Pilgrim Hall Museum - Education - Grade 4 Through Grade 6

PLYMOUTH HISTORY FOR GRADES 4 THROUGH 6

Pilgrim Hall Museum tells the story of Plymouth, Massachusetts, beginning with the arrival of the ship Mayflower in 1620. Are you learning about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans who lived in Plymouth Colony? Here are some materials and activities to help you find out more!

CLUE WORDS - Do you know what these words mean?

museum
colony
Wampanoag
pilgrim
primary source
Patuxet
Native American
artifact
compact

sculpture
harbor
weapon
portrait
settler
destination
explorer
harvest
investor

LOOK AND LEARN - This map shows Plymouth as it looked to the French explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims arrived. What does the map tell you about the land, the harbor, the time of year, and the Native people who lived there before the Pilgrims?

THEN AND NOW - Almost 400 years ago when the Pilgrims settled in Plymouth, the artifacts listed below were in common use. What are they? How were they used? Can you match them to something we use today?

fireplace
candle
cradle
sword
spinning wheel

kettle
mortar and pestle
warming pan
tankard
hearth

IT’S YOUR ADVENTURE TOO!
Imagine that you are standing on the deck of this ship, the Mayflower. It has finally arrived in Plymouth Harbor on this cold December afternoon.

You have been on board ship for 66 days. It has been a hard crossing with fierce storms, sickness, and bad food to eat. You are watching the men row to shore, but there are no people to greet them nor houses for shelter. You see nothing but the empty shore.

What are your feelings?
If you could send a message back home, what would you write?

Pilgrim Hall Museum
75 Court St, Plymouth, MA 02360 | Phone (508) 746-1620