The Thirteen Colonies:
A Webquest
Adapted from colonial WebQuests by
Teri Beckner and Kristen Robertson, and Grace A. Bunya
For Mrs. Labunski’s GATE 10 Fifth Grade Class
Introduction
Your expertise is needed immediately! We need three historians to
report on the 13 original colonies. The information you provide will
be used to teach others about colonial times. Through researching
the colonization of America, you will discover the similarities and
differences of the Southern, Middle and New England Colonies. For
each region you will uncover the hardships that the settlers faced
while creating a new life that was accepting of everyone. You will
discover the challenges they faced territorial, differences and
similarities, religious factors, and slavery issues.
After analyzing your findings, your team will create a multimedia
presentation and a timeline to illustrate the colonization period.
The Task
The task is to identify and make discoveries of the 13 original
colonies. You will uncover this information through research. Your
final report will include:
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Identification of the 13 original colonies
Founders of each colony and the year it was founded
Descriptions of why colonies were founded
Key founding fathers
Geographical characteristics of each colony
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Role of religious development
Attitude toward slavery
Economic conditions (What was the main way to make a living?)
Multimedia presentation
A timeline of the regions
The Process
1.
The three experts on your team will be divided into three
regions. Each person must choose a region.
2. Each expert must take notes using their Information Sheet
for their region.
3. Using the information sheet answer the questions below for
your area of expertise.
List the colonies in your region, date colony was
founded, and explain who founded the colony.
Colonies
13 Colonies
Founding the American Colonies
http://www.wintektx.com/freeman/13colonies.htm
Map
The 13 Colonies
Click on a colony to learn more about it.
Characteristics
http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13coloni
es2.htm
Charter and documents
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/states/statech.htm
Founding the American Colonies
http://www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html
Colonial Timeline
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/colonial/
Description of why these colonies were founded.
American Colonies
http://www.east-buc.k12.ia.us/00_01/CA/home.htm
List three geographical characteristics of each colony.
Southern Colonies
General
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_S_Colonies
.html
South Colonies Chart
http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blcolonial13.htm
Geography and Natural Resources
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/OakViewES/harris/9798/america/colonization/colonies-so/geography.html
http://www2.una.edu/geography/institute/teachers_webs/ang_pat/
southern.html
Food
http://www.scarborough.k12.me.us/wis/teachers/dtewhey/webques
t/colonial/food.htm
Middle Colonies
General
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_Mid_Coloni
es.html
Middle Colonies Chart
http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blcolonial13.htm
Middle Colonies - Geography and Natural Resources
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/OakViewES/harris/9798/america/colonization/colonies-middle/geography.html
http://www2.una.edu/geography/institute/teachers_webs/ang_pat/
middle.html
Food
Food in the 13 American Colonies
The American colonists got their food
from several places. The modern
supermarket that we know today, where you can get all kinds
of food, was not an option back then.
People who lived on the Atlantic coast often caught fish and
whales. They sold fish and whale blubber at fish markets,
which were usually down by the docks.
Farmers who grew wheat, barley, corn,
tobacco, or rice hauled their crops to a
town market, where the crops were sold to
people in that town or to traders who would
ship the goods to other colonies. (These
traders would send the goods by boat, on
rivers or along the ocean coast, or on
wagons.)
More of this Feature
• Farming in the 13 Colonies
• Religion in the 13 Colonies
• Parks in the 13 Colonies
• Education in the 13
Colonies
On This Site
• The 13 American Colonies
• Clickable map of the 13
Colonies with descriptions of
each colony
• American History Glossary
• The First European
Settlements in America
• Colonial Times
Elsewhere on the Web
• 13 Originals
• American Memory:
Colonial America
A great many American colonists also took care of their own
food needs. It was not uncommon for a farm family to have
crops growing near the ocean while chickens, pigs, and cows were grazing nearby
and for that same family to fish for clams and other fish down at the oceanside. This
way, the family wouldn't have to buy food from anyone else. They might have apple
trees and rows of corn and wheat. They might turn that corn into cornbread or
cornmeal mush. They might turn that wheat into flour themselves and use it to bake
bread. They might also hunt wild animals, like deer, rabbits, and turkeys.
