What do we know about the
colonists of the 1700s?
We know…

A Colonist’s Responsibility

 To me, RESPONSIBLE means…
 Colonists were RESPONSIBLE for…
Colonists at Work

 If you were a colonist, these are some jobs you might
do.






Teachers
Barbers
Printers
Blacksmiths
Shipbuilders
Tanners
Teachers taught
school and also
helped dig graves.
Shipbuilders were
good carpenters
who built ships .
Barbers cut hair
and worked as
dentists and
doctors.
Blacksmiths made
things out of iron,
like horseshoes.
Printers printed
newspapers, book,
and pamphlets.
Tanners turned
animal skin into
leather.
Your Responsibility…

 What would it be like to have been born at a different time? Or as another
person?
 Our class is going to travel back to Colonial Days.
 You will each choose to become either a man, a woman, or a child from colonial
times.
 You will chooses a job or trade.
 You will bring your character to life as you pretend to live as a colonial.
 Your colonial life will be recorded and documented in a three day journal,
which you will present at the end of this project.
Your Colonial Journal

 You will write 3 journal entries (2 paragraph minimum – 5 to 6 sentences each).
 These journal entries should tell about your trade and describe your family,
shelter, furnishings, clothing, education, food, chores, and/or recreation
common to your colonial character.
 The journal entries can be consecutive daily entries or they can be selected from
several weeks or months.
 Try to express the thoughts and feelings of your character as he/she goes about
daily life in the colony. Some ideas to include are…
 daily schedule/routines
 work details
 free time activities
 And your journal MUST be authentic to the time period – BE CREATIVE!
Your Journal Format

 Cover Page
 Picture
 Your Colonial Name
 Page 1: Introduction
Your Colonial Name
Your Family Background
Your Occupation
Your Age
Your Educational
Background
 Your Colony (One of the
13 colonies)





 Journal Entry #1
 Your voyage to the colony.




Accommodations
Food
Weather
Your Feelings
 Journal Entry #2
 Your arrival to the colony




Land
Resources
People
Your Feelings
 Journal Entry #3
 Your Daily Routines





Your Family
Food
Clothing
Your Job/Trade
Free Time Activities
Steps to take Today…

 First, choose your colonial character.
 Man, Woman, or Child?
 Teacher, Barber, Printer, Shipbuilder, Blacksmith, or Tanner?
 Second, research your character using the websites below:
 Aunt Abigail's Cookbook
Colonial Children
The History of the 13 Original Colonies
Everyday Life in Colonial America
Great Colonial Game Book
People of Williamsburg
Religion in Early Virginia
Trades of Colonial Times
 Third, brainstorm your ideas and fill in your Colonial Character graphic
organizer.