Thursday, August 27, 2015
Rules and Regulations
Friday, August 28, 2015- Monday, August 31, 2015
Objective:
Students will read the non-fiction account of the Puritans in the New World, and make
inferences about their survival issues. Using critical thinking skills, they will list 15 of the
most important needs for the group, and prioritize them by importance for survival.
Activity:
Big Idea: Students need to know how to read texts and use them to make decisions that
will have important effects,
Section 1: Read “Of Plymouth Plantation” excerpt
Narrative Students will read a first hand account of the hardships and survival issues
faced by the Puritan William Bradford in the Prentice Hall 11th grade Timeless Voices,
Timeless Themes, "Of Plymouth Plantation." The same excerpt can be found online in
Chapter 9-11 of the account "Of Plymouth Plantation" link
http://betterlesson.com/my/document/1964828/plymplanindex-1htm?from=owner_lesson. This link is listed below in resources.
Section 2: Goal/task
Narrative Tell students before they read to be looking for hardships the Puritans faced,
and what they had to do to solve problems and survive. After reading the account silently,
students will be playing SURVIVOR Of Plymouth Plantation. Their task is to
OUTPLAY, and OUTLAST the other groups. Tell them they are packing for a voyage by
ship, and the plan is to head for the new world to build a "City on the Hill."
Section 3: Steps/details
Narrative In groups of 4-5, they will be making a list of 15 items that they will need on
the ship and in their new colony. Using what they have read and what they know about
the time period, they should come up with a list of general items, then make the list more
detailed once they have them all down. For example, they could list food, but go back
and write the detailed types of food they would have available and want, like flour, etc.
They will want to think of items needed to start their new life, since once they arrive,
they will have to find, grow, or make all things they need. Puritans would have relied on
the accounts of previous explorers and colonists that had gone to the New World before
them.
Section 4: Rules of the Game
Narrative They can use ipads to research if they have questions about items and if they
were invented or discovered. For instance, students may ask if matches were invented. I
allow them to research this in their groups as they work.
Students will have the class period to discuss and make their lists. Collect these, then
have the groups present their lists and reasons for their choices the next class. Then, put
any of the attached resources from the internet on the smartboard and show students what
the Puritans actually followed as a guide for what they would bring. Discuss items that
were absolutely necessary, like water. If a group left this out, they wouldn't survive.
Students will then vote for a group other than their own that they think has the list most
likely to lead to most members of the colony surviving.
Students should base their choice on the following:
1. Did they have general necessities for survival on a ship. For example, if they forgot
water, they would not survive. If they forgot food or weapons, their chances were slim
indeed.
2. Did they have detailed items once they prioritized? Did they list the types of tools they
would take, or the food items, or the types of clothing?
3. Were their lists accurate to the time period?
Section 5: Assessment/Accountability
Narrative The groups who has their list chosen as best will receive 10 extra points per
student. Overall grades will be 2 points per item, 30 points total based on my judgment of
the 3 criteria above.
Assessment: Formative--Student will write a short constructed response in which he or
she will describe the hardship and conditions that made life extremely difficult for the
Puritans, and how their commitment to each other and their goal helped them to survive.
Students will be using the information that they read from an important historical nonfiction text to prioritize and make crucial decisions. They should be analyzing what they
have read to decide what they would need to survive, and doing further research to be
sure their decisions are accurate. Following their analysis and research, they should
reflect on the hardships that our ancestors endured and how the decisions made by them
affected their ability to make it in the New World.
Homework: Finish constructed response.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Objectives



