passe, Simon. “Pocahontas,” Copper Engraving, Wikimedia Commons, 1616, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pocahontas_by_Simon_van_de_Passe_1616.jpg. Accessed: 6.29.2020.

Andrews, Joseph, Engraver, and Peter Frederick Rothermel. Landing of the Pilgrims on Plymouth Rock,/ P.F. Rothermel paintr. ; J. Andrews engravr. Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/2010646064/>.

Archivist, "Stowage of Slaves. Date 1843." AdobeStock 162344618, 7 July 2025, https://stock.adobe.com/images/stowage-of-slaves-date-1843/162344618.

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