Social Studies Unit 1: History
3.H.2 Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events, people and places.
HISTORY
The overall intent of this unit is that students will gain not only an understanding of how our country began, but also an appreciation of the
challenges met by colonists, additionally, students will gain an admiration for the Native American culture that was present when the colonists
arrived. Students will come to the knowledge how the Native Americas contributed to the success of the colonists. These goals will be met by
providing students with a variety of activities with which they can make personal connection.
The First English Settlements in America
Suggested Read Alouds:
Standards
Essential
Questions
Activities
3.H.2.1
Explain change over time
through historical
narratives. (events,
people and places)
What do you know
about the first English
Settlements in
America?
Students will first brainstorm all of the things known about early
American settlers and New England. (Handout 3.H.2-1)
3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
Why were the English
interested in starting a
colony in America?
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


What contributions did
the Native Americans
make towards helping
Handout 3.H.2.1-1
What do you know about Thanksgiving?
The Pilgrims Voyage to Freedom
The Need for Freedom
The New World
Students will create a timeline that contains significant events.
3.H.1.2 Analyze the
impact of contributions
made by diverse

What do you know about Pilgrims?
What do you know about Native Americans?
What do you know about the Mayflower?
Keep this brainstorm and see what students can add to it at the
end of this unit.
Read aloud from the selected list or other historical narratives.
Use “The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint.


Resources
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint.
Native American Contributions
 Contributions

“The First English Settlements in
America” PowerPoint.
 Transcripts
 Timeline template (Handout
3.H.1.1-1)
 Timeline answer key
 Virtual Field Trip with Timeline
http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_
thanksgiving/resources/
 Native American Heritage Web
Hunt
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/ar
historical figures in local
communities and regions
over time.
English settlements
become self-sufficient?
3.H.2.2 Explain how
multiple perspectives are
portrayed through
historical narratives.
Why did the English
colony on Roanoke
Island become known
as the Lost Colony?
3.H.2.2 Explain how
multiple perspectives are
portrayed through
historical narratives.
What were the sources
of conflict between the
settlers?
 Ecology
 Foods
 Games
 US Government
 Words
 Sign Language
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint.
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
 The Beginning
 The Second Voyage
In pairs, students will complete the activity “Breaking News”.
ticle/web-hunt-native-americanheritage
 American Indians Historical
Narrative
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/ar
ticle/american-indians
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Thirteen American Colonies
 Coming to America


The Lost Colony of Roanoke video
(8:40)
http://bit.ly/Mtxt1t

Handout: Breaking News: Entire
Colony Disappeared!
(Handout-3.H.2.2-1)
Interactive Link “The French and
Indian War”
http://www.ncdcr.gov/FrenchandIndia
nWarInteractive.aspx
Additional resourceshttp://americanhistory.pppst.com/fren
ch-and-indian-war.html
3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
Why were the English
interested in starting a
colony in America?
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Thirteen American Colonies
 Characteristics of the Colonies

Graphic Organizer (Handout
3.H.1.3-1)
3.H.1.3 Exemplify the
ideas that were
significant in the
development of local
communities and regions.
Analyze the root causes “The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
and effects of the
The Thirteen American Colonies
Intolerable Acts.
 Beliefs and Revolution

Liberty`s Kids: #02 "The Intolerable
Acts" (1/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fALa2zjlSN0

Liberty`s Kids: #02 "The Intolerable
Acts" (2/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs86WYACbr8&fe
ature=related

Liberty`s Kids: #06 "The Shot Heard
Round the World" (1/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLLg7l_rSuY&feat
ure=watch_response

Liberty`s Kids: #06 "The Shot Heard
Round the World" (2/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfxrNXOZsYk&fea
ture=related
The American Revolutionary War – Keeping Independence
Suggested Read Alouds:
Standards
Essential
Questions
Activities
Resources
3.H.1.3 Exemplify the
ideas that were
significant in the
development of local
communities and regions.
Identify causes of the
Revolutionary War.
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The American Revolutionary War-Keeping Independence
 The American Independent Spirit

3.H.1.3 Exemplify the
ideas that were
significant in the
development of local
communities and regions.
Describe Paul Revere’s
role in the
Revolutionary War.
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The American Revolutionary War-Keeping Independence
 They Got What They Wanted
3.H.1.3 Exemplify the
ideas that were
significant in the
development of local
communities and regions.
Describe the outcome
of the Revolutionary
War.
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The American Revolutionary War-Keeping Independence
 The End and the Beginning
Liberty`s Kids: #01 “The Boston Tea
Party" (1/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJFWHN3ljI
 Liberty`s Kids: #02 "The Boston Tea
Party" (2/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk
NObgK43Z4&feature=related
 Liberty`s Kids: #05 “Midnight Ride"
(1/3) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na
3pq9wqJlA
 Liberty`s Kids: #05 “Midnight Ride"
(2/3) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5
GkpQArxRg&feature=related
 Liberty`s Kids: #13 “The Fourth of
July" (1/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo
FnFwQVRTU
 Liberty`s Kids: #13 “The Fourth of
July" (2/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1S
Jcu2G6J0&feature=related

Liberty`s Kids: #24 “Valley Forge"
(1/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92
KZNSt5j2U&feature=related

Liberty`s Kids: #24 “Valley Forge"
(2/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ
VGPyr_5QI&feature=related
The Making of the Constitution
Suggested Read Alouds:
 Mr. Grumpy’s Outing by John Burningham
 Shh! We’re Writing the Constitiution by Jean Fritz
Standards
Essential
Questions
Activities
Resources
3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
What was the purpose
of the Constitution?
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Making of the Constitution
 Problems with the Articles

