Kelsey Mercadante

ELED 570
Focusing on Big Ideas to Frame Essential Questions
1.What is my content and SOL (write it out)?
Standard USI.5a
The student will demonstrate knowledge of the factors that shaped colonial America by
a) Describing the religious and economic events and conditions that led to the
colonization of America.
b) Describing life in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonies,
with emphasis on how people interacted with their environment to produce
goods and services, including examples of specialization and
interdependence.
c) Describing colonial life in America from the perspectives of large landowners,
farmers, artisans, women, free African Americans, indentured servants, and
enslaved African Americans.
d) Identifying the political and economic relationships between the colonies and
Great Britain.
Bolded letters = what my unit will be on.
2. Answer one of the following questions:
So what if I never learned _____ (whats the impact of not knowing your

unit)?

If my unit on ______ were a story, what would the moral of the story be?

Think

Think

Think
If students never learned of what led to the colonization of America, then they
would not understand the true purpose of how their country serves them. The
colonization of America strived to provide individual rights, economic freedom, and
religious freedom. It is important to understand the drive and the passion of the early
settlers who accepted this life challenging endeavor of escaping their countries, migrating
to a new world, and start everything from scratch. By understanding the drive and
dedication the colonists showed as they labored for freedoms, we could maintain the
good of the United States of America as we understand the formation of our nation.
If students did not learn why people migrated to America, then they would not
understand how their country was developed and how the certain regions helped the
American economy prosper. Different regions in America provided people and their
colonies with certain resources to help them be economically successful. It is important to
understand the passion and determination the colonists had so we can still possess that
drive of creating a successful economy.

If my unit on the reasons for colonizing America and the interactions of the
settlers with their environment were a story, the moral would be to not take your freedom
for granted. Freedom was so important to the colonists that they moved away from their
own country to experience freedom and make their own choices. It is important to
understand how much this meant for them so we can continue to keep that passion and
desire going and to appreciate the freedoms we have today.
Today, people choose to live in America for the same reasons: individual rights,
economic freedom and religious freedom. Knowing these rights and freedoms enables
every citizen to live a fulfilling life. Economic freedom and prosperity can be attained in
different regions of America. As in colonial America, today regions provide Americans
with various resources and occupations. This is important as one day students will be
pursuing careers. Having an understanding of the various regions (New England, MidAtlantic, and the South) and their attributes can help guide students into career choices.
3. If this is why its important to really understand your content, look at the Essential
Question starters on pg. 120 of the UbD text. Write a question for each facet of
understanding.
Explanation: What might have happened if the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern
colonies all had the same resources, geography, and climate?
Interpretation: What does the colonization of America reveal about Great Britain?
Application: How and when do we practice specialization and interdependence today?
Perspective: How would the life of a New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern colonist
be similar and different?
Empathy: What would it be like to walk in the shoes of a colonist migrating from
England to the New World?
Self-Knowledge: How are my ideas about economic and religious freedoms shaped by
my experiences?
4. Now choose. Which questions from the six facets of understanding do you believe are
most appropriate for framing your unit? (Typically, teachers identify 2-4 facets.) Write
the facets that youll be using.
1. Explanation: What might have happened if the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and
Southern colonies all had the same resources, geography, and climate?
2. Empathy: What would it be like to walk in the shoes of a colonist migrating from
England to the New World?

