Pilgrim Unit - 7 Lessons

This unit will lead students towards an understanding of the Pilgrims and native people who inhabited the area of present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts in the 1620's. The main texts are children's books and other reference materials.

LESSON
TITLE(S)

OBJECTIVES

MATERIALS
Lesson 1
Planning for the Voyage
  • Students will be able to locate Plymouth, MA, Hudson River, Cape Cod, Holland and England on a map.
  • Students will be able to identify the reasons the Pilgrims came to the New World.
  • Students will be able to explain how the investors and the colonists would each benefit from a new colony.
  • Maps
    Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    Lesson 2
    Aboard the Mayflower
  • Students will be able to identify the difficult and the pleasant aspects of the voyage of the Mayflower.
  • Students will be able to differentiate between the terms "Saints" and "Strangers."
  • Maps
    Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    Lesson 3
    Choosing Plymouth
  • Students will be able to explain how the Pilgrims landed in the "wrong" place.
  • Students will be able to explain the reasons the native people attacked the Pilgrims and sailors on Cape Cod.
  • Students will be able to identify the principal physical features the Pilgrims considered when choosing the location of Plymouth.
  • Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    Lesson 4
    The First Winter
  • Students will be able to describe the first winter that the Pilgrims spent in Plymouth.
  • Students will be able to retell the first meeting of the native people and the Pilgrims.
  • Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    Lesson 5
    The First Thanksgiving
  • Students will be able to explain the history of Thanksgiving.
  • Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    Lesson 6
    Life in Plymouth
  • Students will be able to write a timeline showing significant events in the Plymouth Colony that occurred between 1621 and 1628.
  • Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    Lesson 7
    Pilgrim Children
  • Students will be able to describe a day in the life of a Pilgrim boy or girl in 1627.
  • Samuel Eaton's Day, Sarah Morton's Day
    by Kate Waters, Russ Kendall;
    Three Young Pilgrims
    by Cheryl Harness
    Pilgrim Fact Cards
    © Plymouth Public Schools, Plymouth, MA 02360
    Use this chart to plan the Pilgrim Study Unit (objectives and materials) of six lessons. Students will learn all about the settlement of Plymouth and nearby areas, the Colonial Times, the context and history of Thanksgiving, and more.
    Grades
    3
    4
    5
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    A Pilgrim Conversation

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    TEACHING RESOURCE

    Pilgrim Fact Cards

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    Sarah Morton's Day, Samuel Eaton's Day, & Tapenum's Day

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    Life in Plymouth - Pilgrim Study Unit (lesson 6 of 7)

    Please Note: this material was created for use in a classroom, but can be easily modified for homeschooling use.

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    Brief History of Thanksgiving

    "After gathering in a plantiful harvest to tide them over the next long winter, the Pilgrims dedicated to Providence a p...

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    William Bradford Biography

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