Every Witch Way: Learning From the Infamous Trials of Salem
Check out these resources for teaching about this dark chapter in America’s past.
The Salem witch trials offer rich fodder for socialstudies lessons. The following Web sites offer ideas for using the events as a springboard for discussing seventeenth-century society, women's roles, tolerance, justice, and more:
Salem Witch Trials Unit
This unit for fifth graders presents a synopsis of the events, two dozensimple activities, and a bibliography for teachers and students.
The Salem Witch Trials WebQuest
On this Web site, kids work in groups of four, playing the role ofaccused, afflicted, and two judges. They research the events of theday and plead their case. The project culminates with the creation ofanother site.
Salem Witch Trial Reenactment
In this sixty- to ninety-minute lesson, fifth graders play the partsof historical figures from Salem.
Salem Witch Trials: Lesson Plans
This Web site provides links to numerous lesson plans for grades 5-12, including a unit on Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, a classic dramatization of the events surrounding the witch trials.