Free Resources About Local and State History
All states have standards to teach their state's history, but, more importantly, history begins at home! Encouraging your child to learn about your local history is often a way to make history tangible. Many towns and cities have local historical societies. Check out the National Park Service properties for sites that may be related to local history, too.
Free Massachusetts History Resources
These frameworks are basically the standards that public schools are supposed to follow to teach state history, geography, and civics. Although they do not provide lesson plans, they provide a great starting off point if you're not sure what to teach about Massachusetts.
This is a really cool e-book about the Big Dig, that massive public works project which moved the ugly, outdated elevated highway underground. It went on way too long, cost significantly more than expected, but it did result in some fascinating archaeological finds, and a park that it's now hard to imagine Boston without. This e-book contains information and lessons about the archaeological work surrounding the Big Dig.