5th Grade Social Studies
13 English Colonies
New England, Middle Atlantic, and Southern
Ryan Francis
In collaboration with
Jennifer Oesterreicher (intern)
Cyndi Goff (Social Studies CT)
Social Studies
13 English Colonies Unit
 Unit Survey & Social Studies Curriculum Analysis
 Unit Topic, Rationale, Goals, Objectives and Standards (Part 1)
 Prior Knowledge & Knowledge Base (Part 2)
 Teacher Knowledge Base and Annotated Bibliography (Part 3)
 Assessment of Prior Knowledge and Interest
 Resources
 Unit Overview (graphic organizer and written overview)
 Lesson Plans and LACP Chart
Unit Survey & Social Studies Curriculum Analysis ** See Last Page for
Chart
Social Studies Unit (Part 1): Topic, Goals, Rationale and
Standards
Unit topic: United States History - Colonization
Unit title: the 13 English Colonies
Purpose and rationale: A statement that justifies what you are teaching and why you are
teaching it. Why does this topic matter? Explain why it matters in terms of its meaning to
students, the value of the subject content, opportunities for inquiry and its importance to the
community and to society.
We are teaching about the 13 colonies because they are a crucial part of the history of this
country. The students will gain an appreciation for the foundation of the country and how life has
changed since that time.
I’m clear on:
 1. What I want the student to know (facts, information, processes, skills)
I want the students to know how to read historical text and process that information in a
meaningful way to them. They will be able to look at a map, understand how to read it,
and make their own map. The students will know the general facts of the 13 colonies,
like who founded them, where they are located, what resources were there, and how they
affected the outcome of America.
 2. What I want the student to understand (big ideas, concepts, principles,
generalizations)
New England Colonies:
-A group of English colonists called the Pilgrims founded Plymouth, Massachusetts and
also the Puritans founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
-The difference between a good and a service.
-Identify the other colonies formed in New England (Rhode Island, Connecticut, New
Hampshire) and what events caused them.
-New England’s economy depended mostly on resources found in the ocean and forests
and using them in the triangular trade.
-How to read, analyze, and interpret a map.
Southern Colonies:
- Explain when and why people colonized Maryland, the Carolinas, and Georgia.
-Describe the achievements of George Calvert, Eliza Lucas Pinckney, and James
Oglethorpe.
-Analyze how people in the Southern Colonies earned a living
-Explain the geographic factors and economic patterns that influenced the development
of plantations in the Southern Colonies
-Analyze and explain the locations of cities in the Southern Colonies, including coastal
towns and county seats
-Explain the geographic factors that influenced the settlement and growth of cities in the
Southern Colonies and the economic patterns of the settlers there.
-How to read, analyze, and interpret a map.
 3. What I want the student to be able to do as a result of this learning experience
I want the students to be able to read for information and pull out the most important parts of
the text. This allows students to be able to do research and learn all on their own.
 4. Assessments: What sorts of evidence will I accept that they have learned 1-3?
What will be selected as the major unit projects and products?
The students will have small assignments throughout the unit that will test their
comprehension of the materials, but there are two major projects. The first major project is their
construction of a map of the 13 colonies. They will be given directions and will use their
textbooks and other resources to make a map of the 13 colonies. Resources, physical
characteristics, important cities, and founders will be on their maps. The second project is to
construct a flipchart comparing two of the three regions. They will compare location,
transportation, physical characteristics, economy, and natural resources.
 5. Scaffolding, sequencing and preparation: What is the sequence of experiences
(lessons) that will propel students from 1 to 4? What will students need to know
to do the major projects and gain the major understandings?
The students will learn all about the three regions of the 13 colonies (New England, Middle
Atlantic, and Southern). Each region will have 4 to 5 lessons before they use that
information and create a map. They will learn how to read text and pull out the major
ideas. Their flipchart is an individual research project that has them synthesize information
and compare two regions at the end of the entire unit. The map will be a continual process
of learning how to read a map and how to make their own map.
