Pilgrim Unit (7 lessons)

Grade Levels: 3 - 8

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



    Free 7-Day Trial for TeacherVision®

    Sign up for a free trial and get access to our huge library of teaching materials!
    Start Trial

    Highlights

    December Events

    Find educational resources for every day in December. Fill your December lessons with activities for Hanukkah (Dec. 21 -- Sundown), Winter Solstice (Dec. 21), Christmas (Dec. 25), Kwanzaa (Dec. 26), New Year's Eve (Dec. 31), Universal Human Rights Month (Dec.), World AIDS Month (Dec.).

    Rulers & Number Lines

    Take a look at our collection of printable rulers and protractors and number lines and place-value charts.

    Letter-Writing Activities

    Develop students' composition skills with these printables and activities. Students will learn about basic letter formats and practice writing formal, persuasive, and friendly letters.

    Walden Forums

    Wondering about online education at Walden? Get answers to your questions, meet faculty, and learn what it's like to be a Walden student. Click here to check out our free Walden Forums!

    2009 Educators' Calendar

    There's something worth celebrating every day! Find fun and educationally relevant holidays, events, and celebrations for each day of the year.

    Printable Maps

    Enrich your lessons with our collection of printable world maps depicting continents, countries, capitals, political boundaries, lines of longitude and latitude, climate zones, oceans, land forms, and more. Plus, browse our collection of Unites States maps.

    Daily Printables

    Add a TeacherVision widget to your blog, personalized homepage (such as iGoogle or Pageflakes), or social networking sites (such as Facebook). Our widgets feature a different fifth-grade language arts printable or fourth-grade math printable for each day of the year.