The BEST Worksheets for Teaching the Thirteen Colonies

It can be challenging for ANY history teacher to guide their students through the many various and unique complexities of the American colonies

Thankfully, with the right tools, it doesn't have to be! From a scavenger hunt, crossword puzzle, or simple word search to Venn diagrams or a reading passage with comprehension questions, there are a slew of ways to incorporate worksheets on the thirteen colonies into your history lesson plans (regardless of grade level!).

Enter the world of colonial America through my collection of engaging worksheets on the original colonies!

They've been specifically designed to help bring history to life and encourage students to delve deeper into this fascinating period of American history!

5 Types of Worksheets I LOVE to Use When Teaching About the 13 Colonies

1. Map-Based Worksheets: These types of worksheets are a GREAT WAY to help your students comprehension skills and understanding when it comes to the geography of the 13 colonies. For instance, promote their geography skills by asking your students to label the major bodies of water, mountains, and other important geography features of the 13 colonies on a map of North America. Another exercise I like to use is by providing my students with a printable worksheet that has a blank map of the 13 colonies and having them write the name of each colony. These are just a couple of examples. There's a number of ways you can improve your students map skills through the use of a 13 colonies map activity worksheet!
2. Fill-in-the-Blank Worksheets: Fill-in-the-blank worksheets can be used to help students reinforce their understanding of key information about the 13 colonies. One such way to do this is by having your students complete sentences about each of the colonial regions (New England colonies, Middle colonies, Southern colonies) filling in information such as the names of the colonies that make up each region, the dominant industry/industries of the region, and who some of the more significant and famous people of that region are. For lower grade levels, I like to provide a word bank for students! These types of 13 colonies worksheets help students remember important information about the colonies and helps them see the connections between different pieces of information.
3. Comparison Worksheets: Comparison worksheets are another great way to help students understand the similarities and differences between the 13 colonies. For example, students could be asked to compare and contrast the economies of two (or more) colonies or the political systems of different colonies, say two New England colonies such as New Hampshire and Rhode Island, or two colonies from different regions like New York (a Middle colony) and South Carolina (a Southern colony). This type of worksheet helps students see how the colonies were similar and different from each other and encourages them to think critically about the causes and consequences of these similarities and differences.
4. Primary Source Analysis Worksheets: Worksheets that emphasize primary sources are an excellent way to help students understand exactly what colonial life was like by examining the unique perspectives and experiences of people living in the 13 colonies. I like to do this by having students analyze a letter written by a colonist, a diary entry, or a newspaper article from the time. An activity worksheet like, which utilizes primary sources of information, this helps students accomplish this and encourages them to think critically about important historical events and ideas.
5. Timeline Worksheets: Timeline worksheets are a great way to help students understand the chronology of events in the 13 colonies. As an example, you could ask your students to create a timeline of key events in the history of a specific colony (I recommend this for 7th grade students and above) or of all of the 13 colonies. Another good way to make use of a timeline activity is by having your students create a timeline of the events leading up to the American Revolution and the outbreak of the Revolutionary War (I like to do this with my 8th grade students!). For instance, I have them identify when William Penn founded Pennsylvania, when the Boston Tea Party occurred, when New Jersey was created, and when Plymouth Colony was established among several other things! Needless to say, this type of worksheet helps students understand the sequence of events and comprehend the causes and effects of numerous important historical events.

Here's a timeline activity worksheet from my 8th grade U.S. history curriculum that's all about the colony of Virginia!

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Each of these types of worksheets can be effective when teaching students about the 13 colonies because they offer different ways for students to engage with the material and practice using the information they have learned!

They also provide opportunities for students to think critically and creatively about the 13 colonies and their place in American history!

 Here's a photo analysis worksheet from my 5th grade social studies curriculum that's asks students to analyze a painting of George Washington at his Mount Vernon estate

Have a look at my curriculum bundles HERE!

