Wichita falls ISD
[U.S. History Grade 5]
Unit [4]: [Colonial America]
Lesson Planner
Time Frame: [12 Days]
Objectives
Skills: The student will be able to…
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Explain when, where, and why groups of people explored, colonized, and settled in the United
States, including the search for religious freedom and economic gain
Describe how and why people have adapted to and modified their environment in the United
States, past and present, such as the use of human resources to meet basic needs
Compare how people in different parts of the United States earn a living, past and present
Identify and compare the systems of government of early European colonists, including
representative government and monarchy
Identify examples of representative government in the American colonies, including the Mayflower
Compact and the Virginia House of Burgesses.
Summarize the contributions of people from various racial, ethnic, and religious groups to our
national identity.
Apply critical thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources,
including electronic technology.
Describe the accomplishments of significant individuals during the colonial period, including William
Bradford, Anne Hutchinson, William Penn, John Smith, John Wise, and Roger Williams
Express Ideas orally based on research and experiences and use social studies terminology correctly.
Analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships,
comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions,
and drawing inferences and conclusions.
Create written and visual material such as journal entries, reports, graphic organizers, outlines, and
bibliographies.
Lesson Information
Activities
Lesson 1:
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Vocabulary
 Political
characteristics
Sketch a graphic organizer on board/projector for students to copy
 Economic
into their Interactive Notebooks. (example: modified Frayer model).
characteristics
Put the word “Refuge” in the middle. Students may brainstorm as to  Social characteristics
the definition or the teacher may provide: Refuge: a place where
 Geographic
you can find relief, help, safety, and comfort in times of trouble.
characteristics
Facilitate a class discussion about “refuge” based on the description
 Religious freedom
provided. Students can provide examples from personal experiences  persecution
when they might have to seek refuge. Examples may include:
 colony
bullying, seeking shelter during a storm, going to a teacher or
 industry (ex. Cottage)
counselor for advice, etc..
 economic pattern
After a few minutes of discussion on the word refuge, relate the
 geographic factors
word back to the experience of the colonists. Many colonists were
 resources
seeking refuge when they came to America.
 free enterprise
Why do people seek refuge when leaving a country (their
 Representative
Wichita Falls ISD (2013-2014)
TEKS
Readiness:
5.1A, 5.9A,
5.13A, 5.14A
Supporting:
5.1B, 5.9B,
5.10AB,
5.11A,
5.14B,5.22AC
5.24AB,
5.25BD
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homeland)? (examples: war, hunger, no future, etc..)
Why might colonists from England be seeking refuge?
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What were they escaping? What were their fears?
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Students, individually or in pairs, read information about William
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Penn. *Include the article from the Library of Congress:
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_penn_1.html
With a partner students discuss and add information to the
vocabulary activity graphic organizer or *Interactive Notebook.
If possible, break students into 6 groups, giving each group the
Handout: Biographies & Colonial Leaders for the colonial leader
they will learn about.
Distribute to each group a large piece of butcher/drawing paper.
Students will then work together cooperatively to create a collage
centered around that colonial leader/biography and he will be
remembered. Each group needs to work together closely to become
“experts on their leader”. Teacher circulates, probing with
questions, correcting and clarifying information, and providing
additional input as needed.
Each group will present the collage of their “Colonial Leader” to the
class, while students record notes in their *Interactive Notebooks
and tell how each leader influenced the colony and whether his/her
impact or influence was economic, political (government), or social
(religion).
(2-3 days).
Lesson 2:
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During this lesson, review information with students about the 13
colonies. Focus on “comparing colonies” and the various regions:
(New England, Middle, and Southern).
 Have students using their handouts, textbooks, and/or classroom
resources to create a 4 column chart in their *Interactive
Notebooks-summarizing the political (government), economic
(industries), social (religion), and geographic (natural resources,
climate, landforms).
 Explain with an illustration how an individual or a geographic
feature contributed to the colonies’ uniqueness.
 *If desired, distribute the Handout: Comparing Colonies for
students to use. (Students can create their own chart that meets
the criteria. (2 days)
*Excellent Resource, Dinah Zike’s “U.S. History-Prehistory to
Reconstruction, pg. 11.
Lesson 3:
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In this lesson, students may refer to a map in their textbook or
handout of the 13 colonies (noting the regions). Students may
sketch a map of the 13 colonies in their Interactive Notebooks or use
a map you provide for them. In addition, *Distribute the Handout:
Colonial Industries to students in groups of 4 or fewer.
 Using their textbooks and/or other classroom resources, students
investigate locations of “key industries” in colonial America and
Wichita Falls ISD (2013-2014)
government
Compact
Political system
Monarch
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*note any reasons for those patterns of work (geographic factors
such as “natural resources” and “climate”).
Students may then glue the cutouts on the area where the industry
was located. *Great alternate source is the foldable from Dinah
Zike’s “U.S. History: Prehistory to Reconstruction”-pg. 11.
Students prepare answers using the following sentence stem:
*This industry developed in this region (location) because
____________________________.
*Students need to understand that jobs (economic activities) are
connected to the natural and human resources around them.
