Early History: The Colonies
Lesson Plan #2
Amanda Orr
Lesson Plan Overview and Description:
- Expected Duration: Two one-hour periods (2 days)
- Social Sciences: 4th Grade History
- Concepts (Big Ideas): The 13 Colonies; life and government of early settlers
- Vocabulary/Skills: Students will be reading the vocabulary in context. They will learn the definitions through reading. Students will be asked to define the vocabulary during class instruction while reading.
- Colony: a settlement that is ruled by a faraway government
- Colonist: people living in colonies
- Port: trading center where goods are put onto and taken off ships
- Broad Goals of Lesson: Students will complete a read aloud and answer questions based on the colonies. Students will create a brochure highlighting one colony.
Content Outline & Bibliography:
"The Northeast." Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, 2007. 108-34. Print.
- Early History of the Northeast
- The Colonies: In the 1500s, Europeans began to explore the Northeast. They sailed ships across the Atlantic Ocean.
- Early Settlers: Henry Hudson sailed the Hudson River in 1610. He described the region to be rich in natural resources. Some Europeans eventually decided to move to the Northeast, as they hoped to make money by trading. Some religious settlers like the Puritans and Quakers came for religious freedom so they could worship as they pleased. Others came to the Northeast for a better life.
- Colony: a settlement that is ruled by a faraway government
- The Northeast Colonies: During the 1600s, English settlers found eight colonies in the Northeast. To build colonies, they bough land or stole it from the Native Americans. As the colonies grew, the economy grew. Some coastal towns became port cities, such as Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia, which became the largest cities in the colonies. Farmers and traders traveled to the ports to sell goods. Ships carried the goods to England, where traders sold them, The ships later returned with goods to sell to the colonies.
- Colonist: people living in colonies
- Port: trading center where goods are put onto and taken off ships
- Self-Government: By 1733, England had 13 colonies along the Atlantic coast. The colonies had to follow British law, but governed themselves in many ways as each colony set up a government. Colonist elected leaders and wrote their own laws, including the freedom to practice religion.
PDE SAS Standards: History
- (8) History (1) Historical Analysis and Skills Development (4) Grade 4: (8.1.4.B): Distinguish between fact and opinion from multiple points of view, and primary sources as related to historical events.
- (8) History (1) Historical Analysis and Skills Development (4) Grade 4: (8.1.4.C): Identify a specific research topic and develop questions relating to the research topic.
- (8) History (3) United States History (4) Grade 4: (8.3.4.A): Differentiate common characteristics of the social, political, cultural and economic groups in United States history.
- (8) History (3) United States History (4) Grade 4: (8.3.4.C): Explain how continuity and change in U.S. history have influenced personal development and identity.
- Belief systems and religions
- Commerce and industry
- Technology
- Politics and government
- Physical and human geography
Social organizations
- (8) History (3) United States History (4) Grade 4: (8.3.4.D): Distinguish between conflict and cooperation among groups and organization that impacted the history and development of the United States.
- Ethnicity and race
- Working conditions
- Immigration
- Military conflict
- Economic stability
PDE Common Core
- (CC.8) PA Common Core: History and Social Studies
- (CC.8.5) Standard Area: Reading Informational Texts: Students read, understand, and respond to informational texts – with emphasis on comprehension, making connections among ideas and between texts with focus on textual evidence
- CC.8.5.6-8.B: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
- CC.8.5.6-8.H: Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
- CC.8.6.6-8.F: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.
- CC.8.6.6-8.H: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.
NCSS Themes & Subthemes
- II Time, Continuity, & Change – programs should include experiences that provide for the study of the ways human beings view themselves in and over time, so that the learner can:
- Identify and describe selected historical periods and patterns of change within and across cultures, such as the rise of civilizations, the development of transportation systems, the growth and breakdown of colonial systems, and others;
- Identify and use processes important to reconstructing and reinterpreting the past, such as using a variety of sources, providing, validating, and weighing evidence for claims, checking credibility of sources, and searching for causality;
- Explain why individuals and groups respond differently to their physical and social environments and/or changes to them on the basis of shared assumptions, values, and beliefs.
- IV. Individual Development and Identity – programs should include experiences that provide for the study of individual development and identity, so that the learner can:
- Relate personal changes to social, cultural, and historical contexts;
- VI Power, Authority, & Governance – programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance, so that the learner can:
- Describe the purpose of government and how its powers are acquired, used, and justified.
Lesson Objectives
- Students will be able to read “The Colonies” from the Northeast chapter of Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions and orally answer questions based on the text.
- Students will be able to create a brochure highlighting a specific Northeastern colony and what life was life during colonial times.
