Name: Shannon Hopson

Lesson Title:


Colonial Comic
Subject Area:

Social Studies
Grade Level:

5th
Unit Title:

Colonial America
GLCEs/ Common
Core Standard

5 U2.3.2 Describe the daily life of people living in the New England, Middle, and
Southern colonies. (National Geography Standards 14 and 15; pp. 171 and 173)
3-5-2.CC.3. use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g.,
presentations, newsletters, brochures, web pages) to communicate information and
ideas to various audiences
METS-S/NETS-T

3-5-2.CC.3. use a variety of media and formats to create and edit products (e.g.,
presentations, newsletters, brochures, web pages) to communicate information and
ideas to various audiences
Essential
Questions:

What were the three regions of Colonial America? What are the characteristics of
each region?
Objectives:

Using the Comic Life Lite App Students will create an illustration about life
in one of the three geographical areas of Colonial America.

Tools and
Resources:
Maps and artwork of colonial regions
Picture analysis worksheets.
iPad, Android media device, or computer with Comic Life software
Large envelopes
Rationale:


Students often get bored with reading informational text, especially historical text.
This lesson gives them the chance to jump outside the textbook. They will touch
and see historical mock documents with little to no text. Using their prior
knowledge they will essentially "read" the pictures to make sense of Colonial life in
three different regions of the Eastern United States.
Sequence of Activities:
Anticipatory
Questions/Activity:


Teacher- Think back to the Smart Notebook activity you completed....Do you
remember some of the videos you watched?
Student- Yes!
Teacher- What kinds of things do you remember?
Student- People disappeared and no one knows what happened. The people in
Jamestown grew tobacco to make money. Some people came to the colonies for
religious reasons.
Teacher- Those are great answers. Now think about your Web Quest. What types
of people did you learn about?
Student- Merchants, slaves, preacher, housewife.......
Teacher- Great! You will need to recall some of the things you have already
learned to help you with today's activity.



Name: Shannon Hopson
Body of Lesson
Plan:


1. Display a map of the 13 colonies.
2. Tell students "today you are going to be detectives; you will work in groups to
decode the pictures in your envelope".
3. Divide students into groups of 3-4 students. Ideally there should be 1-2 groups
per region, New England, middle and southern colonies. (Students will have
completed a web quest in the lesson prior to this. The teacher should group students
according to the region in which they did a web quest. The students won't know
they have been placed in a specific region. The knowledge they gained in the web
quest will help them figure out what region they have been assigned to.)
4. Before students open their envelopes have them look at the worksheet they will
be using to complete their decryption of the pictures. Explain how the worksheet is
to be used saying "look at your Picture Detective worksheet. You will answer
questions about your pictures using this worksheet. What questions do you have?"
Students- How do we know what the author's point of view is?
Teacher- look at this map (have the map of the thirteen colonies displayed for the
whole class). Do you think the author could see the ground like this? How do we
take pictures of the ground today?
Students- From planes or satellites.
Teacher- Did those things exist when the first colonists came here? (no)So how
would they draw a map? (students should draw on their prior knowledge. The
teacher may have to lead them to the answers depending on their prior knowledge.)
Students- They drew pictures from their experience traveling the coast. Or they
looked at the land from high points like hills or cliffs.
Continue the discussion of the worksheet helping students to understand how to fill
it out.
5. "Now open your envelopes and find out where you are."
6. The teacher should allow students to read the pictures and comment on their
worksheet for 20-30 minutes.
7. The teacher should walk the room observing student work groups, answering
questions where necessary.
8. The class will come back together and the detectives will report to each other
their findings. Essentially each group will become an expert group and share their
information with other students.
9. Teacher-Now that you know about your colonial region you need to entice more
people to come to your colony. Think back to the web quest you completed. You
will make a comic brochure to tell people about your colony. What are some things
that should go on your Comic?
Students- What we make, what we grow, where we are located.
10. Give students a rubric for the comic. Students should use search engines to find
out missing pieces such as the weather in the region.
Conclusion

Student brochures will be displayed as part of their end of unit project for Colonial
America.
Lesson Differentiations:
Simplifications:

Students will be grouped together. The teacher may choose to group students so that
those who need support are with students who are more advanced. In this case the
teacher should monitor the group, to ensure that all students are participating in the
activity.
Extensions:

The comic can be used as the story board for the upcoming lesson on movie
making.

Name: Shannon Hopson
Assessment Piece:

See attached.
Teacher Created
Handouts:

See attached.


Quality Student
Sample:
See attached.