Grade 5: Unit 5
Content
Claims
Unit Connection
This instructional task engages students in content related to the following grade-level expectations:

5.1.4
1 Produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences by: o conducting historical research o evaluating a broad variety of primary and secondary sources o comparing and contrasting varied points of view o determining the meaning of words and phrases from historical texts o using technology to research, produce, or publish a written product

5.4.3 Analyze maps from the Age of Exploration to 1763

5.5.1 Describe ways in which location and environment influenced the settlements and land use in colonial America
 5.5.2 Identify natural resources used by people of colonial America and describe the impact of human action on the physical environment

5.9.1 Describe trade between the American, Western Europe, and Western Africa during the colonial period
In this instructional task, students develop and express claims through discussions and writing which examine how the thirteen colonies developed economically over time and the role geography and trade played in this development.
This instructional task helps students explore and develop claims around the content from unit 5:

How did the different colonies interact with indigenous peoples, one another, and the Atlantic
World? (5.3.1-2, 5.8.1, 5.9.1)
Supporting Question 1 Supporting Question 2 Supporting Question 3 Supporting Question 4
How did geography cause the different colonies to develop economically?
Formative
Performance Task
Students will explore farming in the colonies and create a product map.
Why was tobacco a cash crop, and how did it impact the colonists in the region?
Formative
Performance Task
Students will examine why tobacco was a cash crop and how it affected the colonists in the region.
Featured Source
What was life like on a plantation?
Formative
Performance Task
Students will analyze a runaway slave ad to make inferences about life on a plantation.
Featured Source
How did the thirteen colonies interact with the
Atlantic world?
Formative
Performance Task
Students will examine triangular trade routes to determine how trade helped the colonies.
Featured Source Featured Source
Source A: “ Farming in the
13 American Colonies ,”
Social Studies for Kids
Source B: “ Thirteen
Colonies Historical Map ,”
University of Texas
Source C: “ Tobacco and the
Economy ,” UMBC Center for History Education
Source D: “ Ad for a
Runaway Slave – April
1766 ,” UMBC Center for
History Education
Source E: “ The Triangular
Trade ,” National Archives
(UK)
Summative
Performance Task
Using the sources and your knowledge of history, explain how the thirteen colonies were able to produce a wide variety of goods and develop trade routes. Be sure to include the roles that both
England and Africa played in the development and growth of the thirteen colonies.
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1 This GLE contains multiple parts, which should be taught over the course of several units in grade 5. The GLE requires students to “produce clear and coherent writing for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.” The parts of this GLE addressed in the task are the first, second and fourth bullets.
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Grade 5: Unit 5
Supporting Question How did geography cause the different colonies to develop economically?
Formative
Performance Task
Students will explore farming in the colonies and create a product map.
Featured Source
Content and Claims
Source A: “ Farming in the 13 American Colonies ,” Social Studies for Kids
Source B: “ Thirteen Colonies Historical Map ,” University of Texas
In this task, students will describe ways in which location and environment influenced the settlements and land use in colonial America by creating a product map of the colonies to show the areas each crop was grown. (5.5.1, 5.4.3, 5.9.2)
Featured Source
Steps
1.
Read aloud and project Source A: Farming in the Thirteen American Colonies on the board and provide students with a copy of Source B: Thirteen Colonies Historical Map .
2.
Using the text and map, have students read the text to make conclusions about the various crops that were grown in the various regions.
3.
Direct students to take notes about the information that can be used to create a product map of the thirteen colonies.
4.
Ask students to create a map key for the map which includes all crops described in the text.
5.
Then, on the projected version of the map, ask students to add a symbol for each crop in the location that the crop is grown.
6.
Once the class product map is completed, have students work in collaborative groups to discuss the map. Possible guiding questions:

How might these crops have contributed economically to each colony?

What impact did geography or climate contribute to the growth of each crop?
7.
Listen to groups as they are working to ensure they are answering the questions correctly.
8.
Have students record the class map in their notes for later tasks.
Student Look-Fors
1.
Student should label the following crops in the following locations:

New England Colonies: fish

Middle Colonies: wheat, barley, oats, rye, corn

New England Colonies: tobacco, indigo, rice
2.
Student responses to discussion questions may include:

Economic contributions
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Grade 5: Unit 5 o The New England Colonies might have sold or traded fish. o The Middle Colonies might have sold or traded wheat, barley, oats, rye, and corn. o The Southern Colonies might have sold or traded tobacco, indigo, and rice.