Rate Your Unit Topic
(Handout)
Rate each possible unit topic on the following scale: 1 = no, 2 = somewhat/sometimes, 3 = yes
It is worthwhile from the perspective of Students?
_3____ Is the unit topic intrinsically interesting to students and to you, the teacher?
_3____ Does the unit topic offer the opportunity for collaboration?
_3____ Does the unit topic stem from prior understanding and interests?
_3____ Would working on the unit topic help develop of student confidence and
empowerment?
_3_____ Can the topic be related to present-day experiences or events?
It is worthwhile from the perspective of Content?
_3____ Does the unit topic lead students to explore important material/subject matter?
_3____ Is the unit topic central or important to understanding a field?
_2____ Does the unit topic incorporate worthwhile aspects of various subjects?
_3____ Does the unit topic allow you address many content standards?
_3____ Does the unit topic help disclose fundamental patterns?
_3____ Could the unit topic reveal similarities and contrasts?
It is worthwhile from the perspective of Inquiry?
_2_____ Is the unit topic open-ended?
_2_____ Does the unit topic have no absolute yes/no answer?
_3____ Are there opportunities to explore the unit topic through various creative forms
of inquiry, such as different projects and activities?
_3_____ Can the unit topic be approached at several levels of complexity?
_3_____ Can the unit topic provide a basis for progressing to the next level of
understanding?
_3_____ Does anything about the unit topic provoke dialogue?
_3_____ Does it involve perspectives and issues worth discussing or even arguing about?
_3____ Does the unit topic stimulate further curiosity?
It is worthwhile from the perspective of Community and Society?
_3____ Is the unit topic potentially significant to students and social issues regarding
student?
_3____ Is the unit topic related to the real world?
_3____ Can tangible and local resources be used to learn the subject matter?
_2____ Can you explore aspects of your unit topic in a hands on way in your local
community?
_2____ Can you involve experts from the local community?
Develop and Describe 10 Related LACPs
Many students will teach all 10 this semester but some may teach some this next
semester.
We expect that you will teach at least 5 this semester.
Social Studies Unit (Part 2): Prior Knowledge Assessment
Activities to use as a pre-assessment
-Have the students fill out a KWL chart
-Preview the vocabulary for the unit to see what words the students already know
-Look at the maps on page 180-181 and the timeline to get discussion stimulated
-Have a preview of the pictures for the unit
-Share photos and facts from American “Felecity” books
Lesson
We are going to have the students read a journal entry in the Harcourt text on
pages 182-183. Then they will write their own journal entry about coming to the New
World and how they felt on the voyage/when they arrived. This will hopefully spark
some prior knowledge or have them make predictions.
After the unit is over, we will have the students write another journal entry. This
time the students will be able to say what they encountered and what they experienced on
their trip to America. This will be used to see what the students had actually learned or
what they build on of their prior knowledge. It can also be used to see if their
misconceptions were changed. We really hope to see some growth in knowledge and
also in their ability to analyze and interpret historical events.
The explorer unit has just finished. They had a great knowledge base of explorers
and people starting to search around near the “New World.” They got some information
about Jamestown and the Plymouth colonies so they had some small sense of what was
beginning to happen in America. Then we started to introduce the other colonies and told
the kids that the new unit was going to be on colonization. A lot of the kids knew exactly
what we were talking about and seemed interested.
Drawing on their previous knowledge, we asked the students to think of
something they learned that might deal with the 13 colonies. As a hint, we brought up
Jamestown and Plymouth. Then we wrote down all the things the students had to say.
The only real misconceptions that appeared were centered on John Smith and
Pocahontas. Many of them thought John Smith was a really nice man who wouldn’t hurt
the Native Americans, which was not true. Many of the students’ also believed that
Pocahontas married Smith, and were not aware of Rolfe. This gave us something to start
with, making sure we cleared up the misconceptions and began focusing on what things
we needed to clear up for them.
