We were proud to produce the 2011 documentary Birth of a Colony in conjunction with UNC-TV and Horizon Productions. The Emmy Award-winning film tells the story of North Carolina's history from the arrival of Europeans to the end of the Tuscarora War in 1713.

To support classroom use of Birth of a Colony, we developed a guide for educators, which contains standards-based lesson plans developed around primary source materials.

Inside the guide, you'll find discussion questions, small and large group activities and collaborative research projects that you can use to further enhance student learning through critical thinking skills. Developed primarily for 8th grade social studies classes, the lessons and activities we've created can be adapted for high or lower level grades.

Each section of the guide corresponds with a different "act" of the film.

Act I  Act II  Act III  Act IV  Act V