3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
How did the outcomes
of the Constitutional
Convention shape our
current government?
3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
What was the effect of
the Great
Compromise?
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Making of the Constitution
 The Great Compromise
3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
3.H.1.1 Explain key
historical events that
occurred in the local
community and regions
over time.
Explain how the role as
President is different
from the role as King?
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Making of the Constitution
 The Presidency
How does the
Constitution protect
the rights of the
people?
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Making of the Constitution
 The New National Government
 The Bill of Rights
At the conclusion of the lesson, students should be able to
1. explain the purpose of the Preamble to the Constitution
2. explain what some of the key phrases in the Preamble mean
“The First English Settlements in America” PowerPoint
The Making of the Constitution
 The Constitutional Convention
What Basic Ideas are in the
Preamble?
http://www.civiced.org/index.php?pag
e=elementary_school

The Constitution, the Country’s
Rules
http://new.civiced.org/resources/curric
ulum/constitution-day-and-citizenshipday

Liberty`s Kids: #26 “Honor and
Compromise" (1/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA
41Q9Su1XI
 Liberty`s Kids: #26 “Honor and
Compromise" (2/2) (10:51)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijPS
BAtO_ZQ&feature=related
Name _________________________________________________________ Date ________________________________ Handout 3.H.2-1
Pilgrims
Native Americans
Mayflower
Thanksgiving
Name _________________________________________________________ Date _______________________________ Handout 3.H.2-2
Time Line
Write dates for each event in time order from left to right. Add details along the line.
Name _________________________________________________________ Date _______________________________ Handout 3.H.2.2-1
One morning, you turn on the TV and see a special breaking news report. You see the following headline:
Entire Community
DISAPPEARS!
View the following websites for background information on “The Lost Colony.”

http://www.nationalcenter.org/ColonyofRoanoke.html

Additional Web Resources:
History Channel In Search of History
History Channel Mystery at Roanoke
NPS The John White Colony
NPS Search for the Lost Colony
National Geographic: America’s Lost Colony
First Colony Foundation
If you had lived in 1590 (and if they had TVs back
then), you might have seen this headline. The Colony
of Roanoke was the first English settlement in what
would become the United States. When John White,
one of the original settlers, came back to Roanoke
after leaving for supplies, he found that the entire
colony had disappeared, including his daughter and
granddaughter (the first person of English ancestry
born in North America).
Your mission is to find information about this “Lost
Colony” and make a conclusion as to what really
happened to this community.
Theory 1: The people of Roanoke simply left the settlement.
This is one of the more probable theories. It is said that they have supposedly left Roanoke Island and started
settling in the Chesapeake Bay. And that they built rafts or a boat of some sort using materials torn apart from
their houses. Close to twenty years had passed before John Smith and his group started the well-known
settlement of Jamestown (where the popular story of Pocahontas takes place). This settlement was near the
Chesapeake Bay. The evidence in this tale is that the ruler of the natives did indeed admit to killing the colonists.
They said that they had been in their land (Chesapeake Bay area) and were then annihilated to prevent more
English settlers from stealing their land.
Theory 2: The people of Roanoke decided to leave Roanoke Island to live with the
Natives.
This theory is definitely probable. Croatoan, which was carved on the post, was the name of an island in the area.
It was also the name of the group of the kind natives that inhabited it. It is possible that they colonists decided to
live with the natives of Croatoan. Though there has not been a descent amount of evidence to prove this theory,
there also has been no evidence against it.
Theory 3: The colonists were killed by the Native Americans.
This is the most probable of all the theories. One important fact supports this theory. As one may not know, the
English men had before tried to start the colony of Roanoke before. It was a group of fifteen men. A little over a
year had passed since they first started the colony, before explorers decided to check up on their hopeful progress.
What these explorers found was one dead body. It was verified that it was the work of the Natives. From this past
event we know that the Natives were capable of such atrocities and also capable of hiding the bodies. What’s
interesting is that the Natives pulled all of that off in between less than a two year period. While the “lost colony”
had been deprived of its leader for a number of three years. The “Indians” had a sufficient amount of time to tear
down the buildings too. However there has still not been enough evidence to verify this theory.
Name _________________________________________________________ Date _______________________________ Handout 3.H.1.3-1
New England Colonies
Middle Colonies
Southern Colonies
ANSWERS
Name _________________________________________________________ Date _______________________________ Handout 3.H.1.3-1
New England Colonies
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Rhode Island
Connecticut
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
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Middle Colonies
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Delaware
Pennsylvania
New York
New Jersey
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Southern Colonies
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Maryland
Virginia
North Carolina
South Carolina
Georgia
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The people who settled in the New England
Colonies wanted to keep their family unit
together
They also wanted to practice their own religion
They were used to doing many things
themselves and not depending on other people
for much.
Some of these people came to New England to
make money, but they were not the majority.
The people who founded the Middle Colonies
were looking to practice their own religion
(Pennsylvania mainly)
They also came to make money.
Many of these people didn't bring their families
with them from England
They were the perfect workers for the hard
work required in ironworks and shipyards.
The founders of the Southern Colonies were,
for the most part, out to make money.
They brought their families, as did the New
England colonists.
They kept their families together on the
plantations.
But their main motivation was to make the
good money that was available in the new
American market.
Who determines the rules of your classroom?
Would it be better if the students made the rules?
What about a balance between matters the teacher resolves and those students resolve?
Did you consider the possibility of deciding together?
Draw up one or more proposals about changes you would like to see