Social Studies Unit (Part 3): Developing a Knowledge Base & Resources
Traveling through a chronological sequence of events in United States history, my focus
of my unit is on the thirteen English colonies. Working with a partner, fellow intern Jennifer
Oesterreicher, we have divided up our tasks. I am concentrating on the New England Colonies,
she is doing the Middle Atlantic Colonies, and they we are doing the Southern Colonies together.
The first thing we did was to sit down and go through all of the resources that our
teacher, Mrs. Goff, had. We flipped through textbooks, activity books, and old materials that she
has used over the years. After getting a general idea of what was in the books we developed our
goals for the lessons. Once we had our goals we went back to the books and looked for materials
that would help us teach those main ideas.
NEW ENGLAND COLONIES
The thirteen English colonies were founded for many different reasons. One of those
reasons was religious freedom. In England, King Henry VIII had thrown out the religion and
developed his own religion all because he wanted a divorce from his wife. The new religion was
the Church of England, and you had to follow that religion or you were going to jail. So a group
of people left England and went to Holland to start a new life. However, their children started to
lose their English culture while living in Holland, so that group of people decided to leave for
America. On a ship called the Mayflower, that group, now referred to as The Pilgrims, set sail for
America and landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
It is important for the students to realize the reasoning for leaving Europe to come to
America. The voyage wasn’t easy. People got sick, food spoiled, and there wasn’t any room to
move. The voyage lasted sixty-six days and resulted in only one person perishing. However, the
Pilgrims landed just before the winter season, so they had little food to eat. During the winter
season, half of those who came would die, but nobody went back to England. Life in America
had much more potential in their eyes than life in Europe.
Another group to come to America were the Puritans. The Puritans didn’t want to change
the religion, rather they wanted to extend it and “purify” it in America. So they set off from
England with a charter, written permission from the king, and landed in the Massachusetts Bay
Colony. Their entire way of life was centered on religion. Everyone was expected to follow the
Puritan beliefs.
When more and more people arrived, more and more problems occurred. Being bossed
by the Puritan leaders, somebody was bound to revolt. That revolt came from Roger Williams.
Roger arrived in Boston, Massachusetts and disliked what was going on. He spoke out against
the leaders, citing that religion should be freely chosen and that the land they were on was stolen
from the Native Americans. Those leaders put Williams on trial and sentenced to exile him back
to England. Before he could be sent back Roger ran away and met some Native Americans how
respected his beliefs. He was then given some land by those Indians, which how Rhode Island
was started.
While Massachusetts was filling up, other colonies started to emerge. Word of Rhode
Island spread, so settlers went there. Massachusetts had poor farm land so others set out to find
better soil. They found that soil in Connecticut, led by Thomas Hooker. New Hampshire and
parts of Maine were also being settled in, forming the New England Colonies. These colonies
were all located along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, provided fishing and transportation. With
a world full of resources, the settlers were able to harvest the goods and trade with England.
Some of the most important resources were fish, whales, furs, and lumber. New England proved
to be a place of rich resources that made life easier on the settlers.
SOUTHERN COLONIES
The Southern Colonies were mainly based on plantation life. Slaves exported from
Africa were used to harvest crops such as tobacco, corn, rice, and wheat. After the planters got
enough food to feed themselves, they took their surplus into port cities to trade or even export out
to England. Southern cities started popping up along the eastern coast. They became hot spots
for trading, social events (like church and dances), for making rules and laws. They were located
along the coast for easy transportation and exportation to England or other colonies. Southern
cities became an important part of life in the south, farmers often making long trips in their finest
clothes to come into town and take care of business.
All of this knowledge based was formed by the texts that I read. Here is a list of the texts
that helped provide me with information about the colonies.
Annotated Bibliography
Berson, M. (2005). Horizons, United States History: Beginnings. Orlando: Harcourt. 5th –7th,
nonfiction textbook.
