COLONIAL DAYS, BLENDING TRADITIONS SCRIPT 4&5TH GRADE CLASSES
SLIDE ONE
Our Colonial Days theme is “Blending Traditions”. *QUESTION+ Who knows what the word tradition
means? Ask the children for examples… if Thanksgiving doesn’t come up ask if they have a tradition
coming up-When we think about the Colonial period we should remember that it really marks the beginning of our
American history. From the very beginning, America was born through people settling here from all
different parts of the world– they brought their cultures, values and beliefs to form a Country. Today we
are going to talk about the traditions from first people who came to this country and how they were
able to share with the Native Americans -- the people who were already here. [NEXT SLIDE]
SLIDE TWO
Can you imagine what it would be like if your mom and dad told you that you were going to leave your
home to build a new life in a place you have never been before? (QUESTION) Has anyone moved here
from somewhere else? What did you think were you nervous or scared?
When the Pilgrims left Europe in August of 1620, they traveled in a boat that was basically not much
bigger than a school bus. The boat was called the Mayflower. It wasn’t even a ship designed to hold
passengers, it was a cargo ship! The boat carried 100 passengers, a crew and even two dogs. The
conditions were not pleasant. Because the waters were so rough they had to spend most of their time
below the deck. It was cold, cramped and many were sick. The weather was so bad that they were
blown off course. They were supposed to arrive in Virginia but ended landing in Massachusettes. [NEXT
SLIDE]
SLIDE THREE
And can you believe the trip was the easy part. But why did they want to come to this new land? Let’s
take a look at the video so you can see what it was like. [SPEAKER NOTE]click play arrow, video should
stop at 1.08 minutes.
Well, it wasn’t as easy at that, but they came to the new world for better opportunity. Some of you may
already know the story. Did the Pilgrims have a better life right from the beginning?
Nooooo!!
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SLIDE FOUR
We are going to talk about how blending traditions was so important in the colonial times. If the Pilgrims
didn’t blend by accepting the Native Americans and combine their traditions with their own they would
not have survived, and we may have not been a country today.
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COLONIAL DAYS, BLENDING TRADITIONS SCRIPT 4&5TH GRADE CLASSES
Let’s review what the early life of Pilgrims and the Native American tribe Wampanoags. We will also
review who the leaders of the day were. And lastly, how their coming together began the America we
know today.
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SLIDE FIVE
They were so different in almost every way– Let’s take a look at their housing–
The Pilgrims modeled their homes after their English cottages. They were timber frames with a steeply
pitched roof that allowed for small storage or a sleeping area above the main room. They were sturdier
than the Wampanoags homes but took a long time to build. It was hard to wait for the homes to be
built in the middle of winter. In fact the first home they built, immediately burnt down.
The Wampanoags lived in Wetus: the frame of a wetu was made of saplings bent into a circular shape. In
the summer the frame was curved with woven grass. In the winter, bark. The different roofing allowed
their homes to be cool in the summer and kept the elements out in the winter.
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SLIDE SIX
When we think of blending of traditions it’s easy to think of food for examples. *QUESTION+ Who likes
pizza? Was pizza originated in America? How about french fries or even sushi? We have many examples
of food that have has been passed from earlier cultures and countries into our own.
The Pilgrims ate many of the same foods they ate in their homeland. They found shellfish and ate
cornbread, curds and hasty pudding which is like an oatmeal. They also ate three meals a day. It’s really
hard for someone to go from eating three meals a day to starvation.
The Wampanoags ate what they could find in their area. They ate rabbit, squirrel, turkey and deer. They
also ate a lot of fish since they were expert fishermen. They also ate a lot of wild berries and grains.
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SLIDE SEVEN
How about education do you think they built schools in those first years? No. The Pilgrims built homes
to have shelter and survive. Wampanoags learned what they need to know to stay alive. They learned to
use tools like bows and stone knives to hunt.
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SLIDE EIGHT
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COLONIAL DAYS, BLENDING TRADITIONS SCRIPT 4&5TH GRADE CLASSES
What about chores? Both cultures worked very hard. There was a lot to do. Some of the chores the
Pilgrim children help with included farming and tending to soil, storing food for the winter, tending to
the fire and fetching water. The Wampanoag children’s chores were not that much different. But the
Wampanoags did something that the Pilgrims didn’t and it helped them have more food and supplies
during the winter. They would bury their food and supplies in the ground to keep them fresh and safe
during the winter months.
So as you can see these early days were all about just staying alive. The days were filled with hard work,
hunger and even fear.
[SPEAKER NOTE- CHECK IN FOR QUESTIONS]
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SLIDE NINE
Let’s put ourselves back in the very beginning– when the Pilgrims finally landed and stepped off the
Mayflower, they immediately began to work to provide shelter, hunt for food, grow crops… make a
place to live. But what happened? They didn’t arrive until November. (QUESTION) Have any of you lived
someplace north? What is the weather like in November? Is there snow sometimes in the winter? If
there’s snow is it hard to find animals to hunt? How about farming, is there a lot of farming in the
winter?
