A Journey Through the 13 Colonies Unit Overview

Courtney Hersch
Grade: 5
Discipline: Social Studies
Unit Topic: The Thirteen Colonies
Time Frame: 8 Lessons, approximately 12 days
Anchor Texts: Making the Thirteen Colonies 1600-1740 by Joy Hakim, Standing in
the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan by Mary Pope Osburne

Standards/Goals:

Maryland State - Social Studies:
Standard 2.0 Peoples of the Nation and World

Topic C. Indicator 1. Analyze factors that affected relationships in the colonial
period.
Objective a. Analyze how conflict affected relationships among individuals
and groups, such as early settlers and Native Americans, free and enslaved
people.

Standard 3.0 Geography

Topic A. Indicator 1. Use geographic tools to locate places and describe
human and physical characteristics in Colonial America.
Objective c. Use photographs, maps, and drawings to describe geographic
characteristics.

Topic B. Indicator 1. Examine the similarities and differences of regions in
Colonial America.
Objective a. Compare the natural/physical and human characteristics of the
three colonial regions: New England, Middle, Southern.

Topic C. Indicator 1.Explain why and how people adapted to and modified the
natural environment and the impact of those modifications.
Objective b. Describe ways that colonists in the New England, Middle, and
Southern regions adapted to and modified the environment, such as the uses
of grist mill, water wheels, and plantation farming.

Standard 5.0 History

Topic B. Indicator 2. Analyze the growth and development of colonial
America.
Objective a. Describe the religious, political and economic motives of
individuals who immigrated to North America and the difficulties they
encountered.
Objective b. Compare the political, economic and social lives of people in New
England, Middle and the Southern colonies.

Standard 6.0 Social Studies Skills and Processes

Topic A. Indicator 4. Use strategies to demonstrate understanding of the text.
Objective i. Draw conclusions and make generalizations based on the text,
multiple texts, and/or prior knowledge.

Topic B. Indicator 1. Use informal writing strategies, such as journal writing,
note taking, quick writes, and graphic organizers to clarify, organize,
remember and/or express new understandings.
Objective a. Identify key ideas.
Objective b. Connect key ideas to prior knowledge (personal experience, text,
and world).

Common Core English/Language Arts:

RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are
supported by key details; summarize the text.

RI.5.3 Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals,
events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific
information in the text.

RI.5.5 Compare and contrast the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison,
cause/effect, problem/solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or
more texts.

RI.5.6 Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important
similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.

RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the
ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or
speak about the subject knowledgeably.

Common Core Speaking/Listening

SL.5.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in
groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and texts, building
on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.5.4 Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and
using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or
themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.

SL.5.5 Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in
presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or
themes.

Lesson Summaries:

Lesson 1
Students will be introduced to the 13 colonies through the reading of
Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan. Students
will complete a pre-assessment activity, which will require students to
indicate which colony best suits a description. Next, students will each use a
laptop in which they will do their own research on the New England, Middle,
and Southern colonies using this interactive website:
http://mrnussbaum.com/13colonies/13regions/. They will be required to
answer questions as they explore the site. Then, as a class, we will complete a
Venn diagram and labeling a map. Students will complete an exit ticket to put
on the Show What You Know Board at the conclusion of the lesson. Finally,
I will introduce the students to their My Journey Through the 13 Colonies
packet.

Lesson 2
The lesson will begin by asking students a series of yes or no questions in
which they will write their answers down on a blank piece of paper. When all
the questions have been asked, the teacher will survey the classs answers.
Next, as a whole group, we will read Chapter 27 in Making the Thirteen
Colonies 1600-1740. The students will take turns reading. As they read,
students will place a small post-it note on pats of the text that they find
significant and/or interesting. Upon reading, students will have the
opportunity to discuss the information they found to be important and make
a list of the information they discussed. Then, students will complete a four-
question worksheet. Finally, a chapter from Standing in the Light: The Captive
Diary of Catharine Carey Logan will be read with a partner. Theyll also use
post-it notes to determine significant/important information and record
their findings.

Lesson 3 This lesson may take 3-4 class periods so as to allow time for research.
Students will have time to read two chapters from, Standing in the Light: The
Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan. Next, students will view a video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXIyhslJ6Ok, that will introduce the New
England colonies. Students will be put into groups and assigned to a specific
colony (Connecticut, Delaware, Massachutes, New Hampshire, Rhode Island)
and a group of people or a specific person (Puritans, Roger Williams, Anne
Hutchinson, Quakers, Native Americans and will then explore an interactive
website and the anchor text Making Thirteen Colonies 1600-1740. While they
look through the website and the anchor text, they will be required to take
(guided) notes of important information. We will come together as a class
and informally report to the class the information that was found on each
colony by creating class lists. Then, we will view a map of the New England
Colonies and discuss the climate and geography. Next, we will play a silent
ball game to review information that was learned. Then, students will
complete a Venn Diagram by comparing and contrasting the anchor texts.
When they have completed their diagrams, we will come together as a class
and discuss their findings. Then, we will make a master list of similarities and
differences. Throughout the unit, students will continue to add to this list.
For homework, they will complete the first page in their packets.