This is a 600+ page textbook by Harcourt. Unit 3 is the 13 English Colonies, which is broken
into three chapters (New England, Middle Atlantic, Southern). It is a traditional textbook with
big ideas, vocabulary, subheadings, pictures, and timelines. The maps and pictures are a good
visual tool to use with the visual learners. The text does a good job highlighting the important
words and is a systematic way to present the material. The reading level may be too complex for
some kids, but it is a useful tool to use with a read aloud.
Hacker, R. (2005). The Exile of Roger Williams. Orlando: Harcourt Time for Kids.
5th-7th, nonfiction.
A 16-page supplement text to go along with the Harcourt textbook used in class, The Exile of
Roger Williams tells the story of Roger Williams and his eventual founding of Rhode Island. It is
set up like a mini textbook, with pictures/captions, a think and respond section, and “fun facts.”
The overall story is brief and is told from the European viewpoint of being friendly to all Native
Americans and encountering no real conflicts with them. It is very helpful in explaining why
Rhode Island was formed and is a segway to introducing how other colonies were formed in
America.
Hakim, J. ( 1993). A History of US: Making Thirteen Colonies. Oxford: Oxford University
Press. 6th-9th, nonfiction textbook.
This book is over 150 pages long, consisting of 42 chapters that tell a typically different view of
events. It is a perfect source for conflicting views and for personal primary source material. So
many different events in history are discussed, including: Jamestown, the Mayflower, Salem
Witch Trials, Ben Franklin. The text is a little bit too difficult for some students, especially the
ESL students in the class. It will be a good resource for a read aloud session because we have an
entire classroom set.
Kalman, B. (1992). Historical Communities, A Colonial Town: Williamsburg. New York:
Crabtree Publishing Co. 3rd-5th, nonfiction.
The book is 30-pages long with a lot of great pictures about colonial life, focusing on
Williamsburg. Actors pose in a lifelike situation true to the colonial life. One half of the page is
text and the other half of the book are pictures. This book is perfect for the visual learners and is
a quick resource. It is presented in a very factual way, not telling any stories but simply
explaining different aspects. It will help when talking about colonial life and especially during
the development of southern cities.
Social Studies Unit (Part 4): Unit Overview & Lesson Plans
Overview of the Students
I am placed in a fifth grade class in the East Lansing school district. Because we
pair up in fifth grade, I will be teaching the material to two different classes. Both classes
have a similar makeup. They are a diverse group of students, but there is a general
interest in Social Studies, which makes teaching a lot easier. We have a handful of ESL
students who can’t read text above a 2nd or 3rd grade level, so a read aloud and partner
reading will benefit them. We have a handful of students who need constant guidance, so
allowing group work or time to work in class will benefit those kids. A few students
have attention problems, often needed to fidget or move about, so I must think about
allowing them to do this without interrupting the class. One class needs more help with
discussions, so a more teacher guided approach will be used. The final project has been
altered so the needy students have a model to follow and a shorter workload, which will
help them succeed.
Unit Overview
The 13 English Colonies unit will start with the New England Colonies, move to
the Middle Atlantic Colonies, and finish up with the Southern Colonies. During the
process the student will continue to develop a map of the colonies, including cities,
physical features, natural resources, and founders of each colony. The purpose of the unit
is to give the students an understanding of how America was formed and how it has
changed since then.
My five sequential lessons are the first five in the unit. As a model for the rest of
the unit, Jenny will do the five lessons for the Middle Atlantic Colonies, and then we will
split the responsibilities for the last five, each looking similar to the previous region’s
lessons. The students’ prior knowledge is addressed at the beginning of the unit and at
the beginning of each lesson. Because some students are being introduced to this subject
for the first time, we know we have to cover all of the material.