Geographic or climate contributors o New England Colonies had harsh winters and unfertile/rocky soil. o Middle Colonies had a moderate climate and fertile soil. o Southern Colonies had a warmer climate and more fertile soil.
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Grade 5: Unit 5
Supporting Question
Formative
Performance Task
Featured Sources
Content and Claims
Why was tobacco a cash crop, and how did it impact the colonists in the region?
Students will examine why tobacco was a cash crop and how it affected the colonists in the region.
Source C: “ Tobacco and the Economy ,” UMBC Center for History Education
In this formative performance task, students analyze a text to uncover details that support the main idea. They identify natural resources (i.e. tobacco) used by people of colonial America and describe the impact of human actions on the physical environment. (5.5.2)
Featured Sources
Steps
1.
Project on the board and read aloud to the students Source C: “ Tobacco and the Economy .”
2.
Ask students to determine the meaning of scarcity using context clues. Then ask: “Why did the colonists not have to worry about the scarcity of tobacco?”
3.
Divide the class into pairs using an established classroom routine.
4.
Ask students to work with their partner to take notes which identify the main idea of the article and supporting details and evidence.
5.
As students are working in pairs, encourage them to make inferences about the impact of the colonists’ ability to grow tobacco well in the region on the colonists’ way of life and connections with England. Ask the pairs questions to prompt them to draw conclusions about the source. Ensure students make inferences which can be supported by evidence from the text. Possible guiding questions:

Reread the first paragraph. What did colonists do as a result of learning that tobacco would sell well in England? Given that, what else might the colonists have to do to ensure they can grow as much tobacco as possible?

Reread second paragraph. Why was tobacco a “stable currency”?

Given that the colonists could make a lot of money from tobacco, what did they do?

Reread the last paragraph. Why might the population increase? Why would the production of tobacco increase with an increase in population?
6.
Once students have completed their note taking, have each student pair up a different partner to compare notes and add any additional details.
7.
Conduct a class discussion about the information provided in the text. Possible guiding questions:

Why was tobacco considered to be a cash crop?

How did tobacco impact the colonists in the region?
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Grade 5: Unit 5
Student Look-Fors
1.
Students should understand the main idea of the text: Tobacco, which grew well in the Chesapeake region, was considered a “cash crop,” and the growing of tobacco affected the people and the way of life in the Chesapeake region.
2.
Students should identify why tobacco was considered a cash crop (evidence).

Tobacco grew well in the region and was a highly desired in England. (Other than tobacco, the colonists’ “farming efforts had been relatively unsuccessful,” tobacco sold “profitably in
England,” and “Colonists quickly realized the potential cash value of tobacco.”)

Colonists relied on tobacco as a means of currency. (“As gold and silver became scarce, and wampum was no longer used, the Chesapeake colonies were able to rely on tobacco as a means of currency. Tobacco was the safest and most stable currency the Chesapeake colonists had.”)

Colonists used tobacco to trade equally for goods from England. (“As the desire for tobacco grew in England, and the need for supplies grew in the colonies, the colonists were able to trade equally for goods from England without having to worry about the scarcity of the product.”)

Colonists used tobacco for purchasing goods and to pay fines and taxes. (“In addition to being employed for purchasing goods, the tobacco currency was also used to pay fines and taxes.”)

Colonial governments in the area relied on tobacco as the primary source of income. (“Tobacco provided the colonial governments of Virginia and Maryland with one of their primary sources of revenue.”)
3.
Students should also understand how tobacco affected the colonists in the region (evidence).

Tobacco led to increased wealth among the colonists. (“A duty(tax) of two shillings, or about 20 cents, levied on each hogshead of tobacco exported from those colonies yielded Virginia 3,000 pounds, or $4,541 in 1680, and 6,000, or $9,082, a year during 1758-1762.”)

The demand for tobacco led to the clearing of additional land for planting. (“They began to plant it in every available clearing, from fields to the forts and streets of Jamestown, and eventually to much of Tidewater Virginia.”)

The demand for tobacco led to the need to increase the labor force to farm the adiditonal land and an increase in population in the region. (“As the tobacco colonies' populations increased, so did their production of tobacco.”)