Lesson 4 * This lesson may take two class periods.
Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan will be read
individually at the beginning of the lesson. Afterwards, students will be put
into pairs. Together, they will read Chapter 16 Of Towns and Schools and
Sermons in Making the Thirteen Colonies 1600-1740. As they read, they will
make a list of what they find that is different from the way they live to how
the people of the New England Colonies lived. When they are finished, we
will come together as a class and discuss their findings as well as vocabulary
words. Next, as a class, we will visit:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/slavery/experience/family/history.html. There,
together we will read about the slave trade and discuss. Then, students will
have the remainder of the class time to visit and explore this interactive
website: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/colonialhouse/history/governor.html.
Students will then stand and mention information they learned throughout
the class period. For homework, they will complete their journal entry (in
their packet) for the New England Colonies.

Lesson 5 * This lesson may take two class periods.
Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan will be read
aloud to begin the lesson. Students will be placed into groups. There will be
four stations placed around the classroom. At each station, students will
research, using the anchor text and websites, four topics about the Middle
Colonies (New Jersey/New York, William Penn & Pennsylvania/Delaware,
Climate/Geography, Benjamin Franklin). Then, we will discuss their
research as whole group, as well as discuss vocabulary and the map of the
middle colonies by compiling a master list of information. Students will then
complete an exit ticket in which they will write five things they learned about
the middle colonies, as well as, one main idea and a short summary of
Standing in the Light on a post-it note and then place it on the Show What
You Know Board. Students will add to their master list of
differences/similarities. Lastly, students will complete the Middle Colonies
portion of their packet for homework.

Lesson 6 * This lesson may take two class periods.
As a warm up, we will discuss their master list of similarities/differences and
then write a short paragraph about the similarities. Then, students will do a
brain dump. They write what they believe people did to make a living
including children, how they were educated, what they wore, etc. in the
Middle Colonies during the Colonial Times. As a class, we will discuss their
thoughts and ideas. Next, together, we will read an expert from The United
States: Making a New Nation 5
th
Grade Harcourt Textbook and discuss
vocabulary. As we read, students will complete a bingo board. Afterwards, I
will read aloud an expert from the book If You Lived in Colonial Times by Ann
McGovern. Then, students will be placed into partners. With their partners
they will read through part of If You Lived in Colonial Times, which discusses
the various occupations of that time period. When they have read through all
of the occupations, they will pick a job and make a business card. To end, we
will then read a chapter from Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of
Catharine Carey Logan. For homework, they will complete the Middle
Colonies portion of their packet.

Lesson 7
The lesson will begin by completing a true/false activity in which students
will receive sentence strips that they will read aloud. They will then
determine if the sentence is true or false. If it is true, students will stand. If it
is false, they will remain seated. Next, students will be split up into five
groups. Each group will be assigned a colony Virginia, Maryland, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Together, they will read chapters from
Making the Thirteen Colonies 1600-1740. As they do so, they will answers
questions about their given colonies. When all groups are finished, they will
discuss their findings with the class. Then, we will repeat the true/false
activity. Finally, we will read Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of
Catharine Carey Logan. Students will complete a compare/contrast yarn
activity. For homework, they will be assigned to complete the first page of the
Southern Colonies portion of their packets.

Lesson 8 *This lesson may take two class periods.
We will begin the lesson by finishing Standing in the Light. Then, as a pre-
assessment, I will throw a soft ball around a have students tell me something
that they know about living in the south. Together, we will read two chapters
out of the anchor text. As we read we will discuss the lifestyle of the Southern
Colonies, as well as, look at a map of a plantation. Students will then be
required to write descriptions or characteristics about the agriculture,
plantations, family life, southern slavery, life under slavery, and African
American culture. As a whole class, we will discuss their descriptions and
talk about life in the Southern colonies. Then, students will watch a video
about the value of tobacco in the Southern colonies:
http://www.history.com/topics/jamestown/videos/the-value-of-tobacco.
Students will then complete a post-assesment activity, which is the same
assessment as the pre-assessment. They will then work in groups to
compare/contrast the two anchor texts in which they will then present to the
class. Students will then have time to work on the journal prompt that
accompanies the Southern colonies portion of their packets. Finally, I will
introduce the students to their final project, which is to create a colonist
profile and complete a writing and map activity.

NOTES:
If a classroom set of Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine
Carey Logan is unavailable for your use, in-class read alouds are an option.
All lesson resources can be found under the Lesson Plan section.
Many lessons may take 2-5 (sometimes 6 depending on the class) days.