Early American History: Benjamin Franklin ~ Week 6 Lesson Plan For Kindergarten and First Grade

This post is part of the Early American History series. For a suggested class schedule, an overview of the entire course, and links to more lesson plans, please see the introductory post.

In this lesson you will continue to teach your students about life in the 13 colonies, including the contributions of Benjamin Franklin.

Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post. I am an affiliate of Amazon, and will receive a small commission if a link on this page is used to make a purchase.

Suggested General Resources

World Wall Map
Map of U.S.A. or 13 Colonies
13-Star U.S.A. Flag for wall
Posters of Early Americans
Small Dot Stickers
Washable Markers, Crayons, and/or Colored Pencils
Glue Sticks
Plates, Bowls, Napkins, Utensils, Small Cups
Computer, Black and White Printer (color printer optional), and Printer Paper
Assembled Timeline File Folder for each child and Timeline Poster (click here for instructions and free printables)
Assembled History Journal filled with Worksheets for each child (click here for instructions and free printables)

Additional Items Recommended For This Lesson

Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta
Penny for each child
White glue
One 8-3/4” x 5-3/4” cardboard rectangle per child (thin cardboard such as from a cereal box)
One 8-3/4” x 5-3/4” rectangle of patterned paper per child (optional)
Five sheets of 8-1/2” x 11” copy paper, cut in half, per child
Stapler
10″ length of ribbon per child (optional)
Recipe Ingredients: Yellow cornmeal, cold water, salt, boiling water, cream and maple sugar, brown sugar, honey, or molasses

Week 6 Lesson Plan

For suggestions on how to conduct each activity below, please see the introductory post.

Year and Subject
1706 – 1790: Benjamin Franklin, his discoveries and inventions – including his kite experiment in 1752.

Map Activity
Find Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Story
Now & Ben: The Modern Inventions of Benjamin Franklin by Gene Barretta

Timeline Figures
Please click here for Timeline instructions and free printables.
Ben Franklin Flying A Kite

History Journal
Please click here for History Journal assembly instructions and free printables.
Page 10: Benjamin Franklin with Penny Coloring Page (give each child a penny to glue on their page – use white tacky glue or school glue)
Page 11: Kite Maze (free printable – see History Journal post.)

Activity: Make Idea Books

You will need:

One 8-3/4” x 5-3/4” cardboard rectangle per child (thin cardboard such as from a cereal box)
One 8-3/4” x 5-3/4” rectangle of patterned paper per child (optional)
Five sheets of 8-1/2” x 11” copy paper, cut in half, per child
Stapler
Glue stick
10″ length of ribbon per child (optional)

1. Fold cardboard rectangles, patterned paper, and copy paper in half.

2. Glue patterned paper to one size of cardboard (optional – if you use cereal boxes this will cover the printing).

3. Staple copy paper on the inside fold.

5. Apply glue to the outside pages of the copy paper bundle, and insert the copy paper bundle in the cardboard folder. (Patterned paper should be on the outside.) Press firmly. (NOTE: If you’d like a ribbon bookmark, place about a 2″ length of the ribbon between the cardboard and the paper at the fold when you glue in the copy paper.)

6. Provide markers, crayons, or colored pencils and allow the kids to decorate the covers of their idea books.

Tell your kids they can use them to write about or draw pictures of their great ideas for inventions! Or perhaps they would like to write their own wise proverbs.

Food: Hasty Pudding or Apple Pie
Hasty Pudding is also known as Corn Mush and Indian Pudding, and is mentioned in the song Yankee Doodle. See more information on the history of Hasty Pudding at this Wikipedia link. You can try this recipe from Cooks.com.

If you don’t believe your children will eat the pudding, other snack ideas for are homemade applesauce, baked apples or apple pie. In my research I found that apples were used often in making desserts, breads, and beverages in colonial times, just as they are today.

Timesaver snack ideas: Purchase an apple pie, or open a jar of applesauce!.

More Craft Ideas
If you have additional class time, you can make a Piggy Bank with your kids, to help them remember a famous quote from Benjamin Franklin: “A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned”. There is a cute one on the Danielle’s Place web site at this link.

Please see my American History Pinterest Board for more craft ideas! I’ll be adding images of the crafts we do in class on this post, also.

“BenFranklinDuplessis” image by Joseph-Siffrein Duplessis – http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/brush/ben.htm. Licensed under Public Domain via Commons.