Ideas and information for educators interested in using this web site to teach history and social studies. The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association’s museum and library collections provide a rich resource for students of all ages. The lessons offered here have been developed by Massachusetts teacher teams and PVMA staff to provide access to the PVMA collections. To easily search lessons by grade level, topic, era, etc. please use the Search|Find page.
For more information and suggestions for teaching with this website, please visit our For Educators page.
History Lessons By Teachers
103 lessonsThis is a collection of short lessons for the classroom based on objects and documents from the Online Collection. Each lesson is made by a teacher using this web site. You can see and use these lessons in your own classroom.
Lessons from “Living on the Edge of Empire” Workshop
41 lessons“Living on the Edge of Empire: Alliance, Conflict and Captivity in Colonial New England” were National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks Workshops held in Deerfield, Massachusetts the summers of 2013, 2016, and 2022. Presented by the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, the workshops placed the 1704 Raid on Deerfield in the broader context of the history of colonial New England. The educators who participated in the workshop each produced a lesson, some of which are presented here.
Lessons About African Americans
36 lessonsThese lessons are designed to serve as examples of different ways you can teach about the slavery of Africans and African Americans in New England in the 18th century. Students use both primary and secondary sources as they examine different aspects of New England slavery, with the goal of incorporating names, faces, and personal experiences into their study of this topic.
Lessons from “Picturing America” Workshop
18 lessonsThese lessons were created from 2011-2013 by teachers who participated in the National Endowment for the Humanities “Picturing America” grant awarded to the PVMA. The lessons use notable American art as a catalyst to learn about our nation’s history and culture.
Curriculum: Everyday Life in a New England Town
20 lessonsLessons for upper elementary students that encourage them to explore the evolution of social history in Deerfield at the turn of three centuries. The unit is inquiry-based, focused on teaching students how to “read” an array of primary and secondary source materials.
Curriculum: The Lessons of 1704
8 lessonsLessons for upper elementary students, “The Lessons of 1704” unit takes advantage of students’ developmental readiness to explore the famous attack on Deerfield in 1704. By examining the culture of the English, French, and Native Americans involved in the conflict and studying the events that led up to the attack, students come to understand both why the attack happened and what the outcomes of the attack were.