The demand for tobacco led to the need for increased supplies, which resulted in additional trade with England. (“With the rise in production of the staple crop, exports to England rose drastically. Imports of tobacco into England increased from 60,000 pounds in 1622 to 500,000 pounds in 1628, and to 1,500,000 pounds in 1639. By the end of the seventeenth century,
England was importing more than 20,000,000 pounds of colonial tobacco per year.”)
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Grade 5: Unit 5
What was life like on a plantation? Supporting Question
Formative
Performance Task
Featured Source
Students will analyze a runaway slave advertisment to make inferences about life on a planation.
Content and Claims
Source D: “ Ad for a Runaway Slave – April 1766 ,” UMBC Center for History Education
In this formative performance task, students explain and give examples of how enslaved Africans adapted to living in the colonies. (5.3.6)
Featured Source
Steps
1.
Project Source D: “Add for a Runaway Slave – April 1766.”
2.
Provide students with a copy of the split-page notes organizer on the next page.
3.
Read aloud the transcript of the advertisement in the text box. As needed, read aloud the definitions in the footnotes.
4.
Model how to record important information from the advertisement on the split-page notes. Provide an example of an inference about plantation life from this information.
5.
Ask students to add details and inferences to their split-page notes independently.
6.
Reread aloud the transcript.
7.
Ask students: “What might the description of the physical features of Will Cooper tell us about the life of a slave on a plantation?”
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Grade 5: Unit 5
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Grade 5: Unit 5
Student Look-Fors
1.
Students should make inferences about Will Cooper and his life on the plantation based on details provided in the advertisement. A sample completed split-page notes organizer is included below.
“runaway”
“has lost two or three of his front teeth”
“chews tobacco”
“he carried with him cotton clothes”
“has very ugly round feet”
Will Cooper’s life was harsh or he wouldn’t have risked running away.
His teeth may have fallen out due to a poor diet or hygiene or maybe he was hit.
He probably worked on a plantation that harvested tobacco and cotton or he wouldn’t have had these things.
His feet might be deformed because he has spent much of his life working hard while on his feet a great deal without the benefit of proper footwear.
The owner branded the slave to mark him as being owned since he was treated as property.
“large sear on one of his arms”
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Grade 5: Unit 5
How did the thirteen colonies interact with the Atlantic world? Supporting Question
Formative
Performance Task
Featured Source
Students will examine the triangular trade routes to determine how trade helped the colonies.
Content and Claims
Source E: “ The Triangular Trade ,” NationalArchives.gov.uk
This formative performance task requires students to describe trade between the American,
Western Europe, and Western Africa during the colonial period. (5.4.3, 5.9.1)
Featured Source
Steps
1.
Show students a map of the world.
2.
Define for students the concept of “triangular trade” given the shape the trade routes make between
Europe, North America, and Africa.
3.
Engage students in a discussion about the commodities of the triangular trade route. Possible guiding questions:

What is a commodity?

Why would commodities need to be shipped to the other continents?
4.
Project Source E: “The Triangular Trade” map and provide students with a copy of the graphic organizer on the next page.
5.
As students look at the map, have them record traded items on the graphic organizer and explain why each commodity would be useful to the receiving continent.
6.
Then divide students into groups and assign each group to represent North America, Europe, or Africa.
7.
Have students work in their groups to review the map and their graphic organizers and choose one commodity being traded from another location to the location assigned to their group.
8.
Within their groups, have students write a summary of triangular trade routes and how each point in the trade routes is dependent upon each of the others.
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Grade 5: Unit 5
A commodity is
During the 17 th and 18 th centuries, triangular trade routes were used among Europe, Africa, and the thirteen colonies in North America. Triangular trade involves the exporting of commodities from one location to another. Using the chart below, identify what commodities were exported from/to and why.
.
From North America to
Europe
From North America to
Africa
From Europe to North
America
From Europe to Africa
From Africa to North
America
From Africa to Europe
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Grade 5: Unit 5
Student Look-Fors
1.
Students should be able to define what a commodity is (a good, something valuable, a product that is bought and sold, such as corn or wheat)
2.
Students show a clear understanding of the main commodoties of triangular trade and that the trade routes were important because it allowed people to get commodities that weren’t available where they lived.
From North
America to
Europe
 whale oil
 lumber
 furs
 rice
 silk
 indigo



 tobacco sugar molasses wood
These commodities were important to
Europeans because they were products the
Europeans couldn’t make or get on their own
(or it was more expensive to make or get than to buy).
From North
America to Africa
From Europe to
North America
 rum
 iron
 gun powder
 cloth
 tools
 manufactured goods
 luxuries
These commodities were important to
Africans because they were products the
Africans couldn’t make or get on their own (or it was more expensive to make or get than to buy).
These commodities were important to colonists because they were products the colonists couldn’t make on their own (or it was more expensive to make than to buy).
From Europe to
These
Africa
 guns
 cloth
 iron
 beer commodities were important to
Africans because they were products the
Africans couldn’t make or get on their own (or it was more expensive to make or get than to buy).