Colonization of America Unit Outline
New England Colonies
Unit Outcomes
1. Explain why the Separatists came to America and settled in the Massachusetts
Bay area
2. Compare and contrast a good and a service by using colonist jobs
3. Identify Massachusetts Bay colonists that formed new colonies and why they did
4. Understand the “triangle trade”
Vocabulary: New England Colonies, Puritan, charter, expel, Roger Williams,
Fundamental Orders, export, import, triangular trade route, industry, good, service
Lesson 1
-Explain why the Pilgrims came to America and settled in the Massachusetts Bay area of
Plymouth?
Materials:
Distribute Colony Unit Folder with Map of New England Colonies
Overhead map of New England Colony
Overhead map of Massachusetts
Overhead of Weather.com report on New England
Making 13 Colonies (class set)
Overhead Picture of John Winthrop
United Streaming Video Clip: Exploring the World: The English Come to America:
Plymouth (10 min)
Procedure:
1. Ask the students what they knew about Jamestown and the first settlers of the
“New World.”
2. Put on the overhead map of the New England Colony. This will be their
introduction to the chapter.
3. Narrow down the colony by putting on the overhead of Massachusetts. Ask the
students what they notice about the position of the cities or the physical features
of the land. (Close to ports for easy transportation) Put up the weather.com data
on the weather, ask how this might affect the colonists (cold winters without
shelter, short growing seasons).
4. Introduce the Pilgrims.
5. Read pages 51-54, The Mayflower: Saints and Strangers from Making 13
Colonies.
6. Discuss that Plymouth was the first colony in Massachusetts. A second set of
people came for a different reason, not to completely separate form the church,
but to make it more ‘pure’. The king, Charles I, gave the Puritans a chart. Led by
John Winthrop (overhead picture) built a village centered around religion
7. Watch a 9-minute video clip on the Pilgrims colonizing Plymouth in the
Massachusetts Bay.
8. End with a discussion of reasons to leave England and why New England was the
place to go.
Assessment:
a. Journal Response: Why did the Pilgrims come to America and settle in
Massachusetts Bay? Do you think you would have joined the Pilgrims on their
voyage to America or stayed in Europe?
Accommodations:
a. Goff- “A” will need to be seated close to the chalkboard or overhead.
Hardcopy pictures of the overheads will help. Enlarged copies of the text
or other sources will be helpful too. Allow ESL students to read in pairs,
preferably with someone capable of the reading to help out.
b. Israel- Allow ESL students to read in pairs, preferably with someone
capable of the reading to help out.
Lesson 2
- Compare and contrast a good and a service by using colonist jobs
Materials:
Goods and Services worksheet
Photocopies of Colonial Craft
Photos of each craft
Construction Paper
Procedure:
1. Start with a discussion of what a good and a service are. (Service= hair salon,
post office, police, lawn cutting. Good= buying a car,
2. Explain the difference between the two and introduce that jobs were different
during the colonial days.
3. Read pages 5 and 6 in Colonial Craft on jobs in the community
4. Group the students into pairs and pass out one photocopied job packet to each
pair. Give them 10 minutes to read/prepare to report to the class what their job is
and draw a picture of it. (Jigsaw)
5. Allow each group to talk about their job. Point out that the jobs are goods that are
produced and explain the services available during colonial life.
6. Pass out Goods and Services ditto. Have the students answer a question on the
backside of the paper.
Assessment:
a. Participation in Jigsaw
b. Goods and Services ditto
c. Written response on back answering: “Compare and contrast what a good and a
service is?” using examples for colonization and present day.
Accommodations:
a. Both classes- Pair up ESL students or those who struggle to get going on
work with a strong partner for the Jigsaw activity.
Lesson 3
-Identify Massachusetts Bay colonists that formed new colonies and why they did.
Materials:
Time for Kids: The Exile of Roger Williams
Chart Paper
Overhead map of New England Colonies
Making 13 Colonies (class set)
Procedures:
1. Restate that the Massachusetts Bay Colony was centered around religion.
Newcomers were expected to follow the beliefs. Ask for a prediction.
