MassachusettsHISTORY EXPLORERS GRADES 3–8
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Quick glossary
evidence
Information from a source that helps us test a claim.
source
A document, object, image, or account we can examine.
inference
An explanation based on clues; it still needs checking.
migration
Moving from one place to another to live.
immigrant
A person who moves to another country to live.
estimate
An approximate amount, based on available information.
oral history
A recorded interview about someone’s memories and experiences.
community
People connected by a place, relationships, or shared activities.
ancestry
Family origins across generations.
primary source
Evidence created by someone who experienced a time or event.

Event 6 of 100 · 1620

Mayflower, Compact, and Patuxet

Choose a PDF, read on screen, and try the word game.

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Grade 2 PDF ↗Short sentences, pictures, and read-and-notice questions.Grade 4 PDF ↗More context, text evidence, and explanatory writing.Grade 8 PDF ↗Source analysis, perspective, and evidence-based comparisons.Words first PDF ↗Supported reading for multilingual learners and students who benefit from more spacing and oral rehearsal.

All four include an image, vocabulary, comprehension questions, a follow-up reading, and teacher guidance. These English PDFs have selectable text; use the reading below for adjustable text and listening tools.

Read on this page

Modern reconstruction of the English village at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. These are not surviving buildings from 1620.
Modern reconstruction of the English village at Plimoth Patuxet Museums. These are not surviving buildings from 1620.

Words to know

agreement
a plan or promise people accept together
rule
an instruction about what is allowed
community
people connected by a place or something they share

Mayflower passengers crossed the ocean. Some men signed an agreement about rules called the Mayflower Compact. The newcomers built Plymouth at Patuxet, a Wampanoag place. Native people had lived there long before.

Talk about the reading

What happened? Point to a detail that supports your answer. What does the picture help you understand? What would you like to investigate next?

Follow-up: A harvest gathering

Wampanoag people and Plymouth colonists shared a gathering. Ousamequin, also called Massasoit, came with many men. They brought deer. We know only some details. This was not the first time people gave thanks.

How are the two events connected or different? Their order does not prove that one caused the other.

Read the follow-up event →

Word match: use the reading

Select a word, then select its meaning. You can use a keyboard or tap. Read the word bank if you need a clue.

Choose a word to begin.

Check the evidence

Research source for this event ↗

English village at Plimoth Patuxet — Tr!sie / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Image source and rights ↗

Historical images, later portraits, reconstructions, and modern topic illustrations are identified in their captions. They are different kinds of evidence.

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