The Internet is full of useful materials for exploding myths about the Pilgrims,
the Indians, the Mayflower, and the First Thanksgiving. Whether you teach
kindergarten or college, you'll find valuable information and teaching
tools on the WWW. This week, Education World explores the best of those
online resources.
As another Thanksgiving approaches, are you looking for new ways to present the same old stories? Look no further! Education World has found a variety of Web sites that provide fascinating information about the hearts and minds of the faceless historical figures behind this traditional American holiday...
What better place to begin a search for fresh information about Thanksgiving
than at Plymouth Colony -- the place where the Pilgrims' lives in the
New World began? Nowhere are those lives more real, more visible, or more
current than at Plimoth-on-Web,
an online living-history museum of 17th century Plymouth, Massachusetts.
This Plimoth Plantation site allows visitors to tour the 1627 Pilgrim
Village of New Plymouth, to see, as well as read about, the lives of the
Pilgrims. In this authentic reproduction of the Pilgrim's Massachusetts
settlement, you can stroll down the town's first main street, read the
plans of the original "zoning board," and view the houses of the early
English settlers. Or you might want to attend the March Cattle Division
to learn how property was distributed among the colony's residents.
The site, however, is much more than a brief walk through Plymouth.
In addition to the virtual tour, the site provides an abundance of
historical information about Plymouth Colony, the Mayflower,
the Pilgrims, and the local Indians. Visitors can read the
Mayflower Compact
, study a list of the
Mayflower's passengers
, and learn why they set off on their voyage.
Your students can learn about the
Pilgrims' height and average life span
and see the clothing of both Pilgrims
and Wampanoag Indians.
Here, you'll discover the real story behind
The Courtship of Miles Standish
and learn such Pilgrim Trivia as the names of Plymouth Colony's first governor and its first baby.
In the unlikely event that you still haven't found what you're
looking for, the site contains a variety of educational resources,
including a Library with an extensive list of bibliographies and links;
a Resource Room full of downloadable materials for teachers and students;
a list of Educational Publications available for classroom use; and
a Kids' Page that contains Pilgrim games and riddles, a Pilgrim picture to
color, and fun facts about Pilgrim children.
But don't leave town yet! You can find more information about Plymouth,
its past and present, at America's
HomePage. Though more commercial and less historically extensive than
the Plimoth Plantation site, America's HomePage includes additional facts
about the Mayflower and its passengers, brief biographies of some Pilgrims
and Indians, and links to information about the Pilgrims, the Indians,
and the first Thanksgiving. The site also contains a
Mayflower Photo Gallery and photographs of Mayflower II, a reproduction
of the original ship, docked in Plymouth Harbor. The most valuable feature
of this site, however, is its genealogical resources. Here, visitors can
find a list of sources for genealogical information about the Mayflower's
passengers and access the Mayflower Society Global Message Board to ask
questions about the Massachusetts' settlers.
But perhaps the most comprehensive source of information about the Mayflower
and its passengers can be found at Caleb
Johnson's Mayflower Web Pages. Visitors to this site get a fascinating
glimpse of Pilgrim life that's sure to surprise, intrigue, and sometimes
shock. Here, you can learn about the Mayflower's physical dimensions;
see the ship's passenger and crew lists; find out about the lives of the
girls and women aboard ship; read accounts of the Pilgrims' voyage, landing,
and settlement of Plymouth; and learn the truth about their relationship
with the local Indians. The site contains a first-person account of the
First Thanksgiving celebration, a photograph of the Mayflower's original
passenger list written by William Bradford, versions of the Pilgrim's
Peace Treaty with Massasoit, copies of the Pilgrims' wills and estate
inventories, and other documents that provide unique insights into the
lives of the Pilgrims. Information about Pilgrim food, clothing, weapons,
and games is also provided.
Additional resources at the site include a Message to Teachers,
a link to a page of myths about the Pilgrims and the First Thanksgiving that have
been taught in classrooms for generations, an area that allows
students to email questions to the site's creator, some slightly
scandalous accounts of the personal and criminal history of some
Mayflower passengers -- and much, much more. In fact, exploring
this site is almost as great an adventure as the one it describes.
Teachers of very young students might also want to go to The
Pilgrims and America's First Thanksgiving for an appropriate story
of the first Thanksgiving. Then, be sure to visit An
American Thanksgiving for simple holiday ideas and activities. Here,
click The First Thanksgiving to read some important historical
documents, including the Mayflower Compact, the Peace Treaty with Massasoit,
and various Thanksgiving proclamations; explore Thanksgiving Fun
to find stories, poems, songs, games, and Thanksgiving pictures to color;
and click And more... to explore links to additional resources.
Finally, be sure to check out this week's Education World
LESSON PLANNING story, Pilgrim Projects, for additional Thanksgiving ideas and information.
An
Outline of American History
From "A Hypertex0t on American History," this site includes information
about the colonial period and the Pilgrim's search for religious and political
freedom.
Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
Copyright © 2007 Education World
Originally published 11/09/1998
Links last updated 10/02/2007
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