Curriculum
Colonial America Unit Documents
Unit Guide; Unit Storyboard; Lesson Calendar; Brief Answers for Teachers
Colonial America Lesson One
Unit Launch; European Footholds in North America (Q1)
This lesson begins with the “Unit Launch” in which students review the unit guide and storyboard, and continues with student learning the stories of the first European settlements in North America. They then use a 4-box storyboard to tell the story of the first English colonies as a formative assessment.
Colonial America Lesson Two
Establishing the Southern Colonies (Q1)
In this lesson students learn the story of the establishment of the Southern Colonies, and then tell the story back using “because – but – so” sentences.
Colonial America Lesson Three
Establishing the New England Colonies (Q1)
In this lesson students learn the story of the establishment of the New England Colonies, and tell the story back using “because – but – so” sentences.
Colonial America Lesson Four
Establishing the Middle Colonies (Q1)
In this lesson students learn the story of the establishment of the Middle Colonies, then tell the story back using a 4-box storyboard.
Colonial America Lesson Five
What were English colonists thinking when they established colonial governments? (Q2)
In this lesson students interpret two primary source documents that established colonial governments: the Virginia Ordinance and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. Students learn the purposes and assumptions of the authors of those documents.
Colonial America Lesson Six
The Story of Bacon's Rebellion (Q1)
Students learn the story of Bacon’s Rebellion, and tell it back using a 4-Box Storyboard.
Colonial America Lesson Seven
What did the English colonists think about American Indians? (Q2)
Students interpret two primary source documents that show different English points of view on American Indians.
Colonial American Lesson Eight
Economic Development of the Colonies (Q1)
Students revisit the 13 Colonies map, and learn how the different geography of each section influenced its economic development.
Colonial America Lesson Nine
Why did slavery expand more rapidly in the Southern Colonies? (Q3)
Students learn about the trans-Atlantic slave trade and the Middle Passage, and work on a Question Three Puzzle: Why did slavery expand more rapidly in the Southern colonies than in the Middle and New England Colonies?
Colonial America Lesson Ten
The Story of the French and Indian War (Q1)
Students learn the story of the French and Indian War, and tell it back in a 4-Box Storyboard.
Colonial America Lesson Eleven
The Story of Pontiac's War (Q1)
Students learn the story of Pontiac’s War, and tell it back in a 4-Sentence Story.
Colonial America Lesson Twelve
Was the British government right to reserve western land to the Indian tribes in 1763? (Q4)
Students learn how Pontiac, George Washington, and King George III thought about who should own western lands. Then they make their own judgments on that question, and try to articulate general principles. How should we decide who gets to claim territory?