The farms of the 13 Colonies took up a much larger amount of the total land
available than do farms today. Still, farming is very much a way of life for many
people today, just as it was for the American colonists.
http://www.scarborough.k12.me.us/wis/teachers/dtewhey/webques
t/colonial/food.htm
New England Colonies
General
http://www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Colonization_NE_Coloni
es.html
New England Colonies - Chart
http://americanhistory.about.com/library/charts/blcolonial13.htm
New England - Geography and Natural Resources
http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/OakViewES/harris/9798/america/colonization/colonies-ne/geography.html
http://www2.una.edu/geography/institute/teachers_webs/ang_pat/
newengland.html
Food
http://www.scarborough.k12.me.us/wis/teachers/dtewhey/webques
t/colonial/food.htm
What role did religion play in the development of your
region?
Virtual Religion Index
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/religion/religionrev.cfm
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/religion/religionhdr.cfm
Religion and the Church in the 13 American Colonies
The American colonies had houses of worship, but what the
people learned in those church services depended on where
they lived.
Most New Englanders went for church services to the
meetinghouse, where they often for other things as well.
The meetinghouse was a large building in the center of a town
area and was used for town meetings as well as religious
services.
Inside the meetinghouse were hard wooden benches. People
sat on these benches for most of the day because that's how
long the church services usually lasted.
People who lived in the Middle and Southern colonies went to
more familiar-looking churches. They, too, would sit in church
for most of the day. Back then, going to church was a very
important affair, and people believed that it should be an allday event.
More of this Feature
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School in the 13 Colonies
Farming in the 13 Colonies
Food in the 13 Colonies
Parks in the 13 Colonies
On This Site
• The 13 American Colonies
• Clickable map of the 13
Colonies with descriptions of
each colony
• American History Glossary
• The First European
Settlements in America
• Colonial Times
Elsewhere on the Web
• 13 Originals
• American Memory:
Colonial America
What people believed depended on where they lived:
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The New England colonists were largely Puritans, who led very strict lives.
The Middle colonists were a mixture of religions, including Quakers (led by
William Penn), Catholics, Lutherans, Jews, and others.
The Southern colonists had a mixture of religions as well, including Baptists
and Anglicans.
In the 18th Century, the Great Awakening swept the colonies. This was a movement
to refocus people's thoughts and minds on the church and religion. Famous
preachers like George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards brought many people into
church.
Describe slavery in your region or the attitude
towards slavery.
Slavery
http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/african/aaintro.cfm/
http://www.history.org/Almanack/people/african/aahdr.cfm
http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/slave.html
Once the Information Sheet has been completed, all 3 experts will
come together to share findings. Each team member needs to share
his information with the other members. After discussing the
information, determine the similarities and difference discovered
between the regions. Create a multimedia presentation using
PowerPoint. Your discoveries must include a minimum of 10 slides
ranging for a duration of 3-5 minutes. The presentation MUST be a
collaborative effort.
Use the topics below as a guide for each of your slides:
Title Page
Introduction (description of why these colonies were founded
who settled there and why)
List the colonies in your region, date colony was founded, and
explain who founded the colony.
Geographic Characteristics (colonies, cities, rivers, etc.
Include a map)
Key founding fathers (why notable)
Daily life (Roles of men, women and children, food, shelter,
songs, games etc.)
Role religion played in the development of your region
Economic conditions (trades & farming & manufacturing)
Attitudes toward slavery
Credits including URLs of informational sites, image sites, and
textbook references
4. Develop a pictorial timeline for Colonial America. Work
together as a group to complete the timeline.
Construct a pictorial timeline for the colonization of the colonies.
Upon completion of your timeline, hang it in the hall to share your
discoveries.
