Colonial Era 9-12
European Settlement of North America to 1775
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Gold, God, and Glory
Leigh Robertson
Description of Lesson: This lesson will explore primary source documents related to the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas. Students will examine the role that religion played in the motivation of the Spanish to explore and conquer the New World as well as how religion shaped the response of the Aztecs to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Students will analyze primary source documents including the account of Bartoleme de Las Casas and the Native American accounts of the arrival of the Spanish. After analyzing the documents, students will take on the role of either a Native American or a conquistador and write an “I AM” poem from his/her point of view. This lesson will focus on religion, and other reasons and motivations for settlement will be covered in subsequent lessons.
Age of Exploration Newscast
Brooke Hazelwood
Description of Lesson: Students will use an analysis of primary and secondary sources to develop a newscast from the point of view of the major historical players during the Age of Exploration. Students will work in small groups to develop a script according to a specialized rubric for a newscast skit depicting past events from the point of view of those who participated in them. Students must include at least 2 facts from primary sources in their presentations.
American Indians and The Lost Colony
Keith Walter
Description of Lesson: Students will brainstorm what the Native American tribes were like when encountered by the English explorers and early colonists, then examine some of John Whites illustrations to see what could be learned of native culture from the images, followed by a discussion and short lecture about the mystery of Roanoke and lastly, student will examine the dare stone and draw their own conclusions about what happened to the “lost colonists”.
The Truth About the First Thanksgiving
Whitney Coonradt
Description of Lesson: Students will read a chapter of Lies My Teacher Told Me about the Pilgrims and analyze the motivations and actions of the Pilgrims through group discussion and a short written response.
Thanksgiving Truths
Leah Ashley
Description of Lesson: Students will evaluate the historical events/timeframe of Thanksgiving. Students will evaluate commonly accepted Thanksgiving story. Students will take notes on short lecture of time period (using blocked notes; 1521-1630). Students will receive excerpt: Truth about Thanksgiving (will read as a class; each student reading 1 paragraph). Students will be placed in groups of 3-4 for discussion/activity.
Life in Colonial America
Whitney Coonradt
Description of Lesson: In small groups students will use the internet to research colonial life for their demographic in their assigned region. Students will then create a short children’s book conveying the information they learned in words and images. Ultimately we will have a “story-time” to share our children’s books with the class.
Colonial Review
Allison Altvater
Description of Lesson:• After reading 1,034 pages of their AP U.S. History textbook, students need a refresher on colonialism, days before the AP US History Exam. A great way to review is to have students create a human timeline. Each student will be assigned two events from the colonial period. They will be responsible for determining the dates and significance of their events. They will also be expected to type their event and details into the class timeline doc for distribution to students at the end of the lesson. The biggest piece of their product is their oral presentation. Students will put themselves in chronological order based on their event and will orally present the significance of their event when their time comes. This brings events to life and allows students to revisit ideas and events from months past. It also provides a tangible documents from which students can review before the exam.
Democracy in the 13 Colonies
Allison Altvater
Description of Lesson: Students will be exposed to the Document Based Question writing process by evaluating primary sources that address the level of democracy present in the thirteen colonies. Students will have to decide what is democratic and not democratic with each source. Then they will begin to form a thesis and outline of their essay, including the sources they would use throughout their essay.
Colonial Society in the 18th Century
Dianne Russell
Description of Lesson: Students will use a prepared PowerPoint to visit informational web sites and complete task associated with the essential question. By the end of the Power Quest students should be able to completely answer the essential question based on the information learned and the evidence compiled by completing the task.
Notable Women that Helped Shape the New World
Kelly Jones
Description of Lesson: The class will research influential women in Colonial America, create posters for a museum walk (with pictures and facts), and write I research papers.
Comparing and Contrasting the New England and Chesapeake Colonies
Leigh Robertson
Description of Lesson: This lesson will require students to examine primary source documents related to the Chesapeake and New England colonies. Students will compare and contrast the colonies in a Venn diagram (double bubble map), noting the motivation of the colonists, the economy, as well as the form of government for each region. After analyzing the documents and completing the double bubble map, students will then have to determine which region they would have settled. They will then write a letter from the perspective of a colonist back to a friend or family member in England discussing what life is like in the colony including the benefits and drawbacks of selecting that region.
