Grade 3 - The First Americans
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Step Back in Time: Meet the First Americans & Early Colonists! ⏳🏕️
Who lived in America before the settlers arrived? How did the Native American tribes survive and thrive? What events led to the birth of the United States of America? Now, 3rd-grade students can take a journey through time to discover the First Americans, the early colonies, and the American Revolution!
📽️ “The First Americans” is an engaging, visually rich educational video that brings history to life. Through real-world connections, exciting visuals, and storytelling, students will explore how Native American tribes, European settlers, and American Patriots shaped the country we know today!
💡 What Your Students Will Learn:
✅ The daily life, homes, and traditions of Native American tribes
✅ How bartering and trading helped Native communities thrive
✅ The story of Pocahontas and the Powhatan people
✅ How the first English settlers built Jamestown and the 13 Colonies
✅ The events leading up to the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution
✅ How the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution shaped the new nation
🌟 Why Teachers Love This Video:
🕒 No-Prep, Standards-Aligned Content – Just press play and start learning!
🎥 Visually Engaging & Kid-Friendly – Keeps 3rd graders focused and excited.
🎯 Brings History to Life – Helps students connect with the past in a meaningful way.
📚 Perfect for Early American History Lessons – Supports discussions on Native Americans, colonial life, and independence.
💡 Make History Come Alive in Your Classroom!
Transport your students back in time and help them experience the journey of America’s first people, settlers, and revolutionaries—without extra prep work. Subscribe today and start the adventure! 🚀
Video length: 11:25 minutes
Learning Resources with this Video*
Quizzes – PDF & Online
Native American Tribe Research Organizer
First Americans – Match the Description Worksheet
Native American Artifact Inspection
Early American History Timeline
Draw A Scene – Early American History
Universal Resources
National Standards
*Links are active on Full Video page.
Classroom Ideas
The First Americans
Native American Groups
Divide the class into groups. Assign each group a Native American tribe. Each group will research their tribe and make a presentation to the rest of the class. Topics will include homes, food, daily activities, clothing, etc.
Cloze Practice
A cloze piece has full sentences used in the virtual field trip with blanks where students can write in the information that is missing. This task requires close listening to the trip in order to complete it.
Coral reefs are the _______ type of ecosystem in the world. They’ve been around for over _____ million years.
Answers: oldest; 240
Alternatively, you could have students create 5-10 cloze statements and they could share those with the class.
A third alternative is to distribute the cloze worksheets before watching the video. Students can fill them in as they watch.
Art and Social Studies
Use various materials to create a small-scale home for a group of Native Americans, e.g. a wigwam. Can be done in groups.
Explore Vocabulary
Identify key vocabulary terms while previewing each video. Prompt students to find the meaning of each word as they watch the video. Example: What do the words bartering and artifact mean? Think about the meaning of this word as you watch this video.
Create Quizzes
Students create a quiz based on the information presented for their peers. This can be used as a review for a test, or class activity where students are responsible for teaching other students assigned topics.
Visual Learning
Offer videos to struggling learners as another form of accessing information and creating knowledge.
Classroom Ideas for ALL Videos
Here are dozens and dozens of ideas that you can use in your classroom along with our videos!
Topics Covered In This Video
Native Americans were the first people here and are made up of many different tribes
Their homes and ways of life could be very different from region to region
Pocahontas was a notable Native American woman who helped the settlers
Settlers expanded into 13 colonies, all under the rule of the King of England
Conflict with England grew, there was a war, and then a new country was born
The brand new U.S.A. created the Constitution as its plan to guide the new country
Videos in this Series
Grade 3 - How The Country Was Settled
Grade 3 - A Country of Cultures
Grade 3 - I Am A Consumer
Grade 3 - Businesses At Work
Grade 3 - The Geography of Our Communities
Grade 3 - How Government Helps Our Communities
Related Videos
Grade 2 - Early Americans