4 Ways Worksheets on the 13 Colonies Will Promote Student Engagement

1. Reinforce key information: After going through an instructional slide deck (PowerPoint presentation, Google forms, etc.), the use of well-curated and engaging worksheets is absolutely vital (in my humble opinion) for students to retain the key information about that lessons teachings. Whether it be on the geography, economy, and cultures of the collective 13 colonies or say just the colony of North Carolina. A social studies teacher who doesn't follow up a lesson with some sort of an effective worksheet, irrespective of grade level, is doing their students a great disservice (...again, in my humble opinion!).
2. Encourage active learning: By requiring your students to complete various worksheet tasks such as filling in the blanks, matching, completing a timeline, an outline map, etc., you're encouraging active learning! It's seriously that simple, and so important for students to harness and grow this skillset as they progress through their respective education!
3. Foster critical thinking: By simply asking students to analyze primary sources, draw conclusions based on historical events, or compare and contrast the different colonies you're helping grow and sharpen their critical thinking skills and abilities! A skill set that will become gradually more crucial as students advance grade levels and as they enter the workforce as adults!
4. Assess understanding: Allow worksheets to become your best friend, seriously, when used properly, an effective worksheet can be used to EASILY assess students' understanding of the 13 colonies by requiring them to complete worksheets. Whether it be a worksheet of short answer questions or something as simple as correctly writing the name of the colony on a printable map, it doesn't really matter!

By using worksheets about the 13 colonies in these ways, teachers can engage students in meaningful learning experiences that help them better comprehend and understand the 13 colonies

Here's a matching worksheet from my 8th grade U.S. history curriculum that's all about some of the more prominent individuals of Colonial America!

4 Strategies On Using Worksheets EFFECTIVELY When Teaching the 13 Colonies

1. Integrate worksheets into your lesson plan: This one is about as straight forward as they come, lol. Simply incorporate the use of effective, well-designed worksheets into your lesson plan as a way to reinforce key learnings and as a way to help your students practice their understanding and comprehension of the material!
2. Encourage collaboration and discussion: Worksheets are one easy way to encourage collaboration and discussion amongst your students. For example, you could have students work in small groups to complete a worksheet or to analyze a primary source. This will not only help students practice the information, but also help them learn from one another and reinforce their understanding through discussion.
3. Offer choice in worksheet activities: Offer students a choice of worksheet activities that cater to their learning styles and interests. As an example, some students might prefer to complete a map-based worksheet, while others might prefer a fill-in-the-blank or a comparison worksheet. By offering choice, you can engage all students and increase their motivation to complete the worksheets!
4. Use worksheets as a means of feedback: Worksheets aren't just a great way assess a students' understanding, but are also an EXCELLENT way to provide your students with comprehensive and actionable feedback. For example, you could have students complete a worksheet on a particular colony and then use the worksheets to provide individualized feedback based on their response(s) and offer areas where they may need improvement or should focus on. This will help you provide your students with constructive feedback!

By using these strategies, you can effectively use worksheets in your classroom to help students learn all about the 13 colonies and reinforce their understanding of the material!

Additionally, by using worksheets in a variety of ways, you can engage students in ways that will help them retain the information and develop critical thinking skills!

4 Challenges to Look Out For When Using Worksheets -AND- How to Minimize Them

1. Lack of engagement: Some students might find worksheets to be boring or repetitive, leading to a lack of engagement in the activity. To minimize this challenge, you can try to make the worksheets interactive and visually appealing. The use of images or graphics, or creative writing prompts (and/or fonts!) that allow students to reflect on their learning.
2. Difficulty in differentiating: Worksheets can be challenging for teachers to differentiate for different ability levels, which can result in some students becoming frustrated or disengaged. To minimize this challenge, you can create different versions of the same worksheet to cater to different ability levels. One way I like to do this is by having a more challenging version for advanced students and a simpler version for those who are still learning the material!
3. Lack of differentiation from lecture-based instruction: Some students might view worksheets as simply an extension of lecture-based instruction and not as a way to actively engage with the material. To minimize this challenge, you can make the worksheets more interactive and hands-on, or have students work in small groups to complete the worksheets.
4. Over-reliance on worksheets: Over-reliance on worksheets can result in students becoming too reliant on them for learning, and not developing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You can help prevent this by using well-curated worksheets as one component of a larger, more varied learning experience. For example, you could have students complete a worksheet, then have them participate in a discussion or activity that builds on the information they have learned!

By taking these steps, history teachers can help to minimize the challenges associated with using worksheets in the classroom and can use worksheets as an effective tool for helping students learn all about the 13 colonies!

Imagine...

• Spending more time on teaching and less on lesson plans

• More time on nights and weekends to share with friends and loved ones

• No longer endlessly searching for amazing lesson plans and resource  

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I *think* you'll be happy you did 😉

I hope you've enjoyed this article!

-Jillian (a.k.a. the "Lesson Plan Guru")