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To check for understanding, create a T-chart on the board or display
a map of the 13 colonies and create a classroom version as students
explain where the industry was found and provide support for their
thinking. (See teacher resource: Colonial Industries (key).
Facilitate a discussion where students share their ideas and explain
why that industry occurred at that location. Encourage use of
academic vocabulary including natural resources, economic system,
industry, and geographic factors.
Continue the discussion , prompting students by using questions
such as:
Why do you think these jobs/industries occurred at these
locations?
Do you think there is a connection between locations and where
the industry develops or where jobs are located? Why?
What can we say about industries/jobs and location? *students
reach consensus and jointly write a summary statement and record
in *Interactive Notebook.
A great extension activity (if time permits): Students create a 2 tab
organizer/foldable. On the left side tab-students write “colonial
times” and on the right tab they write “today”. Folding back the
flaps, students write a list of colonial industries, list of why they were
created and how they can be linked to free enterprise (see
handout). On the right side, students write some of today’s
industries that were created for a need and how they are a part of
the free enterprise system. (2-3 days).
Lesson 4:
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Write the words “Economics” and “Industry” on the board and
provide a brief definition for each word.
 Facilitate a discussion about industry and the economy in colonial
America. Ask questions such as:
 What did the colonists need when they moved to the colonies
 Where did they get these goods? (originally from England but that
took a long time and was very expensive, so people in the colonies
started producing goods and providing services themselves).
 Group students into three or four and provide each group with the
Handout: Colonial Jobs and the Handout: Colonial Jobs
“Definitions” (cut apart-1 set per group).
Wichita Falls ISD (2013-2014)
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Groups read the colonial jobs, speculate on what the job was and
what need it filled, and match the job with the definition. Groups
also discuss and brainstorm as to what colony in colonial America
this job or service might be found in and why.
Display the Teacher Resource KEY.
Students may then glue correctly into *Interactive Notebook.
Facilitate a discussion including questions such as:
How many jobs did you accurately match? Are there any of these
jobs in existence today?
What to these jobs have in common?
Why do think these jobs developed? (lead students to the
conclusion that all of these jobs developed in order to meet the
colonists’ basic needs).
When a person performed one of these jobs, what do you think he
did with the money he made? (1-2 days).
Instructional Note: It may be necessary to briefly introduce
mercantilism and free enterprise, summarizing the difference
between the two (including individual choice, profit motives, creation
of wealth, and extraction of wealth). *Definitions for industry and
cottage industry might need to be reviewed as well.
Lesson 5:
*Governing Systems in colonial America~ Introduce by viewing
Power Point: Types of Government-colonial America). An alternate
activity would be for students to use textbooks, internet, and/or
other classroom resources to define the following:
Mayflower Compact
Virginia House of Burgesses
Great Britain’s Monarchy
Parliament and the King/Queen
Representative Government
Mercantilism and Government Control
Students may work on finding the above meanings in small groups or
partners. They need to record their findings in the Handout:
Government (3 column chart/graph: Title, Description, & My
Drawing.)
Facilitate a discussion where students share what they have learned
and complete the chart together. This chart may then be
folded/glued into *Interactive Notebook for reference.
If available on-line (internet), display images of the Mayflower
Compact and its signing and the Virginia House of Burgesses.
 Facilitate a discussion of “representative government” and review
how the two systems incorporate the ideas of “representative
government”.
 Bring King George and the British Parliament into the discussion
using words such as:
 Britain had a limited monarchy at the time of the Revolutionary
War (Parliament, Great Britain’s lawmaking body, makes the laws
Wichita Falls ISD (2013-2014)
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for Great Britain), but King George was in charge of all meetings of
Parliament. The king named the ministers of government, and if he
later disagreed with them, he named different ministers.
Sometimes seats in Parliament could be bought and sold.
Continue the discussion offering students and opportunity to
“compare types of government”. The Handout: Comparing
Governing Systems can help students organize information for
better comprehension.
Representative Government—obtain power from the will of the
people. *Encourage students to answer the following questions
and provide support for key understanding.
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What systems of government existed in colonial America?
What systems of government did Great Britain have?
What is a representative government?
What is an unlimited government?
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Teacher may then project KEY after giving students time to
discuss/check answers. *Students may glue handouts in Interactive
Notebooks. (2 days).
Additional Information
Materials/Resources
Map of colonial America
Textbook (refer to pgs. 156-251)
Information on colonial leaders
Handouts: Biographies, Colonial Leaders
Paper(drawing)
Glue sticks
Marker/colored pencils
Map (regions of the 13 colonies: New England,
Middle, Southern)
Index cards
Refer to Types of Government (Colonial AmericaPowerpoint)
Notes from Council
*Students also access additional information about the lessons
by referring to their textbook, other available classroom
materials, and the internet.
*Alternate lessons and sources may be utilized by the teacher to
teach/reinforce the TEKS.
Parent Resources
 Textbook (pgs. 156-251)
 www.history.com (search Colonial American Economy, and Colonial American Government and Politics.
Wichita Falls ISD (2013-2014)