Puritans and Salem Witch Trials
Alison Lemanski
Description of Lesson: During this lesson, students watch a brief video clip about the Salem Witch Trials. They will then discuss their prior knowledge about the Puritan Faith and The Salem Witch Trials. Students will use a document analysis sheet to analyze several primary sources. They will use knowledge gained in the sources to assess the relationship between the Puritan faith and the hysteria that occurred at Salem.
Brunswick Town
Brooke Hazelwood
Description of Lesson: Students will complete a web quest prior to their Brunswick Town field trip to give them background information on the historic site. Students will be given a series of web pages and critical thinking questions for each to help them prepare for their experience.
Colonial Involvement in the French and Indian War
Hill Pearsall
Description of Lesson: Students will analyze two letters from George Washington to Lt. Governor Robert Dinwiddie of Virginia and complete research on the Jumonville Affair and the Battle of the Great Meadows. After this, students will discuss issues prompted by the teacher based on those readings and research.
Comparison and Contradictions of Religion in the Colonies
Hill Pearsall
Description of Lesson: Students will analyze various documents (colonial manifests, Sabbath laws, Maryland Toleration Act) and answer provided questions from the teacher. Then students will receive a brief lecture about the colonies. As part of a larger lesson, students will be broken into groups and represent different facets of each colony (North, Middle, South) and present these in the form of a news program. Students may use PowerPoint and create backgrounds like a newscast as they present info. The focus will be on religion in these areas, but will also touch on politics, social issues (which cross over with religion) and economics. Some students may wish to record their skit and present it in class that way.
How did Early Colonial Religious Beliefs Influence the Constitution
Dylan Dimock
Description of Lesson: Students will gain background knowledge on colonial religions such as the Puritans, Quakers, Baptist, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Presbyterian and Anglican. As a result students will have an understanding of their beliefs, settlements, expectations and requirements. They will then examine the connections between their beliefs and settlement patterns with that of the amendment that provides freedom of religion.
Land of the Free
Allison Altvater
Description of Lesson: Students will be broken down into small groups and asked to analyze a specific primary document about religious toleration during the Colonial period. Students must then create a poster that identifies the source, a summary of it and an analysis or conclusion that can be gained from the source. These will be presented to the class and will be used to contribute to answering the essential question. If time allows for it, for extra credit groups can swap primary sources and offer a counter analysis of the evidence that may or may not affect the answer of the essential question.
Quakers' Religious Impact on the U.S. and North Carolina
Jonathan Grubbs
Description of Lesson: Students will discus with a partner the fallowing questions; Is religion separate from our government? Should religion be part of our government, what religion do you think started North Carolinas government? This will then be fallowed by a short class discussion base on the student's answers. Student will read the article, Quakers by L Maren Wood individually and highlight 3 main points. Students will then do a wagon wheel protocol with the reading. Students will go back to their seats and read individually Cary's rebellion, A clash of Religion and Politics by Herbert R. Paschal. Students will highlight 3 main points and go back into a wagon wheel. Students will return back to their seats where they will work with a partner to read, Excerpts, Letter from William Penn to the committee of the Free Society of Traders, 1683. Students will then discuss the reading with their partner and each student will write a paragraph about weather or not they would have come to Pennsylvania after reading this article. Students will repeat this with the reading Travels in Virginia and North Carolina by George Fox. When students get done reading and discussing with their partner, instead of writing about the article the teacher will lead a discussion about the dedication of the Quakers and if they have ever been that dedicated to something. The students will finish the lesson by going back and re-answering the three questions that started the class individually.
The Affects of Puritan Beliefs in the Daily Lives of its Followers
Dianne Russell
Description of Lesson: Religion was a dominant aspect in the colonization of America. A person's faith was essential to their identity, behavior and persona. Religious beliefs shaped societies and provided justification for people's behaviors, decisions and expectations. This lesson will focus on the Puritan religion and its impact on their lives in America.