2. Introduce Roger Williams.
3. Read Aloud the Time for Kids: The Exile of Roger Williams. Tell the students to
mentally visualize the events and see if the illustrator was close to their image.
4. At the end of the story put up the overhead map of Rhode Island. Show the kids
on the country map that Rhode Island is the smallest state in the US.
5. Introduce Anne Hutchinson and read the story on her in the Time for Kids.
6. Have the students read Connecticut and New Hampshire in Making 13 Colonies
(pair up students who have difficulty reading). While students are reading, setup
a Chart with the columns labeled Colony, Founder, Reason for Founding
(Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire)
7. Call for students to fill in the blanks using previous knowledge and information
that they just read.
8. Have the students reflect on the Roger Williams story and write a paragraph.
Assessment:
1. In a well-written paragraph “Do you agree with the Puritan leaders who expelled
Roger Williams? Why or why not?”
Accommodations:
a. Goff- Hardcopy overhead for “A” and have students pair up that have
difficulty reading.
b. Israel- Have students pair up that have difficulty reading.
Lesson 4
- Understand what the “triangle trade” was.
- Understand why the three regions had to trade.
Materials:
United Streaming clip (5 min) Making 13 colonies: New England Colonies- the economy
of New England and Colonial shipping: the Triangular Trade
Harcourt Textbook Chapter 5
Overhead of triangle trade
Triangle Trade activity worksheets
3 long pieces of string
Worksheet
Procedures:
1. Introduce fishing and whaling using a map, asking why the New England colonies
had this resource. The students have background knowledge of Native American
whaling, so bring up technology changes.
2. Read aloud the chapter 5, lesson 3, trading with the students. Have the students
discuss the map on page 202 on the triangle trade (show overhead).
3. Show the 5 minute clip “Making 13 colonies: New England Colonies- the
economy of New England and Colonial shipping: the Triangular Trade”
4. Introduce or recall terminology of import and export
5. Choose 3 locations of the room to represent the 3 different areas on the trade
route. Place students at each of the locations.
6. Have students each hold a long piece of string making a triangle.
7. Students then hold the slider (each good) at the bottom and move along the yarn
from the country of origin to its destination.
8. Discussion of the triangle trade.
Assessment:
a. Participation in the triangle trade activity
b. Short discussion of why the triangle trade existed
c. Completion of triangle trade worksheet.
Accommodations:
a. Both- for students who have trouble with concentration, select them to be
one of the three destinations, which will give a hands-on job the entire
time.
The Southern Colonies
Section Outcomes:
 Explain when and why people colonized Maryland, the Carolinas, and
Georgia.
 Describe the achievements of George Calvert, Eliza Lucas Pinckney, and
James Oglethorpe.
 Analyze how people in the Southern Colonies earned a living
 Explain the geographic factors that influenced the development of plantations
in the Southern Colonies
 Explain the economic patterns of early European settlers and the plantation
system of the Southern Colonies
 Analyze and explain the locations of cities in the Southern Colonies, including
coastal towns and county seats
 Explain the geographic factors that influenced the settlement and growth of
cities in the Southern Colonies.
 Explain the economic patterns of settlers in the Southern Colonies.
 To Identify the Southern colonies geographically and note the important
natural resources, cities, and rivers.
 Compare and Contrast the different regions of the thirteen colonies by looking
at the 5 themes of geography (Location, Natural Resources and interaction
with the environment, Physical Characteristics, Economy, and Transportation)
Lesson 1
The Southern Colonies
Objectives:
 Explain when and why people colonized Maryland, the Carolinas, and
Georgia.
 Describe the achievements of George Calvert, Eliza Lucas Pinckney, and
James Oglethorpe.