Describe some of the important elements of life in Puritan New England
Create a timeline of the events of the Salem Witch Trials
Understand the concept of multiple interpretations of history
Activity:
Life in Puritan New England
Separate the class into four groups, and assign each group one section of the
EDSITEment LaunchPad under the label Understanding Puritan New England. Offer
them the following instructions, and suggest that they distribute the reading evenly and
return to discuss the questions after 10–15 minutes of reading. Instructors might also
consider assigning this reading the night before as homework.
Understanding Puritan New England
Instructions for students: Just as the society around us shapes the way we think and act,
so did it shape the people of Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s. Look at the websites
listed below, and, on a separate sheet of paper, answer the questions about life in Puritan
New England. Note that many of the websites contain interactive images. Click on the
images to open them, and mouse-over the image to discover more about it.
Group One:
The Puritans
The Puritan Idea of the Covenant
New Groups: A Great Migration
Working: "To 1 day work at my house"
Beliefs: A City upon a Hill
1. What values that we now consider 'American' were contributed by the Puritans?
2. In the 1920s, how did people remember the Puritans? Define the word 'caricature'
and explain how it relates to the Puritans.
3. To what extent did Puritans condemn alcohol consumption, artistic beauty, and
poetry?
4. What did the Puritans believe was the primary purpose of government?
5. What did the Puritans think about the separation of church and state?
6. What is a 'separatist'? Were the Puritans 'separatists'? If not, describe their
philosophy regarding the Church of England.
7. What is a 'covenant'? Explain the function of 'covenants' in the way the Puritans
saw the world.
8. Did Puritans believe in tightly knit communities and families, or did they value
families that were dispersed?
9. Describe some reasons why Puritans came to America from Europe.
10. What were some of the strategies New England colonists used to deal with the
labor shortage?
11. Describe some of the religious beliefs of the Puritans.
Group Two
The Puritans
Gender Roles: Beliefs and Gender Roles
Education: Print and Protestantism
Customs: Possessions Reveal Social Standing
Getting Things: Importing Status
Child Life: Fleeting Mortality
1. What values that we now consider 'American' were contributed by the Puritans?
2. Look up the word 'Patriarchal' in the dictionary. Define what it means, in your
own words.
3. What were some of the responsibilities of men in the 1700s in Colonial New
England? What were some of the responsibilities of women?
4. Explain how the story of Adam and Eve was used to perpetuate prevailing ideas
about men and women.
5. Were schools important in New England? Did people know how to read?
6. Were there as many schools in other parts of America as there were in New
England?
7. Did wealthy people tend to spend a lot of money? What are some of the things
you think they would buy?
8. What does 'conspicuous consumption' mean?
9. Why did so many children die at young ages in colonial New England?
Group Three
The Puritans
The Land 1680–1720
Agriculture: Agriculture and Community
Public Space: The Meeting House
1. What values that we now consider 'American' were contributed by the Puritans?
2. According to your reading, what did most Europeans think of the North American
Landscape?
3. What were some early colonial industries?
4. What was the center of public and religious life in New England?
5. Describe the common field system.
6. What were some results of European fences, mills, grass, and livestock being
brought to New England?
7. Explain how a mill worked.
8. What were the criteria that a committee would use to "seat" the meetinghouse?
9. Who was allowed to vote? What did they vote on?
Ask students to explore the EDSITEment-reviewed websites using the LaunchPad and
questions as guides. Once they have answered all of the questions, ask students to prepare
a summary of what they learned to present to the class. Have everyone contribute to the
overall discussion about Puritan values (the same question begins each list), and then
have students present their information to the class. This should be no more than a few
sentences highlighting the key concepts of the aspect of Puritan life that they researched.
Assessment: Formative-Teacher Observation
Homework: Finish Activity
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Objectives



