The Colonists

Explore these websites:

• Voyage on the Mayflower
  http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/voyage/

  Meet the passengers and crew and explore the ship. Part of Scholastic's First Thanksgiving exhibit.

• Life as a Plimouth Pilgrim
  http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/subarticle.jsp?id=3044

  Use the menu on the left to explore the "interviews" with people who lived at Plimouth Plantation. Concentrate on the one that is closest to your role. From Scholastic's First Thanksgiving exhibit.

• Daily Life in 1621
  http://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/daily_life/index.htm

  Learn about clothes, food, houses, learning, chores, and games.

• Primary sources about the first Thanksgiving
  http://www.pilgrimhall.org/1stthnks.htm

  Short sections from writings by Plimouth settlers. A modern spelling translation makes it easier to read. From the Pilgrim Hall Museum.

• The Pilgrim Story
  http://www.pilgrimhall.org/museum.htm

  Use the links below the picture to explore the information from the Pilgrim Hall Museum.

• You are the Historian: Investigating the First Thanksgiving
  http://www.plimoth.org/education/olc/index_js2.html

  Visit Plimouth Plantation in 1621 with two students who are descendents of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag people as your guides. This site is full of information presented in a fun, video format. Requires Flash Player 6 (free download available).

• Homework Help from Plimouth Plantation
  http://www.plimoth.org/kids/homeworkHelp/

  Explore the links on the left for lots of information.

Search the Grolier Online Encyclopedia

Check with your teacher to see if this encyclopedia is available.

Think about these questions as you research:

• Why did you decide to leave England and come to America?

• What was the voyage like?

• What information did you have about the "Indians"? Was it accurate? Has it influenced how you act toward them?

• Do you think the Wampanoag have rights? Do you believe they are "uncivilized"? Why or why not?

• What is the role of religion in your life? How does it affect your interaction with the Wampanoag?

• What roles do men, women, and children play in your society?

• What difficulties have you had in meeting your basic survival needs? How are you overcoming these problems?

• Do you think your two cultures can live together peacefully? What would you have to do to make this happen?

• Conflicts sometimes arise between your two groups. Give an example of a conflict, what caused it, and what happened. How was it resolved? Do you think similar problems will arise in the future?

• How do your two groups communicate? How do you exchange goods and services without a common system of money?

• How has disease affected your group?

Just for fun:

• Plimouth Plantation: Just for Kids
  http://www.plimoth.org/kids/

  Check out the crafts, recipes, stories, riddles, and even learn to talk like a Pilgrim.