Free 13 Colonies Map Worksheet and Lesson
Can your students locate the 13 Colonies on a map? In this straightforward lesson, students will learn the names and locations of the 13 colonies. They will also group the colonies into regions: New England, Middle, and Southern.
This is a great way to kick off your 13 Colonies unit. Enjoy!
(Don’t forget to download the FREE worksheet at the end of the blog post)
13 Colonies Lesson Plan
1. Introduce the geography of the 13 American Colonies with a video. Get links to my five favorite 13 Colonies videos here .
2. Show students a modern map of the United States like this one. Ask them to locate the 13 Colonies.
Point out the states that were original 13 Colonies. Identify the areas around the colonies (ex: Atlantic Ocean to the east, Canada to the North, Florida to the South, etc).
You may assume students know the location of the 13 Colonies, and some will. But chances are, many won’t!
3. Pass out the 13 Colonies worksheets. Ask students to…
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Label the Atlantic Ocean and draw a compass rose
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Label each colony
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Color each region a different color and create a key
Here are some online resources that students can use to complete their maps:
4. Early Finisher Ideas:
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Recall: Early finishers use their filled out worksheets to play this online map quiz game.
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Higher level thinking: Early finishers choose one colony to “zoom in” on and learn more about. Students analyze a map of one colony using this worksheet from the National Archives. The Library of Congress has a collection of maps from the Colonial Era which you can access here.
Click to Download the 13 Colonies Map Worksheet and Lesson
I hope that you enjoy this worksheet. Click the red box below to download it.
Want a FREE 13 Colonies Timeline Lesson?
In this lesson, students place the colonies in order of settlement on a timeline. They also learn about who founded each colony and their reasons for settlement.
This activity includes task cards which will get your students out of their seats! I’ve also included a reflection sheet for early finishers. This is a great companion to the 13 colonies map worksheet.
Enter your email below to grab your free 13 Colonies Timeline lesson!
More 13 Colonies Resources
If you need more help teaching about the 13 colonies, my 3-week unit has been used by thousands of teachers and is one of my best-selling resources. Your students will love the Jamestown simulation where they make decisions that will determine their survival.
Related posts:
- 13 Colonies Videos for Kids
- Interactive Unit – 13 Colonies Unit
- 13 Colonies Primary Resources
- More US History Primary Sources
Would love this free unit! I teach 8th grade U.S.History
Thank you! Just what I was looking for to aid in our study of American history this year.
Such great resources!! Thank you
Thank you so very much for this.
I need your help. I am a new teacher in middle charter school. I have to teach 6, 7, and 8. I need to teach the same unit at different levels. I also need prices love your lesson on thirteen colonies and we are able to use google classroom. I have half class behaviors and other half special education students.
Hi,
Thanks for your comment. My best advice is to adapt the lessons to fit the needs of each class. For example, your 8th graders may be able to read the articles and do the worksheets independently. Where your 6th graders will probably need you to read the articles to them. Then, you could have them do the worksheets with a partner. Also, your 6th and 7th graders will probably need you to provide more background knowledge at the beginning of the lesson than your older students. I hope this helps! 🙂
Best,
Becca
The extra details about why each colony was founded was really interesting. Thanks!
Awesome all details really thanks……
Hello!! Just wanted to let you know that I have clicked a couple dead links while looking at your Colony Lesson information. They are linked to the National Archives’ document analysis worksheets. But this is the one that will take you to the new one. Cheers!
https://education.blogs.archives.gov/2017/03/30/new-document-analysis-worksheets/
Thank you so much! I will work on replacing all these links. 🙂
Great resources and links for exploring American history, thank you!