Describe some of the important elements of life in Puritan New England
Create a timeline of the events of the Salem Witch Trials
Understand the concept of multiple interpretations of history
Activity:
What is a Puritan? Case Studies
Ask students to access the following websites and answer the questions listed below. This
can be done individually or with partners, and can also be given as a homework
assignment. Ask students to read slowly and carefully, looking up words they do not
understand and writing them down in their notebook.
John Dane's Narrative
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6214
Read the first five paragraphs of John Dane's Narrative, until you reach the following
passage: "Then said my mother, " go where you will, God he will find you out." This
word, the point of it, stuck in my breast; and afterwards God struck it home to its head."
1. What does John Dane's piece about morality tell you about Puritan life?
2. Define 'Providence' and explain John Dane's beliefs about Providence.
3. In the third paragraph of John Dane's narrative, he relates a story about his
upbringing. In a paragraph, explain your reaction to his story. How is this
different or similar to your own interactions with your parents?
4. Choose one paragraph in John Dane's narrative and summarize it in your own
words.
Finally, write the following names on slips of paper, and have students draw them from a
hat. A convenient PDF with all the names is available for you to print out.
Bridget Bishop; Rev. George Burroughs; Giles Cory; Mary Easty; Sarah Good; Rebecca
Nurse; John Proctor; Ann Pudeator; Samuel Wardwell; Sarah Osbourne; William
Stoughton; John Hathorne; Samuel Sewall; Francis Dane; Cotton Mather; Sarah
Churchill; Elizabeth Hubbard; Mercy Lewis; Elizabeth Parris; Ann Putnam, Jr.; Mary
Warren; Mary Wallcott; Abigail Williams; Tituba; Philip English; George Jacobs, Sr.,
Susannah Martin; Sir William Phips; Samuel Parris.
Ask students to do the following as a homework assignment:
Find your assigned person on the website 'Important Persons in the Salem Court
Records' and write five sentences about him or her answering some of these questions, or
similar questions that you come up with on your own: How old was the person? What
was the person's occupation? What do we know about the person's family? Why do
people think this person was accused of witchcraft and/or accused others of witchcraft?
What is most remembered in about this person in current popular culture, if anything?
Was this person wealthy or poor? Where did this person live?
Assessment: Formative-Teacher Observation
Homework: Finish Activity
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Objectives



Describe some of the important elements of life in Puritan New England
Create a timeline of the events of the Salem Witch Trials
Understand the concept of multiple interpretations of history
Activity:
The Salem Witch Trials
Introduce the trials by asking students:

What do you think of when you hear the word witch?
If time allows, have students read Words About the Word 'Witch', available via the
EDSITEment-reviewed Digital History website. Otherwise, you might use the website to
guide your students' discussion of the term.
As a way to draw together the earlier work on Puritan beliefs and the more specific
instance of the Salem Witch Trials, introduce to students the description of Witchcraft
available at the EDSITEment-reviewed website History Matters. You might ask students
questions like: Who was the head of a Puritan household? What was thought of women
who stood out? What cues suggested signs of witchcraft? How do these cues fit within
the Puritan worldview that you researched earlier?
At this point, students should begin to reconstruct the history of "What Happened in
Salem?" They should begin with their individual person that they researched (see
Activity 2). Make sure students follow their individual's role, no matter how small or
large, as best they can throughout the process. In combination with this Chronology via
the Salem Witch Trials Documentary Archive, have students separate into groups of four
to create a timeline of the Salem Witch Trials. Events on the timeline should each have
one sentence attached to them, to assure that students read information about the events,
rather than just finding them on the Chronology. The students can illustrate their
timelines if there is time for them to do so.
If some groups of students finish earlier than others, ask these students to access this
petition for bail from accused witches. Ask students to click on the document and to try
to read it. What was it like reading this kind of document? What was the document
about? What were some of the reasons that the accused witches cite for why they should
be allowed to leave the prison? You might consider recommending both the NARA
Primary Document Analysis Worksheet (PDF) and How to Read Old Documents (from
American Centuries) to help students figure out the petition.
As students are completing the timeline or reading the primary source document, post
signs on your walls - on one side of the classroom, post the words "I agree" and on the
other side, post the words "I don't agree". Read a series of controversial statements, listed
below, and have students stand somewhere between the "I agree" and "I disagree". They
don't have to agree or disagree, they can stand in the middle, or closer to one side than the
other, wherever on the spectrum they fit. After each statement is read and students are
standing in their spots based on levels of agreement, conduct a conversation from those
places, so students can physically see where they are. Students may change physical
positions if they change their minds based on discussion. If students move, they should be
asked what convinced them to change their mind.
Feel free to add to or alter this list of statements:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
There is nothing about the Puritan way of life that I wish was a part of my life.
The law is always right.
Nothing like the Salem Witch Trials happens nowadays.
People who are accused of crimes are usually bad people.
The 'afflicted' girls who made the witchcraft accusations were bad people.
You should never confess to something of which you are not guilty.
It was just a coincidence that most of the alleged witches were female.
There is a clear, easy explanation for why the Salem Witch Trials happened.
The trials happened because of the 'afflicted girls', and not because of other, larger
social forces.
10. It is silly to believe in witches.
Some of these questions might be best asked of the historical people the students have
been tracking since Activity 2. Have the students role-play their historical person,
answering some of the questions as the student might think their historical person would
respond. Make sure the students explain their rationale behind their decisions.
Assessment: Formative-Teacher Observation
Homework: Finish Activity
Friday, September 4, 2015
Objectives

