Overview of this
Project
Students will actively
engage themselves in the Project Based Learning study of the Colonial
period
of American history. In collaborative groups, the students will
do
research of their character's particular social group (gentry, middling
class, working poor and enslaved Africans). From that shared
group
research, they will then refine further research to their particular
character.
They can collaborate further by contacting Colonial Williamsburg
reenactors
and email students at a Williamsburg area school through ePals.
Purpose of This Unit
Enduring Understanding: A
person's
location in a given social order influences the person's perspective,
both
in the past and in today's world.
Essential
Questions
What
were some
historical perspectives of the various groups in the 1770's on the
issue
of Independence and how does that relate to life in our nation today?
What
are the
most important elements of researching primary documents/resources?
Who
were the
colonial characters whose narratives were studied?
How
does the
historical period effect the experiences related in the narratives?
What
are primary
sources and documents?
How
are primary
documents useful in studying the past?
In
what ways
can historical fact be presented?
How
can historical
primary sources be used to develop historical fiction?
What
can we
learn from the past that can be useful?
What were the
conditions of various
social groups in 1770's Virginia that led to the change from a loyal
British
colony to a leading proponent of Independence?
What was life like for
people of
the various social groups in that time and place?
Learning Objectives of This Unit
This project will have the following
outcomes:
1. Students will understand the daily life
of members
of the various social classes which existed in the Williamsburg,
Virginia
area in the early to mid-1770's, leading up to the American
Revolution.
2. Students will meet Specific
Objectives (from California State History/Social
Science
Standards and ISTE) :
California State History/Social
ScienceOBJECTIVE
:
The students will understand the political,
religious,
social, and economic institutions that evolved in the colonial
era.
1. The students will Understand how
the British
colonial period created the basis for the development of political
self-government
and a free-market economic system (California Social Studies Standards
5.4.5)
2.The students will understand the
influence of
location and physical setting on the founding of the original 13
colonies (California Social Studies Standards 5.4.1)
3. The students will describe the
introduction
of slavery into America, the responses of slave families to their
condition,
the ongoing struggle between proponents and opponents of slavery, and
the
gradual institutionalization of slavery in the South.(California Social
Studies Standards 5.4.6)
4. The students will explain the early
democratic
ideas and practices that emerged during the colonial period, including
the significance of representative assemblies and town meetings.
(California
Social Studies Standards 5.4.7)
LANGUAGE ARTS OBJECTIVES:
1. The students will Create multiple
paragraph
expository compositions:
Writing
1.0
Writing Strategies
Students
write clear, coherent, and focused essays. The writing exhibits
the students'
awareness
of the audience and purpose. Essays contain formal introductions,
supporting
evidence, and conclusions. Students progress through the stages
of the
writing
process as needed.
Organization
and Focus
1.1
Create multiple-paragraph narrative compositions:
a.
Establish and develop a situation or plot.
b.
Describe the setting.
c.
Present an ending.
1.2
Create multiple-paragraph expository compositions:
a.
Establish a topic, important ideas, or events in sequence or
chronological
order.
b.
Provide details and transitional expressions that link one paragraph
to another in a
clear
line of thought.
c.
Offer a concluding paragraph that summarizes important ideas and
details.
Research
and Technology
1.3
Use organizational features of printed text (e.g., citations, end
notes,
bibliographic
references)
to locate relevant information.
1.4
Create simple documents by using electronic media and employing
organizational
features
(e.g., passwords, entry and pull-down menus, word searches, the
thesaurus,
spell
checks).
1.5
Use a thesaurus to identify alternative word choices and meanings.
Evaluation
and Revision
1.6
Edit and revise manuscripts to improve the meaning and focus of writing
by
adding,
deleting, consolidating, clarifying, and rearranging words and
sentences.
Technology
ISTE National Technology Standards
1.Basic operations and
concepts
Students demonstrate a sound
understanding
of the nature and operation of technology systems.
2. Students are proficient in
the
use of technology.
3. Technology productivity
tools
Students
use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity,
and promote creativity.
Students
use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing
technology-enhanced models, prepare publications, and produce
other
creative works
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