Lesson Plans

The lesson plans and other resources featured here were developed by the Massachusetts Historical Society’s teacher fellows, workshop participants, and Education Department staff members. Each project uses primary sources from the Society's collection to explore particular  topics in American history.

Founding Fathers and Their Families

The Adams Family of Massachusetts: A Legacy of Justice in Action

Developed by Kris Allison, Boston Public Schools
Level: Middle School
Subject: United States History

Adams Family Foreign Policy: Letters and Diaries from Europe

Developed by Jason L. S. Raia, Pope John XXIII High School, Everett, Massachusetts
Level: High School (Advanced Placement)
Subject: United States History

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Birth of Party Politics in America

Developed by Duncan Wood, Newton North High School, Newton, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

Abigail Adams, the Writer: "My pen is always freer than my tongue"

Developed by Teresa Escobales Collins, Boston College High School, Boston, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: English

John Adams's Views on Citizenship: Lessons for Contemporary America

Developed by Todd Wallingford, Hudson High School, Hudson, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History, Civics

John Quincy Adams: One President's Adolescence

Developed by Robert Baker, Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

The American Revolution

Abigail’s War: The American Revolution through the Eyes of Abigail Adams

Developed by Rachel M. Ottman, McCarthy Middle School, Chelmsford, Massachusetts
Level: Elementary
Subjects: United States History, Math, Languages Arts

Johnny Tremain and the Members of the Long-Room Club

Developed by Ronald Blackington, Wareham Middle School, Wareham, Massachusetts
Level: Middle School
Subjects: Language Arts, United States History

From Tea to Shining Sea: A Primary Document-Based Unit on the Boston Tea Party

Developed by Lisa M. Green, Swampscott High School, Swamscott, Massachusetts
Level: High School (Advanced Placement)
Subject: Economics, United States History

John and Abigail Adams in Times of Change: the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Smallpox Epidemic during the American Revolution

Developed by Michael Barton, Greater Lowell Technical High School, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

The Siege of Boston

The Siege of Boston: A Document-Based Lesson

Developed by Danielle Fernandez, North Quincy High School, Quincy, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

Slavery and Antislavery

Chief Justice William Cushing and the Abolition of Slavery

Developed by Jennifer Larose, Scituate High School, Scituate, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

Slavery in Massachusetts, 1630-1860

Developed by Matthew Johnson, South Shore Vocational Technical High School, Hanover, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

Reform Movements

Boston as the Athens of America

Developed by Elizabeth Lambert, Miscoe Hill School, Mendon, Massachusetts
Level: Middle School
Subject: United States History, Language Arts

Deviancy and Reform in Nineteenth-Century America

Developed by William Miskinis, Littleton High School, Littleton, Massachusetts
Level: High School
Subject: United States History

The Civil War

The Massachusetts Civil War Experience

Developed by Rajeeve Martyn, Madison Park Technical Vocational High School, Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Level: High School
Subject: Civics, United States History

Massachusetts Women and the Civil War

Developed by Duncan Wood, Newton North High School, Newton, Massachusetts.
Level: High School
Subject: United States History