Lesson: Colonial Regions U.S. History September 15 / 16, 2014

Lesson Objective  Objective: Students will analyze the 3 Colonial regions and become experts by synthesizing information and teaching students.  Purpose: To study the colonial regions so that you can better understand the social atmosphere and development of community prior to the American War for Independence.  Standard: Students will compare lifestyles in the New England, Middle, and Southern Colonies according to race, class, and gender by utilizing one of the big 11 social studies skills.  Historical Thinking Skill: Evaluation & Synthesis

Perspectives Re-Cap  Morality:  Good, Bad, and Grey.  What is good, what is bad, and what is grey?  Historical Figures in history make decisions which they think are good. It’s up to us as historians to determine if the decisions they made are good or bad, but until that we (try to) look at things from a neutral, unbiased perspective.  The objective of historians is to look at events, documents, and histories from an UNBIASED point of view.  After we collect facts and have gathered evidence we then make an INTERPRETATION. We can then say what was right or wrong and be biased.  It is okay and is a part of HUMAN NATURE to be biased, but usually after we try and see things from both sides and consider all of the factors, then we can be biased.  Think of us as investigators, detectives, or even (social) scientists.

Warm-up – CNN Student News  Write down facts as you watch the video.  1 point = 1 correctly written fact.  I need to see at least (a minimum of) 5 facts.  Example:  The Sky = This is NOT a fact.  The Sky is Blue = This IS a fact.

Warm-Up: CNN Student News Re-Cap  If you had to make an unpopular decision, knowing that you could face scrutiny and maybe even lose support or friends in the process, how would you respond?

Activity: Lecture – Colonial Regions New England Colonies

Activity: Lecture – Colonial Regions [Cont.]  NEW ENGLAND COLONIES.  The New England Colonies were established by the British along the Atlantic Coast.  The first successful colony in NE was established by the PURITANS which were of the Protestant church. Britain was Anglican, which had severed ties with the Catholic Church. The Protestants, however, were labeled as SEPARATISTS and were persecuted for their beliefs.  The PILGRIMS arrived on the MAYFLOWER. The Pilgrims made an agreement called the MAYFLOWER COMPACT in which the settlers agreed to obey their government’s laws. This agreement would become one of the founding principles for the United States.  The geography of the New England colonies featured long and heavy cold winters, warm/hot summers, and rolling hills and cliffs.

Activity: Lecture – Colonial Regions [Cont.] Middle Colonies

Activity: Lecture – Colonial Regions [Cont.]  MIDDLE COLONIES.  The Middle Colonies were established by the Dutch in  A successful colony in the MC was New Amsterdam, a trading port near the Hudson River. The Dutch established trading connections with Native Americans.  The British took over the Dutch colonies in New Amsterdam was renamed New York.  New York was a PROPRIETARY COLONY; a colony granted by a king or queen to an individual or group who had full governing rights.  New York promoted great DIVERSITY in its colony.  The QUAKERS were members of a Protestant group that suffered persecution in England. Pennsylvania became their HAVEN, a place for different backgrounds to settle.  The geography of the Middle Colonies was often heavily forested, had rich soil, and there were many broad navigable rivers.

Activity: Lecture – Colonial Regions [Cont.] Southern Colonies

Activity: Lecture – Colonial Regions [Cont.]  SOUTHERN COLONIES.  Founded as a safe place for people of the Roman Catholic religion.  The Carolinas were given by the king to a group of noblemen and split into North and South Carolina.  Georgia was a refuge for people who had been jailed in England because they could not pay their debts.  Georgia was rules by TRUSTEES, people who look after a business.  The geography of the Southern Colonies is often flat, rural, humid, with the Appalachian Mountains to the west.

Assignment – Colonial Regions Jigsaw  Your job is to become an “expert” on ONE (1) of the Colonial regions in the Americas. After finding all of the information on your own, you will take your information back to your group and teach them about your region. In turn, each member of your groups will also help you to learn about each of their respective regions.  1. Gather in groups of 3 in the classroom.  2. Select a colonial region from the CLASS-SET to become an “EXPERT” at.  3. Using the CLASS-SET, study your colonial region and write down the information on a separate sheet of paper.  4. Meet with other members of your group and teach them about your region.  5. Write down a 2-4 sentence summary of the other members findings.

Alternate Activity: Draw a Poster Instead  Follow the same directions but construct a poster showing all of the relevant information instead.

Extension Activity: Colonial Region Advertisement  Create a poster of advertisement to promote your chosen Colonial Region to attract more people and colonists to the New World.  Be persuasive and inviting to new people.  Make them want to come to your region and not to others.

Closure  Turn to a neighbor and explain one thing learned today.  Draw a picture of the thing described by the neighbor.