Lesson Plan Title : Travelling on the Mayflower

Age Range: Grade 3 through grade 5 (Elementary School)

Overview and Purpose: Travelling by ship is not a common occurrence anymore, so it's something students have difficult time relating to. This activity helps students see what life was like on the Mayflower as it brought the Pilgrims to their new home.

Objective: The student will be able to write several journal entries as a child travelling on the Mayflower.

Resources:

A Journey to the New World: A Diary of Remember Patience Whipple by Kathryn Lasky

Activities:

Read the book aloud to the students. Have them keep a journal about how they would feel aboard the Mayflower. After you finish reading for the day, have the students complete a sentence prompt about the section that you read. Some of their entries could be about the food, the people on the boat, the sickness, or the boredom. At the end of the story, have the students write one or two paragraphs about whether they think the journey was worth it.

Wrap Up:

Students can also make a class timeline on one of the walls. They can chart the order in which events occurred and how long there was between events.