Lesson Plan Title : The Logistics of a New Settlement

Age Range: Grade 9 through grade 12 (High School)

Overview and Purpose: As the leader of a group of people in a new place, what would your priorities be? Where would you start? This lesson encourages students to put themselves in the shoes of William Brewster.

The student will be able to make a list of priorities as the leader of the Pilgrims.

Resources:

Internet access for each student

Activities:

Introduce the lesson by talking with the students about what they are going to have to think about when they are ready to move out on their own. Can they just pack up one day and leave? What preparations have to be made?

Lead the students into a conversation about the Pilgrims. Once they landed at Plymouth Rock, what had to be done? What were the immediate needs and what could wait? Have the students work in groups to create a timeline for setting up their colony. Have them plan all the way until the Thanksgiving feast.

After they have created their timeline, have them do some research to see how close their timeline follows the historical account. They should put the correct timeline under theirs. Come back together as a class and talk about how close they were. Was there anything they forgot to add or did out of sequence?

Wrap Up:

You can follow this lesson with a historical study of William Brewster. Have the students create a biographical sketch of him and discuss his strengths and weaknesses.