Online Presentations

You are the Historian; Investigating the First Thanksgiving
As you work through this guide, you and your students will use the skills of historians to peel away the layers of myth and misconception surrounding “The First Thanksgiving” and discover what might really have happened during the fall of 1621. Along the way, you and your students will explore the differences between history and the past, and challenge your own ideas about history. Be prepared; what you discover may surprise you! Presented by Plimoth Plantation.
Click here to launch the presentation
Click here to read the Teacher's Guide

Mayflower and Me K-12 Curriculum and Video

Newly revised for 2012, the intent of this K-12 curriculum project, “Mayflower and Me,” is to develop one special curriculum on the “Pilgrim Story,” and offer it through the Education Committee of The Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (SMDPA). Click here to learn more.

Videos

The following videos and teachers’ kits have been distributed by the State Society to the audio/visual libraries of the twenty-nine Intermediate Units of the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Ordering instructions are included for each.

	1. Colonial Life for Children—Plimoth Plantation Tracy and Greg, wondering what life for the Pilgrims was really like, blast back in time to Plimoth Plantation. Follow along as they visit with the Pilgrims and learn about daily life. A Wampanoag woman also teaches the kids about food, shelter and customs of the region’s Native American people. Running time 23 minutes, includes teacher’s guide. Grades 3-7.
	2. The Mayflower Pilgrims Tells the early history of the Pilgrims in England and Holland. Sites connected with the Pilgrims are shown. Running time 43 minutes. Junior and Senior High School.
	3. Video Tour of Plimoth Plantation A personal glimpse of history at Plimoth Plantation. A colorful documentary which includes interviews with staff and a look behind the scenes. Running time 30 minutes. All ages.
	4. The Making of a Colony The story of the beginnings of the Plimoth Colony through eyewitness accounts using Gov. William Bradford’s history, Of Plimoth Plantation, and Mourt’s Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, written by Gov. William Bradford and Gov. Edward Winslow. Viewers are invited to follow the English colonists through their journey from Holland and England to America an experience their first difficult winter, their treaty with the Native people and celebration of their first successful harvest. A teacher’s handbook is provided. Running time 15 minutes. Ages 8 through 15.
	5. Building the Mayflower II Video In 1955 enthusiastic groups from England and the United States joined together to create an accurate replica of the Mayflower, the vessel that in 1620 carried the Pilgrims to the New World. Using the original 1955-57 film footage, this 14- minute presentation traces the fascinating project from initial design through shipbuilding and launch, to its triumphant sail across the Atlantic.

Teachers’ Kits Distributed to IUs in 1999:

Coming to America
An oversize packet of information geared to Fifth Grade Social Studies programs full of study prints that illustrate the voyage to the New World and how the Pilgrims lived during their first years at Plymouth Colony. Twelve study sheets include information on the Mayflower and her passengers. Individual sheets discuss the Pilgrims’ provisions, their supplies, foods, interaction with the Native Americans, clothes and other facts. They have useful graphics and are easy to use. A second slightly larger set of pages with color photographs have background information and prepared lessons on the back. These make presenting the story of the Mayflower easy, interesting and visually stimulating. They are perfect for holding up to a class so everyone can see. These six heavy sheets cover The Voyage, New Plymouth, The Harvest Festival, Preserving Foods, Farming Practices, and Children of New Plymouth. This handsome package of information is enclosed in a large glossy folder with a helpful glossary on the back.

Pilgrims: Then and Now
In 1990 the State Society sponsored its own publication about the Pilgrims and how their covenant concept "played a major role in the formation of the church to which they pledged mutual aid in the care of one another." Their similar pledge with the native Americans promoted peace for fifty-five years. Thousands of copies have been distributed to schools, scout groups, etc. as well as each new State Society member. Click here to order.