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
Creative Collaborators and Communicators: The Abolitionists and their Propaganda
Developed by Elizabeth Lambert, Miscoe Hill School, Mendon, Massachusetts
Level: Middle School
Subject: United States History, Language Arts
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