Of course not. But what could the Pilgrims do? They were not about to ask the natives for help. They
thought they were savages. Not only were they afraid them, they also thought they were beneath them.
Let’s stop for a minute– (QUESTION) Did the Pilgrims call themselves Pilgrims? No, they were called
Puritans. Puritan identified their religion– they are described a group who adheres to strict moral or
religious principles. They considered themselves “civilized”.
(QUESTION) What does the name Pilgrim mean? “Homeless Traveler”
What did the Wampanoags think? Well, most of them had never seen someone from European dissent.
(QUESTION) Are people sometimes afraid of things that they’ve never seen before? Sure- And they were
also terrified of their muskets. What did they believe as a religion? Not the same as the Pilgrims, their
God was Mother Earth, and believed in living off the land and that all living things share a connection.
As people they couldn’t be more different. But in the end they needed each other. Although the
Pilgrims probably needed the Wampanoags a little bit more considering they didn’t know the land and
they were starving and dying. Only ½ of those on the Mayflower survived through the winter. They
needed to learn from the Wampanoags to survive.
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COLONIAL DAYS, BLENDING TRADITIONS SCRIPT 4&5TH GRADE CLASSES
As for the Wampanoags, they wanted to trade goods with the pilgrims. This is what lead to a friendship
and peace.
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SLIDE TEN
So now let’s talk about the leaders of Colonial days. Although the cultures were very different, they
needed to come together to survive. One of the first Native American leaders of the time was Samoset.
He was recognized as the first Native American to come into contact with the Pilgrims and speak English
to them. He is noted for saying “Welcome Englishmen” to William Bradford and Captain Miles Standish.
Squanto was also Wampanoag. Samoset brought Squanto to the Pilgrim’s village because he could speak
even better English, and communicate and teach them about the land, how to fish, farm, make crops,
eat the right berries and all of the other things to help them survive.
William Bradford was a Pilgrim and open to listening to the Wampanoags. He was responsible for
beginning the a friendship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans. It was his leadership that helped
the Pilgrims accept the ways of the Wompanoags and end the fighting.
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SLIDE ELEVEN
In early spring of 1621, Samoset and Squanto appeared in the village of Plymouth with some skins and
newly caught and dried herrings to trade. They told the colonists that the great Sachem Massasoit was
nearby with his brother Quadequina and all their men. About an hour later Massasoit came to the top of
the hill with some sixty of his men. However, the Pilgrims were not willing to send their governor to
meet them, and the Indians were unwilling to come to them. Squanto went again to Massasoit and
brought back word that Massasoit wished to have trade and peace with them, asking the Pilgrims to
send someone to parley with him.
Governor Carver finally agreed to meet with Chief Massasoit, the story goes that ate and drank together
and agreed to the following:
1.That neither should hurt any of their people.
2. If one did hurt their people, the offender should be sent for punishment.
3. Stolen items should be returned.
4. Each would aid in any wars.
5. When either came, they should leave their weapons behind.
6. They are friends of one-another.
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COLONIAL DAYS, BLENDING TRADITIONS SCRIPT 4&5TH GRADE CLASSES
The importance of this treaty is two-fold. One- it allowed the Pilgrims and Wampanoags to live
peacefully and be allies, and two- this was our nation’s first peace treaty.
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SLIDE TWELVE
Because of the treaty, the Pilgrims and Wampanoags eventually accepted each other, began to trust
each other and learn from each other and began to share their ways of life. This blend of cultures
created new ways of doing things and even new traditions. Our history’s greatest example of blending
these early traditions together is Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving was actually a feast that lasted over an entire week. They were celebrating the Pilgrim’s
first successful harvest. Chief Massasoit traveled two days to come to their celebration. The
Wampanoags brought many gifts to the Pilgrims to celebrate their harvest and enjoy the feast.
[QUESTION] Did they have turkey at the first Thankgiving feast? How about cranberry sauce or mashed
potatoes?
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SLIDE THIRTEEN
Let’s recap by going over the timeline of when the Pilgrims first came to America to first historical
example of blending traditions our Nation has.
[SPEAKER NOTES] Click on dots in chronological order and the caption and pictures will appear.
1) Sept 16, 1620 Mayflower leaves England for America.
2) Nov 9, 1620 Land is sighted Cape Cod, MA.
3) Dec 11, 1620 Pilgrims establish their first colony Plymouth.
4) Winter 1620-21 Pilgrims struggle to make shelter, first completed structure catches fire.
5) Mar 16, 1621 Samoset introduces himself to Pilgrims.
6) Mar 22, 1621 Pilgrims sign a peace treaty with Massosoit. They learn how to fish, plant crops and
hunt.
7) Spring 1621 William Bradford becomes the colony’s first governor
8) Fall 1621 Pilgrims harvest their first crops and decide to celebrate with a feast
9) Fall 1621 Pilgrims invite the Wampanaog to join them for the feast.
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