 Analyze how people in the Southern Colonies earned a living
Materials:
United Streaming Video: Making the 13 Colonies: The Southern Colonies
Black line Masters: Pre-Test
Procedure and Assessment:
1
2
3
Hand out the Pre-Test and tell the class that they will need to fill this out while
watching the video on the Southern colonies. Also let them know that if they
listen carefully they will be able to answer each of the questions correctly.
Watch the Movie
Go over the Pre-Test together and depending on time talk more about some of the
questions more specifically.
Lesson 2
Southern Plantations
Objectives:
 Explain the geographic factors that influenced the development of plantations
in the Southern Colonies
 Explain the economic patterns of early European settlers and the plantation
system of the Southern Colonies
Materials:
Harcourt Textbook
Graphic Organizer (Planter, Indentured Slaves, and Slaves)
Procedure:
1 Focus Q: Why were plantations so important to the people of the South?
2
Survey the pictures throughout the lesson and take a few minutes to talk about
them.
Pg. 242-243 Talk about the Southern Plantation layout: How were plantations
self-sufficient?
What kinds of things in this picture look familiar to us, where do we
see structures like this today?
3 Read the lesson as a whole group and let the students read sections of the lesson.
Ask Questions: Why did planters usually sell their crops through brokers?
Why would you want to become an Indentured Servant?
Why did some of the people come to the colonies as indentured
servants?
Why were plantations built in the tidewater?
How were the children of the planters educated? Did they go to
school like you do?
4 Re-Visit the Focus Q and ask the class to answer the question. Record answers
on Chart Paper or the Chalk Board
Assessment:
Have the students fill out the graphic organizers. They will be required to
describe the life of a planter, indentured servant, and a solve on a
Southern plantation. They will need to share as much as they can about the
aspects of each persons life.
Lesson 3
Southern Cities
Objectives:
 Analyze and explain the locations of cities in the Southern Colonies, including
coastal towns and county seats
 Explain the geographic factors that influenced the settlement and growth of
cities in the Southern Colonies.
 Explain the economic patterns of settlers in the Southern Colonies.
Materials:
Harcourt Textbook
Harcourt Activity Book (pg. 70)
Procedure:
1 Focus Q: What characteristics made cities like Charles Town so prosperous and
appealing to people in the colonies.
2 Survey the pictures throughout the lesson and take a few minutes to talk about
them.
Pg. 249 Talk about picture of Charles Town’s Geography: How did cities on this
map benefit from Charles Town?
3 Read the lesson as a whole group and let the students read sections of the lesson
as well.
4 Ask Questions: How did Geography affect these cities?
How did people make a living in these cities?
Why did people in the southern colonies start so many
businesses?
How did Apprentices learn their skills? Do people work as
apprentices today?
5 Re-Visit the Focus Q and ask the class to answer the question. Record answers
on Chart paper or on the Chalk Board.
Assessment:
a. Homework: Activity page 70 in Harcourt Activity Book
Lesson 4
Wrap up of the Southern Colonies and Thirteen Colonies Map
Objectives:
 To Identify the Southern colonies geographically and note the important
natural resources, cities, and rivers.
Materials:
Southern Colonies Map
Cities: Williamsburg, Jamestown, St. Mary’s and Charles Town
Resources: Rice, Indigo, Lumber, Tobacco, Naval Stores, and Corn/Wheat
Rivers and Bodies of Water: Chesapeake Bay, Savannah River, James River
Thirteen Colonies Map
Textbook
Colored Pencils
Overhead of Southern Colonies
Procedure and Assessment:
1
2
3
4
Ask the children to record important things for each colony on the map,
including natural resources, cities, mountains and rivers.
After the map is filled out they will cut it out and paste it onto their large
Thirteen Colonies map.
The students will then glue their completed map to a large piece of
Construction paper to be displayed.
Compare the Different Regions of the Thirteen Colonies Map to one another
and talk about how they are alike and different?
Discuss and record answers as a whole group.