3. Perspective: How would the life of a New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern
colonist be similar and different?
5. Put yourself in the shoes of children in your class. Craft three or four child-like
answers you would expect the children to give for each of your questions. (Use more
paper if you need it.)
1. Explanation: What might have happened if the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and
Southern colonies all had the same resources, geography, and climate?
a. The colonies may have not interacted with each other since each colony
would have been the same. The colonies would not have traded goods and
services with each other.
b. The colonies would not have practiced interdependence. The colonies
would not have to depend on one another for resources, since they would
have had the same resources, land, and weather, as the other colonies.
c. The colonies would not have specialized in different areas of skill. They
would have all had the same jobs since they would have had the same
resources, land, and weather.
d. There would have been no variety or diversity. Every colony would have
been the same and it would have been boring.
2. Empathy: What would it be like to walk in the shoes of a colonist migrating from
England to the New World?
a. As a person from England, I may have been facing religious persecution.
(Students could relate this to a separatist, Puritans, or Quakers). I may
have not been able to freely practice what I believe in. I would have
wanted to move to a place where I was accepted and allowed to believe in
what I want to believe in. It would be so scary to move away from my
country and migrate to a New World where I have never been. It would be
scary to start from scratch once I arrived at the New World. But, as
someone facing religious persecution, I would have felt passionate about
moving. I would have had a drive to migrate to the New World so I can
practice my religion freely. It would feel great to practice your faith
without interference.
b. As a person from England, I may have been in a debtor prison. This would
have caused me to feel unhappy and miserable in England. I may have
wanted to migrate to the New World to experience economic freedom and
start a new life. I feel like I would have felt nervous to move to the New
World, but I would also feel determined and excited about being able to
practice economic freedom in the New World.
c. As a person from England, I may have had a desire to make money
(economic venture). I may have felt passionate about gaining a profit and
starting a new life in the New World. I could have migrated to Roanoke
Island. I also could have moved to Jamestown. (an economic venture by
the Virginia Company).

3. Perspective: How would the life of a New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern
colonist be similar and different?
a. If I were a New England colonist, I would have fished in the Boston
Harbor and I would have been a shipbuilder! The villages and churches
would have been the center of my life and I would have gone to town
meetings. I could have been a separatist. I would have had to face cold
winters- brrrr! I trade with the Mid-Atlantic and Southern colonies.
b. If I were a Mid-Atlantic colonist, I would have been a fisherman! I would
have enjoyed the climate that is not too cold, but not too hot. A lot of my
friends would have probably raised livestock or grow grains since we have
good farmland. We would have traded with the New England colony for
metal tools and the Southern colony for a lot of crops like tobacco, which
we did not have. I would have lived in a market town where all of my
neighbors and I would have had most likely practiced different religions.
c. If I were a Southern colonist, I would have most likely been a farmer since
the south has farmland where almost any crop can grow on! I could grow
tobacco, rice, indigo, and fluffy cotton. I would have seen many enslaved
African Americas who work on the plantations. I could own a huge
mansion/plantation home where I have indentured servants to make sure
chores get done. I would have traded with New England for metal tools,
and the Mid-Atlantic for grains, which my colony would not have had. I
would have hot and sticky (humid) summers!
d. All three of the colonies practiced interdependence and specialization in
certain areas. The Mid-Atlantic and Southern colonies both had rich soil
for farmland, but they depended on New England for metal tools and
equipment. All three colonies had capital resources of buildings and tools.
All of the colonies also shared part of the Appalachian Mountains. The
New England and the Mid-Atlantic colonies both had villages, while the
Southern colony had large plantations with mansions. In all three of the
colonies, they were able to practice religious and economic freedoms.
Each one of the colonies practices one type of religion. The New England
and the Southern colonies depended on Mid-Atlantic for grains.
6. Now step back and look for patterns or themes in those answers you crafted. If your
children give these answers to your essential questions, what are the understandings they
are demonstrating? For each EQ, use the sentence starter If children can answer this
question, they understand that Including the word that helps you unpack the
understanding instead of writing a fact. Each Essential Question will have its own
Essential Understanding; there is a 1:1 correspondence between EQs and EUs.
1. What might have happened if the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern
colonies all had the same resources, geography, and climate? (Explanation)
a. If children can answer this question, they understand that different
resources, geography, and climate between regions result in specialization
and interdependence.

2. Empathy: What would it be like to walk in the shoes of a colonist migrating from
England to the New World?
a. If children can answer this question, they understand that the colonists
experienced a mixture of emotions when coming over to the New World,
but the passion the colonists possessed for religious and economic
freedom overcame everything, which led to the colonization of America.
3. Perspective: How would the life of a New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern
colonist be similar and different?
a. If children can answer this question, they understand that a persons life is
affected by their environment and experiences.