Teaching Procedures:
Anticipatory Set/Introduction:
- The class will begin to fill out the “Know” and “Want to Know” section of the K-W-L chart that is being used for the entire Northeast unit. The class KWL will be posted on a large bulletin board and will be color-coded for each section discussed. For the early history of the Northeast, each student will receive two red index cards. Students will use one index card to write about what they already know about the colonies/colonists. Students will share what they have written with the class. They will post these cards under the “Know” section of the class K-W-L. Then, on the second index card, students will write what they want to know about the colonies/colonists. They will share their responses to the class, then post it under the “Want to Know” section of the K-W-L.
Lesson Input
- The class will read aloud the chapter entitled “The Colonies” from "The Northeast" section of the textbook Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions (pages 118-119). The teacher and students will take turns reading paragraphs. The teacher will pause at certain points in the text to ask questions, which will reinforce comprehension and critical thinking. Some of the questions may build off what the students have already learned throughout the unit, and may also lead up to what they will be learning later in the unit.
- “Why do you think people in England needed these natural resources from the Northeast? What uses do you think they have for wood, fish, and furs?”
- Possible Answer: They needed wood to build homes and ships. They used fish for food. They used fur to keep them warm in the winter.
- “What is a colony?” (a settlement that is ruled by a faraway government)
- “Why did Europeans decide to move to the Northeast?”
- Possible Answer: To make money by selling resources, religious freedom
- “Looking at the map, which colonies are the New England Colonies?” (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut) “Which colonies are the Middle Colonies?” (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware) “Which states were the Southern Colonies?” (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia)
- Explain that British colonist lived under two governments: the British government and colonial government. Each government had its own leaders and laws. The British government appointed colonial leaders, while colonist elected others. The British government was more powerful and colonial laws could not conflict with British laws.
- “What is a colonist?” (people living in colonies)
- “What is a port and why it is important?”
- Possible Answer: trading center where goods are put onto and taken off ships. It was important so that goods could be traded from one place to another, allowing people to make money.
- The teacher will answer any questions along the way.
Guided Practice
- Students will begin to create a brochure on one of the 13 colonies. They will choose which colony they want to research.
- Students will visit the colonies section of the website “Social Studies for Kids” (http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies1.htm) and/or Mr. K’s Class Website (http://www.festus.k12.mo.us/webpages/tkrysl/index.cfm?subpage=867804) to obtain research and information on the colony of their choice. The websites provide all the information that the students need to complete their brochure.
- While researching information, students will fill out a worksheet. The answers to the questions on their worksheet will be the information presented on the brochure.
- The teacher will walk around and monitor the progress of students. The teacher will answer any questions the students have and assist when necessary.
Independent Practice
- Students will independently create a brochure. They will use a piece of construction paper and fold it like a trifold. They will use the information on their worksheet to put into their brochure. They will follow a rubric that will explain what goes on each section of the brochure.
Differentiation
- Reading aloud will help all readers, especially struggling readers, because they can follow along and listen to the text
- 21st century learners will benefit from the research aspect of using computers and the Internet.
- Creating a brochure will help bring the information to life for visual learners since they will be able to include pictures and drawings.
- Enriched learners will receive challenging questions during the read aloud.
- The worksheet with questions while doing research will help students know what to look for when completing the brochure. It is essentially a graphic organizer that will help guide them through the websites and find the information that is the most important.
- Students who need extra assistance may receive a more modified test/assessment after the completion of the chapter.
- Students may receive more time to complete the brochure if needed.
- Students with extra needs may work with a partner who chose the same colony to fill out the graphic organizer for the online research. The partners will be beneficial because the student will be paired with another student who they work well with. Students who need extra assistance may be paired with a stronger student who is able to help him or her.
- The teacher will accommodate as needed to the individual needs of each student, especially those with IEPS.
Closure
- Students will complete the final section of the class K-W-L chart for the unit on Northeastern colonies/colonists. Students will receive a red index card. They will write at least two things that they learned about Northeastern colonies/colonist. The information can be anything they learned during this lesson. Students will then share what they have written down to a partner. Then, the class will share as a whole. The students will post their index cards under the “Learned” section of the class K-W-L chart.
Teacher and Student Resources and Evaluation of Resources
- Student Resources: Textbook/copy of text (Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions pages 118-119), Construction paper, markers/crayons/colored pencils, worksheet/rubric, computers (http://www.festus.k12.mo.us/webpages/tkrysl/index.cfm?subpage=867804 and http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies1.htm)
- Teacher Resources:
- KWL bulletin board
- Red index cards
- Computer lab
- "13 Colony Brochure Project 2012-2013." Mr. K's Class. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. <http://www.festus.k12.mo.us/webpages/tkrysl/index.cfm?subpage=867804>.
- "The 13 American Colonies." Social Studies for Kids. <http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies1.htm>.
Evaluation of Teacher Resources Used for Lesson Planning Design
Teacher’s Outline
- KWL: Give out red index cards.
