This document introduces higher gradient theories of elasticity. It begins with an overview of how gradients appear in classical field theories like Newtonian gravity and Einsteinian gravity. It then discusses how higher gradients are relevant to continuum mechanics. The remainder of the document outlines the mathematical and variational framework for developing higher gradient elasticity theories. This includes discussions of geometric notions, variational principles, obtaining the strong form of the governing equations, and finite element discretization methods.