This kit, for grades 5 and up, helps students master the content of Colonial American history and develops students' historiographic and upper level thinking skills. The documents and activities included in this volume allow students to become "historical detectives," peeling back the layers, deciphering archaic lettering, reassembling broken artifacts, and bringing the past back to life. From St. Augustine to Jamestown to Plymouth, archaeologists and historical researchers have uncovered new information that has changed the understanding of the earliest period of European settlement in North America. The volume is organized into three geographical areas: (1) St. Augustine, Florida; (2) Jamestown, Virginia; and (3) Plymouth, Massachusetts. Within each section documents are organized chronologically. Activities are organized developmentally and thematically and may be used individually or in groupings. Lesson objectives are consistent with national and state social studies standards. Most of the activities in the volume come from lessons developed for and tested by more than a dozen teachers. Kit includes a binder and pages consisting of 12 activities, 9 supplements, and 53 reproducible documents. (BT)