Other Sources of Information
http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/Colonial.ht
ml
http://www.benjaminschool.com/lower/hagy1/thirteen_colonies.htm
Basic Information
http://www.people.memphis.edu/~kenichls/13Colonies.htm
Education
Education in the 13 American Colonies
More of this Feature
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Farming in the 13 Colonies
Religion in the 13 Colonies
Food in the 13 Colonies
Parks in the 13 Colonies
If you were a school-age person in colonial
America, you might have gone to a public
or private school, just like you would today. But what you
learned and how you learned it have changed through the
years.
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On This Site
• The 13 American Colonies
• Clickable map of the 13
Colonies with descriptions of
each colony
• American History Glossary
• The First European
Settlements in America
• Colonial Times
In the New England colonies, parents believed that
their children should learn about Christianity. To that
end, parents taught their children to read so they could
read the Bible. And once those kids knew how to read, Elsewhere on the Web
they could read school books as well. New England
• 13 Originals
villages having more than 100 families set up
• American Memory:
grammar schools, which taught boys Latin and math Colonial America
and other subjects needed to get into college. And
although girls could read, they weren't allowed to go to grammar school or to
college.
Middle Colonies schools were also largely religious but taught the teachings of
one religion. If you were a Catholic, you learned about the Catholic religion.
Most schools were private. Students also learned other subjects so they could
get into college. Again, girls weren't allowed to attend, unless they were
Quakers.
School-age kids in the Southern Colonies were taught at home, for the most
part, by their parents or by private tutors. When these kids became
teenagers, they would then go off to college or to Europe. As in the other
colonies, Southern girls did not go to school.
Schools were generally small, not like the large ones many kids go to today. Kids
learned to read from special books called hornbooks.
Kids in colonial America were taught a trade, usually the one their fathers did, so
they could continue the family business when their fathers retired. Often, kids would
go to school and learn a trade.
African American Experience
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/Af_Amer/aalife.cfm
Women
http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/projects/discrimination/Women/special/coloniala.ht
ml
http://www.webconnections.com/MES5th/ColonialWomen_B4.htm
Colonial Life
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/life.cfm
Colonial Occupations and Trades
http://www.apva.org/history/orig.html
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/occupation.html
http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/trades/tradehdr.cfm
Tons of sites
http://www.websterschools.org/classrooms/state_library/colonies.html
http://www.dasd-ew.org/history.htm
Biographies of Colonist
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/Around_the_World/Countries/United_States
/History/Colonial_Life__1585_1783_/Biographies/
Medicine
http://www.history.org/history/teaching/medicine.cfm
Diseases
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~sam/disease.html
Other Resources
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/colonial.htm
Games
http://www.congressforkids.net/games/thirteencolonies/2_thirteencolonies
.htm
Evaluation
Your team will be given two grades for this project. One grade will
be an individual grade for the regional research as recorded in your
notes. The notes must be approved as being complete and turned in
on time.
The second will be a combined group grade for the PowerPoint and
timeline. A rubric follows on the next page identifying the
evaluation criteria.
Group PowerPoint/Timeline Presentation Rubric
Southern Expert
Middle Expert
New England Expert
ORAL
PRESENTATION
Timeline
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Beginning
Developing
Accomplished
Exemplary
1 point
2 points
3 points
4 points
One main speaker;
little participation
from other group
members
Most group
members
participate
All group
members have
significant
participation
Well-balanced
participation by
all group
members
Minimal background
pertaining to group
point-of-view
presented
Some background
given but
significant pieces
missing
Background
adequate but
lacks flow
In-depth
background
information
No
recommendation,
or no evidence
given
No consensus
among group
members, or no
explanation given
for group
recommendation
Recommendation
given, but not
fully supported
by evidence
Recommendation
given, evidence
well-chosen,
explanation
thorough
No consideration
of another pointof-view
Response shows
lack of
understanding
Adequate
response given
Response to
another pointof-view shows
insight
Inaccurate
information given
Most information
accurate
Information
accurate
Accurate, indepth information
enhances
presentation
Very weak visual
component
Some pictures or
diagrams, but
poorly planned
Adequate visuals,
but not very
interesting
Visually
attractive, i.e.
includes colorful
pictures or
diagrams, uses
space well
TOTAL:
Score