5
Lesson 5
Thirteen Colonies Comparison Project
Objectives:
 Compare and Contrast the different regions of the thirteen colonies by looking
at the 5 themes of geography (Location, Natural Resources and interaction
with the environment, Physical Characteristics, Economy, and Transportation)
Materials:
Prepared Example Chart
Scissors
11x17 piece of Card Stock
Colored Pencils/ Markers
Harcourt Textbook
Procedure and Assessment:
1 Introduce the activity by showing a prepared example comparing the New
England Colonies to the Middle Colonies.
2 I will let them know that they will not be able to do this comparison when they
do their own. They will be able to compare the New England Colonies to the
Southern colonies or the Middle Colonies to the Southern Colonies. They will
also be told that this is worth a test grade, so it is their best work and to be done
individually. When given this assignment they will be given a Grading Rubric
that looks like the following:
Grading Rubric:
_____Tell me about the Natural Resources in the different regions and how the
colonists used them.
_____ Location of your regions: Tell us how this location was important to the
colonists.
_____ Physical Characteristics (mountains, rivers, forests, etc): how were the
colonists of these regions affected by these characteristics?
_____Tell me about the Economy of the two regions, are they quite similar or are
they very different from one another?
_____Transportation: How did the people get from one place to the other?
When the student’s have completed their flip charts they will turn them in to be
graded.
Length
Social Studies
Threads
(1)Pilgrims and Puritans
1 day
x
(2)Service and Good
1.5
days
x
(3)Other New England
Colonies
1 day
x
(4)Triangle Trade
1 day
x
Read, analyze,
create map
(5)New England Map
1 day
x
Introduce life and
reasons of southern
colonies
Geographic and
economic reasons
for plantations
Port cities
developed for
economic reasons
(6)Southern Movie
1 day
x
x
x
(7) Plantation Life
1 day
x
x
(8)Southern Cities
1 day
x
x
Read, analyze,
create map
(9)Southern Map
0.5
days
x
Research and
analyze text
(10) Flip Chart
2-3
days
x
Teaching
Strategies
Economic
Why settled in
America
Good = tangible
Service= work
done for you
Religion caused
new colonies
3 way trade
economy
Learning
Opportunities
Connections Units/Subjects/Topics
Chronological study of United States history. It will
continually incorporate geography, economics, and other
strands of social studies.
Grouping Standards Assessments
Patterns
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
Model/
independe
nt
x
x
x
x
x
x
Lecture &
discussion
Jigsaw of
jobs
Read and
lecture
Hands-on
indep
A pair
teaching
whole class
Whole
class
Whole class
with indep
role
District/Sc
hool
Attitudes/Values: team work, independent work, and the
ability to confidently achieve goals.
Student Prior Knowledge
Explorers, John Smith, Pocahontas, Jamestown and
Plymouth
State
Skills/Processes: reading and analyzing maps and textbooks
for significant historical events.
Unit Length: 1 month
National
Lesson Title
Learning Goals
Knowledge/Content:
English started colonizing America for different reasons
and set up new settlements that contributed to what
America is today
Geographic
LESSONS
Key Concepts
& Big Ideas
Grade Level: 5
Socioc
Global
ultural
Description & Rationale
We are teaching about the 13 colonies
so the students will gain an
appreciation for the foundation of the
country and how life has changed
since that time. Broken into 3
sections (New England, Middle
Atlantic, Southern) and recapped by
comparing the different regions.
Title: the 13 English Colonies
Political
UNIT
Topic: US History- Colonization
Reflection
paper
Participation
in jigsaw
Chart of
founders
Worksheet
indep
Creation of a
map
Movie
with quiz
indep
Quiz after the
movie
x
Read
Whole and
indep
Comparison
worksheet
x
Read and
discussion
Whole
class
Discussion
x
Model/
independent
work
Model/
independent
work
Indep
Creation of a
map
Indep
Research on 5
categories
work
x
x
x
x
x