From Africa to
Europe gold ivory spices hardwood
These commodities were important to
Europeans because they were products the
Europeans couldn’t make or get on their own
(or it was more expensive to make or get than to buy).
From Africa to
North America
 slaves
Slave labor was important to colonists because they used slave labor to produce many of the commodities they exported to
Europe and
Africa.
3.
Student responses should include but are not limited to the following:

Triangular trade is a pattern of trade between North America, Europe, and Africa. It is called triangular trade because of the shape made by the trade routes. Africa, England, the West
Indies, and the thirteen colonies relied on each other to get items they needed. Europe bought items like gold and ivory from Africa that they made into other products like jewelry. Europe also sold things like guns to Africa, so each place depended on each other. The colonies bought items like sugar and molasses from the West Indies. They made those items into rum and sold the rum to Africa. Africa sold slaves to the West Indies; those slaves were used in the West
Indies and in the colonies to help grow crops. Africa got items like iron and cloth from both
Europe and the colonies. If any of these places decided not to be a part of the Triangular Trade route, all of the other places would be affected because they wouldn’t be able to buy the things they need or sell things to make money.
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Grade 5: Unit 5
Compelling Question How did triangular trade influence the growth and development of the thirteen colonies?
Summative
Performance Task
Using the sources and your knowledge of history, explain how the thirteen colonies were able to produce a wide variety of goods and develop trade routes. Be sure to include the roles that both
England and Africa played in the development and growth of the thirteen colonies.
Teacher Overview
In this summative performance task, students are asked to write a response to the compelling question using evidence from the sources they explored throughout the four formative performance tasks.
Throughout this instructional task, students have explored how agriculture in the thirteen colonies impacted the development and success of the colonies and the roles that England and Africa played in that development; this information will be an essential part of a well-developed essay. Before the summative performance task, it may be helpful for students to review the sources provided and the writing/graphic organizers created during the formative assessment tasks. Doing so should help them to develop their interpretations and to highlight the appropriate examples and details to support their writing.
Student Prompt
Using the sources and your knowledge of history, explain how the thirteen colonies were able to produce a wide variety of goods and develop trade routes. Be sure to include the roles that both England and Africa played in the development and growth of the thirteen colonies.
Student Look-Fors
1.
Scoring Notes

An exemplar response may include but is not limited to: o The crops grown in each of the thirteen colonies and the economic impact of each crop to the region where it was grown and the fact that it could be traded within the colonies for other goods or traded with England for additional resources needed for farming. o The role geography and climate played in the growth of each crop. o Since tobacco was used as currency within the colonies, trade with England, and to pay fines and taxes, it was considered a cash crop. o An increase in poplulation and wealth resulted from the demand for tobacco. o The demand for products in England and Africa, such as tobacco, led to the increase in slave labor in the colonies. o Life on a plantation was hard for slaves, particularly those involved in farming. o Different commodities were traded with different continents. Commodities were traded because the receiving location was not able to make or get the traded commodity or it was cheaper to buy the commodity than to make or get it.
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Grade 5: Unit 5 o Africa, England, the West Indies, and the thirteen colonies relied on one another for development and growth, and if any of the countries involved in the Triangular Trade should no longer be a part of this route, the effects would be felt by all other parties involved.
2.
A strong response:

References documents appropriately o The New England, Middle, and Southern colonies each offered something specific in developing this new land for England based on the geography and climate of the region.
(Sources A and B) o Tobacco was an important crop for the Chesapeake colonies as it had a high cash value and was sold profitably in England. (Source C) o Slaves were very important in the development of the colonies, and the life of a slave was very harsh. Slaves were valuable assets to plantation owners and they would go to great lengths to find the slave should they run away. (Source D) o The Triangular Trade Route was important not only for the development of the thirteen
American colonies but also England, Africa, and the West Indies. (Source E)

Applies the provided evidence as well as additional information about how the colonies. o Basic knowledge of the climate in each of the colonies in addition to the natural resources previously used by the Native Americans who inhabited the land before the colonists o Basic knowledge of types of maps such as product, historical, and political maps
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