- Students will write at least one thing they already know about colonies in the Northeast
- Students will write at least one thing they want to know about colonies in the Northeast.
- Read aloud the chapter entitled “The Colonies” from "The Northeast" section of the textbook Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions (pages 118-119). The teacher and students will take turns reading paragraphs. The teacher will pause at certain points in the text to ask questions.
- During Reading (p. 118)
- “Why do you think people in England needed these natural resources from the Northeast? What uses do you think they have for wood, fish, and furs?”
- Possible Answer: They needed wood to build homes and ships. They used fish for food. They used fur to keep them warm in the winter.
- After Reading (p. 118)
- “What is a colony?” (a settlement that is ruled by a faraway government)
- “Why did Europeans decide to move to the Northeast?”
- Possible Answer: To make money by selling resources, religious freedom
- “Looking at the map, which colonies are the New England Colonies?” (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut) “Which colonies are the Middle Colonies?” (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware) “Which states were the Southern Colonies?” (Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia)
- During Reading (p. 119)
- Explain that British colonist lived under two governments: the British government and colonial government. Each government had its own leaders and laws. The British government appointed colonial leaders, while colonist elected others. The British government was more powerful and colonial laws could not conflict with British laws.
- After Reading (p. 119)
- “What is a colonist?” (people living in colonies)
- “What is a port and why it is important?”
- Possible Answer: trading center where goods are put onto and taken off ships. It was important so that goods could be traded from one place to another, allowing people to make money.
- Take students to computer lab. Hand out worksheets/rubric. Explain brochure assignment. Have them log onto (http://www.festus.k12.mo.us/webpages/tkrysl/index.cfm?subpage=867804 and http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies1.htm) and answer the questions on the worksheet. When finished, they will make a brochure with the information on the rubric.
- Hand out red index cards. Students will write at least two things they learned on the index card. Post index cards on KWL board.
References
Formative/Summative Assessment of Students
- Formative: Students will be assessed for completing the brochure based on the rubric. Students will be given a rubric for their colony brochures. They will be assessed based on if they met the criteria. The teacher will also formatively assess by walking around and observing to make sure the students are on the right track.
- Summative: At the end of the chapter, students will have a formal assessment or test on what they have learned throughout the chapter. An alternative test may be made for those who need extra assistance.
Technology
Reflection on Planning
The lesson planning process was very tedious. First, I outlined the entire chapter of the textbook. I narrowed it down to a unit within the chapter that I wanted to focus on. I decided to narrow it down to the section on the early history of the Northeast. The sections focused on Native Americans and the colonies. I realized that including both these topics would be a lot of material to fit in a little amount of time, so I broke the topics into two lessons. I decided that the colonies would be my second lesson so that everything would stay in chronological order.
Next, I realized that I wanted to extend the lesson to the entire 13 colonies, and not just the Northeast. Although most of the colonies fall into the Northeast, I wanted the students to realize that learning about all the colonies is important. I wanted the students to realize that there were many similarities and difference between each individual colony. It didn’t make sense to eliminate and not teach certain colonies. Usually, students learn about the colonies all together, which is why I chose to include the ones that were not located in the Northeast.
I had trouble figuring out what I wanted the students to do. I wanted to give them basic information, but didn’t want to lecture them. I felt that the read aloud would incorporate literacy into the classroom. I decided that giving the students a project would be a more hands-on activity that they would enjoy, and be able to learn about the 13 colonies. After doing some research on ideas for a lesson, I came across a picture of a student example for a brochure on a state. I thought that this would be a great idea to use for the colonies. I thought that students could even use the brochure to persuade Europeans to come to their specific colony. I thought that this was a great idea to incorporate literacy into the social studies classroom. I was able to find a rubric for lesson plan similar to the brochure. I adapted and changed some of the ideas to fit this lesson. I was able to find some great children’s websites online, which I incorporated into my lesson.
The lesson plan may potentially be implemented in a fourth grade lesson on the 13 Colonies. The lesson was created to support one unit of the Northeast chapter in the text Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions, but can be adapted to any lesson that involves any of the 13 Colonies. Because the lesson is based off a unit in the textbook, it fits within unit plan. The lesson should go after the lessons on Native Americans, but before the American Revolution, and Declaration of Independence. The unit should go in a chronological order, so the 13 Colonies lessons should towards the beginning or middle of the unit.
Potential challenges in implementation would include schools without computer labs. If this were the case, the material could be printed out, but it takes away from the differentiation toward a 21st century learner.
For future lesson plans, I would like to figure out a better method for the direct instruction besides a read aloud. Incorporating literacy is great, but if there is a way to engage more students, I would be more open to this.
In general, this unit plan should be successful in the classroom. Students would most likely enjoy the project aspect, as they can draw pictures and become creative while making their brochure.