Colonial America and Classroom Simulations Christy G. Keeler, Ph.D.

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The below lesson plan (also available for download in PDF) introduces students to activities common in daily life during colonial times. Daily Life in Colonial America: Simulations Prepared by Christy G. Keeler, Ph.D. Intended Grade Level(s): 2-12 Lesson Overview: Students will simulate daily activities common during the colonial America era. Through the process, they will learn the history of daily life in the colonies and will gain comparative perspective between lives of the colonists and their own lives. Teachers may deliver subsections of this lesson in a rotating learning center format or as whole class simulations. Objectives: • Students will identify common chores and other daily activities during the American colonial era. • Students will differentiate between daily activities today and those of the colonial era. Procedure Anticipatory Set: As students enter the classroom, have them respond to the following question: “What types of chores and other activities did children in colonial America do on a daily basis?” Reading Prompt: Read the book Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl by Kate Waters aloud to the class. After the story, work as a class to complete a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting “Daily Life” of colonial children and children today. Next, have students postulate reasons for the differences (e.g., technological change, trade partnerships, cultural differences). Explain that students will have the opportunity to experience several colonial American activities. As they experience the activities, they should ponder how their lives would have been different if they had been born in the 1600s as opposed to the 21st century. Activities Teachers may organize these activities in a variety of ways and may choose to use one, some, or all of the activities. One method is to designate one location for each activity and have students rotate, in groups of approximately three to four students, between activity centers. This would work well on a day designated as “Colonial American Day.” For younger children, parent volunteers may chaperone each learning center to assist and guarantee student safety. Teachers may choose to require students keep a travel log for each activity they complete. To “pass” the activity, each child would need to provide a 3-sentence description of the activity experienced in the center. Another model may involve having students work as an entire class completing a single activity. Teachers could organize their colonial American unit to include a different activity each day. Students could keep daily journals about their travels through colonial America, describing their impressions each day of the journey. Candle Making This method of candle making allows students to create one candle at a time. During colonial times, many candles were made at once. Needed Materials: 8 metal cans (e.g., soup cans), cold water, string, 4 pencils, 1 pair of scissors, melted paraffin wax (keep the wax as cool as possible without allowing it to harden), newspaper Procedures: Cover the table with newspaper so any dripped wax can be easily disposed. Fill four metal cans will cold water and four with melted wax. Have students cut off an approximately one-foot length of string and tie one end of the string to the center of the pencil so that the length of string hanging down is about the height of the can. First, they will dip the tips of their fingers in the wax and run their fingers along the string. This will give the string some weight and shape. Next, they will dip their string into the wax. After waiting a few seconds, they will remove the string by lifting the pencil and will dip the string into the cold water. This will cool and harden the wax. Students will then alternately dip the growing candle in the wax and water until it is as thick as the student prefers.Making Butter Rural colonists tended to make their own butter, but those in towns had less land for cattl

To design a Colonial American Day program, I recommend offering six stations with one or more adult volunteers manning each station. Each station would have a different theme and each activity at that station should take 15-20 minutes to complete. Teachers at Hayes Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, led by Shauna Harris, designed a program to match this description. You can view their 90-minute rotation plan here and the accompanying Pilgrim's Passport (a sheet for student reflection on at each station) here. Alternatively, teachers may choose to dedicate one day to an individual station's theme, doing all the activities from that station in a whole class or small group setting throughout a single day. Station possibilities include art, cornhusk dolls, science, games, cooking, and household chores/trades. Examples of centers for each of these stations appear below and are also available as a downloadable document. The downloadable document is editable and includes needed materials for 72 participants (12 per station at one time). Pictures of these activities taken on September 16, 2009 at Green Valley High School as part of the Clark County School District Teaching American History Grant appear below. ___________________________________________ Cornhusk Dolls Place a tarp on the floor and place a large tub of water in the middle to pre-soak cornhusks. Materials: Version: Corn husks (enough for each participant to have about 10 husks), Ball of string or twine, Scissors, Large tub filled with water (place corn husks in water before class), Rubberband ball, Tarp Use the instructions available at http://www.teachersfirst.com/summer/cornhusk.htmHere is a video of third graders in Ms. Graham's classroom at Staton Elementary School making cornhusk dolls. Video ___________________________________________ Science Sundials Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 9. Materials: Ream of cardstock (any light color), Scissors, Black felt tip pens, Rulers, Protractor, Scotch tapeMeasuring Tree Height Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 22. Materials: Ball of string, Scissors, Measuring Tape/Yardstick, Masking tapeMaking Compasses Use instructions from Carlson, L. (1997). Colonial Kids: An Activity Guide to Life in the New World (A Kid's Guide series). Chicago Review Press, page 16. Materials: Small magnet, Nails (long), Pie pans (filled with water), Wine corksCandle Making Place melted paraffin into clean cans placed on beverage warmers (to keep wax melted). Have students wrap the end of an approximately 12" string to one end of a pencil or popsicle stick and wet the string to give it some weight. Have students dip their string into the wax and then immediately into the water. Repeat this process until the candle forms to a reasonable size. Use hands to massage the candle into the proper shape. Materials: Ball of white string, Popsicle sticks, Household paraffin wax, Scissors, Beverage warmers, Cans (fill half with water), Aluminum foil (to cover beverage warmers to keep them clean)Here is a video of third graders in Ms. Graham's classroom at Staton Elementary School making candles. Video___________________________________________ Games Jacks Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 39. Materials: Jacks, Small rubber ballsJackstraws Use instructions from King, D. (1997). Colonial Days: Discover the Past with Fun Projects, Games, Activities, and Recipes (American Kids in History Series). Wiley, John & Sons Inc., page 94. Materials: Handfuls of coffee stirring strawsHoop Roll Use instructions from Car