Websites recommended for 5th grade students doing research on the American Colonies (1600-1775). Shared as part of the Common Core IRL: In Real Libraries project.

1. American Colonies, 1600--1775
Recommended Internet Resources
for Berkeley Unified School District
5th graders
World Book Encyclopedia
This is an excellent place to begin learning about a topic.
World Book Kids has shorter, simpler articles. World
Book Student has longer, more developed articles.
Especially note:
● Plymouth Colony and Pilgrims
● Wampanoag Indians
● Thirteen colonies
(From home, sign in using the login: busd, password: ­­­.)
Mayflower History by Caleb Johnson
A well­designed site with clear writing and interesting collection of
primary sources.
● Pilgrim history, including list of provisions pilgrims brought with them
● Faith and religion of the pilgrims
● Interesting collection of primary sources
● Study of Mayflower genealogy
Mary Ann Scheuer, BUSD Library Services
created March 2014

2.
Plimoth Plantation ­­ affiliated with the
Smithsonian Institute
● Virtual Field Trip ­ two 20 minute videos
● Thanksgiving Interactive ­­ helpful audio along with interactive
features
● Faith of the pilgrims
● Wampanoag home site
● 360* Virtual Tours
re­enactment actors in the Plimoth Colony and Wampanoag home
Colonial Williamsburg
This site is full of different resources, including:
● Online exhibits: Historic Threads, Coins & Currency, Mapping
Colonial America
● Weekly podcasts students can listen to (listen to Gowan Pamphlet, free
African American pastor; listen to Patrick Henry & Thomas Jefferson on religion)
● Learn about different trades in colonial life: slideshows & brief text
● Meet the people ­ brief profiles of different people
● African American experience in Williamsburg (images)
● Role that religion played in the colonies
re­enactment actors in colonial Williamsburg
Mary Ann Scheuer, BUSD Library Services
created March 2014

3.
America’s Story: Colonial America
from the Library of Congress
Provides general overview. Students like the way the information
is broken into short chunks, but it uses some advanced
vocabulary (“By 1650, however, England had established a
dominant presence on the Atlantic coast.”). Direct students to
specific stories within this, such as:
● Jamestown Was Established
● Jacques Cartier Sailed Up the St. Lawrence River
● Mathematician & Astronomer Benjamin Banneker
Library of Congress: Mapping a New Nation
Interesting collection of primary source documents, especially maps from the 18th century. But
not quite sure if this is right for 5th graders.
National Museum of American Indians
● Explore online collections from this museum
(would require teacher selecting specific items to
examine)
● Have students play CultureQuest Games on the
Infinity of Nations site. Students will like the
interactive nature of this, exploring different
regions. Definitely requires some reading.
Mary Ann Scheuer, BUSD Library Services
created March 2014