Slavery and Religious Beliefs
Daniella Stamm
Description of Lesson:
Step 1- Students will have a brief lecture reviewing the origins of slavery in America. The lecture will then shift to the roles African Americans played and the treatment of African Americans in America from the colonial era to the mid-19th century. (Total time 30 minutes)
Step 2- As the lecture concludes ask the students to answer the following questions on a sheet of paper: 1) Why did slavery begin? 2) Why was slavery allowed to continue? 3) How did people feel about slavery? 4) Do you think people's religious beliefs or backgrounds impacted their viewpoint of slavery? 5) List 5 examples of how you think the colonists' religious beliefs could have justified slavery in their minds. (Total time 10 minutes)
Step 3- Once students have answered the above questions. Hold a short class discussion regarding their answers. (Total time 15 minutes)
Step 4- To conclude the class discussion explain to them that they will examine four primary documents that focus on how people in colonial America viewed slavery, justified slavery and how those ideas were passed on to future generations thus allowing slavery to continue and evolve. (Total time 2 minutes)
Step 5- Divide students into groups of two. Handout copies of the five primary documents to each student. Have the students read the documents. Then discuss the meaning of each document with their partner. Finally each student should answer the following questions, on their own sheet of paper, for each document: 1) Who is the author? 2) When was it written? 3) Where was the author from? 4) What is the purpose? 5) What is the message or main idea? 6) What type of person would be most likely to read and support the author's message? 7) What is the author's belief regarding slavery? 8) What impact did his/her religious beliefs have on their decision regarding slavery? Make this a timed activity. (Total time 30 minutes)
Life of an Indentured Servant
Alison Lemanski
Description of Lesson: Students will define the term indentured servitude, examine primary source documents to uncover the role that indentured servitude played in the American colonies, write a letter home from the perspective of an indentured servant and compare and contrast indentured servitude and slavery.
Indentured Servitude to Slavery
Kristen Hewett
Description of Lesson: Utilizing primary and secondary sources, students will analyze the differences between indentured servitude and slavery within colonial America. Students will also trace the events and factors which turned slavery in the colonies into an institution based on racial status.
A Journey Along the Middle Passage
Alison Lemanski
Description of Lesson: Students will discuss the purpose and significance of the Triangular Trade Route, noting the exchanges made between continents at each point along the route. Students will then focus specifically on the experiences of slaves along the middle passage.
The Triangle Trade Route
Jonathan Grubbs
Description of Lesson: Why was the slave trade such a lucrative business? Who was benefiting the most from the slave trade? What reasons might the slave traders use to justify the right to be able to capture and sell humans?
The Atlantic Slave Trade
Matthew Woods
Description of Lesson:
-Open with a bell ringer- define vocabulary for lesson
-PowerPoint lesson- Atlantic Slave trade
-Movie- “Amistad”
-Worksheet- To be completed while watching “Amistad”
Slavery in the Colonies
Whitney Coonradt
Description of Lesson: Students will watch a portion of the PBS film Africans in America and read a few primary documents. The class will then hold a discussion about what they know about slavery, how those images confer or contradict the experiences of the first Africans in the colonies, and ultimately how those experiences change.
Slavery in the Colonial Period and Early American Republic
Keith Walter
Description of Lesson: Students will examine the different roles African Americans played in the colonial and early republic period of America, the effect of the American Revolution had on slavery and how the enslaved viewed slavery. Students will examine a poster, view and respond to a pod cast, examine primary source material and discuss topics that relate to the essential questions above.
Breaking Chians
Brooke Hazelwood
Description of Lesson: Students will complete a brief web-based activity as an introduction to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in order to compare viewpoints presented in a series of primary sources that describe life in Africa, enslavement, and the slave trade. Students will use their interpretations of the documents to create a progression of post cards that describe the historical relationship between the individuals from the reading. Students will also design stamps that pertain to the theme of their card.
Realities of Slavery
Brooke Hazelwood
Description of Lesson: Students will be shown a series of images depicting slavery from the Granger Collection and they will analyze the image by responding to questions associated with each. Students will then use their reactions while working in groups to develop a thinking map, tree map or multi-flow map, illustrating realities of slave life. Groups will then present their findings to the class.
Early Slave Narratives
Leigh Robertson
Description of Lesson: This lesson will require students to examine primary source documents related to the experience of slaves during the colonial and Federalist periods. Students will divide into small groups with each group having a different slave narrative. The groups will analyze the narratives using the APPARTS strategy and then create a storyboard for their narrative including a description of the document, significance, visual representation and a question for the other groups to answer. Students will then “visit” each storyboard and answer the questions.
Ingredients to Our Melting Pot
Allison Altvater
Description of Lesson: Students will use prior knowledge from last night's reading, and a brief introduction to colonial diversity using primary sources to form a foundation for understanding the ethnic make-up of early America. Students will then choose one group to research and provide a fact sheet of their group and a summary of their contributions to American culture and society.
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