Describe some of the important elements of life in Puritan New England


Create a timeline of the events of the Salem Witch Trials
Understand the concept of multiple interpretations of history
Activity:
Causes of the "Hysteria"
Use the Salem Witch Trials as an opportunity to explore the concept of the multiplicity of
explanations and causes there can be for one event. Ask students to brainstorm a list of
reasons why they think the Salem Witch Trials might have happened, which you can then
write on the board. Ask them to support their reasons based on evidence they've learned
in their study of the event. Add some of these Causes for the Outbreak of Witchcraft
Hysteria in Salem, available via the EDSITEment reviewed Digital History website, to
their list. Discuss the possibility that there was more than one cause of this event. Ask
students to identify other historical events to which there were many causes. To extend
this lesson, you can ask your students to write a short essay underlining some of the
causes of the Salem Witchcraft hysteria.
Assessment:


Have the students consider the material on a personal level by continuing to
follow their historical person (or another person involved in the trial) from
Activity 2. Either print out copies or have students read online the transcripts from
the Salem Witch Trials, which can be found at the Salem Witch Trials
Documentary Archive. Have students separate into small groups and read aloud
from the transcripts. Students can alternatively research their historical person
using these court documents. Students don't have to read a whole trial, but should
get a sense of the people involved and how the trial progressed. As they work
through this activity, ask students to consider the following questions. If you
wish, students can use this information to complete the second assessment
activity, listed below
o What kind of evidence was used during these trials?
o Were the accused innocent until proven guilty?
o Think about the vocabulary used in these court cases. Who makes
reference to the Bible - the accused, the judges, the accusers, everyone?
When do they reference the Bible? Why do you think they make these
references?
o What were the punishments for witchcraft? Were they appropriate
punishments?
o Who were the witnesses, if any? What did they add to the court
proceedings? Was their testimony useful? Does it seem to have been taken
into account by the judge? To which witnesses, or which testimonies, is
more attention paid?
o What pressures did the accusers face? The judges?
o What kinds of things were the 'witches' accused of causing to happen?
Have students write a story, letter, or diary entry from the perspective of one of
the afflicted. The writing should involve some or all of the following: personal
feelings of the historical figure, description of 'fits' and other sensations
experienced by the 'afflicted', an accusation, a court trial or recollections from a
court trial, remorse. If students prefer, they may write a story, letter, or diary entry
from the perspective of one of the accused, or from a judge or other court official.
Again, the writing should be relevant to the historical event. Use these stories as
an insight into the depth of understanding students have about the experience of
the Salem Witch Trials. Students should either orally present their work or
provide a written essay justifying the choices they made in their entry. What
historical evidence supports their viewpoint?
Homework:
Finish story, letter or diary entry.