Description of lesson/activity
1. locate the geographic features of North America, the boundaries of lands controlled by the English, French, Spanish and Dutch, and explain how geography influenced claims and settlement.
2. describe the economic, political, and social factors that influenced the development of the colonies.
3. locate and identify the geographic features of the Atlantic coast, the thirteen English Colonies, major trading centers and identify the three geographic regions, the natural resources, and products of each region.
4. interpret data.
5. practice note-taking skills.
6. gather and organize information.
7. create a persuasive poster.
2. The first activity is based on the accompanying chart entitled, "European Colonization of North America," which is used for the writing of a persuasive letter. First, students should fill in the chart to compare and contrast colonies. Student answers to the chart will vary depending on the resources available to students, but should be complete enough for students to interpret the data for the next part of the assignment. There are no written student directions for the chart activity, so teachers should explain the assignment to the class.
3. When they have completed the chart, students should prepare a poster attracting settlers to one nation's colony. The accompanying "Poster to Attract Settlers" handout explains the assignment, and the accompanying "Criteria for Assessment of Colonization Posters" should be used to grade the finished products. The posters may be displayed around the room after they have been graded.
4. The third activity, entitled "The English Colonies in the 1750s" (worksheet provided), again involves geography. Student should be assigned both the map and the directions. The map focuses on the grography, political boundaries, natural resources and products of the English colonies.
5. Finally, the teacher should lead a discussion based on the map above; students should be asked to explain the differences between the three geographic sections, what about each section would attract people to settle there, and what ways of making a living would be found in each section.
Resource 1: European colonization of North America: Chart
Resource 2: Poster to Attract Settlers
Resource 3: Criteria for Assessment of Colonization Posters
Resource 4: "The English Colonies in the 1750s"
Resource 5: Blank Map