Students learn how the challenges of colonial life led to the development of representative government in the colonies. They explore how early documents reflected colonists’ efforts to govern themselves and protect their rights.
Students learn how the challenges of colonial life led to the development of representative government in the colonies. They explore how early documents reflected colonists’ efforts to govern themselves and protect their rights.
Students read an introduction explaining that people throughout history have created and changed governments, then review the lesson objectives about colonial representative government. They examine an image of King Charles II and respond to a word cloud prompt by adding brief ideas about why people or groups might want to change their government or create a new one.
Teacher MovesPreview the lesson focus on colonial self-government and review key vocabulary, especially charter, compact, legislative body, representative government, and self-government. If needed, briefly revisit prior learning about charters. After students submit word cloud responses, highlight repeated or insightful terms and use questions about fairness, voice, and decision-making to surface the idea of representation before moving on.
Students read Foundations of Colonial Self-Government to learn about conditions that encouraged colonists to govern themselves. Using a two-column graphic organizer, they list specific conditions or challenges on one side (such as distance from England or diverse colonial goals) and explain on the other side how each led to forms of local self-government.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the reading by emphasizing that colonists developed self-government gradually in response to real needs and beliefs. Circulate as students read and complete the organizer, checking comprehension of terms like representative government and helping them identify clear cause-and-effect relationships. Afterward, review each condition and outcome as a class, using guiding questions to connect colonial challenges to the emergence of local decision-making and representative assemblies.
Students read short articles on three colonial governing documents—The Great Charter: The House of Burgesses, The Mayflower Compact, and The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut—to see how different colonies organized leadership and lawmaking. They complete interactive questions, including a drag-and-drop activity, a multiple-choice item about how these documents show the beginnings of representative government, and a collaborative wall response explaining what the documents reveal about how colonial communities approached creating government.
Teacher MovesFrame the scene as a shift from general causes of self-government to concrete examples in specific colonies. As students work, monitor their responses for confusion between equality and representation, clarifying that chosen leaders acted on behalf of others even though participation was limited. During review, connect each document back to themes such as local control, English traditions, and the need for order, and use the final open responses to reinforce how these written plans marked early steps toward representative government.
Students closely examine an excerpt from the Mayflower Compact as a primary source to understand why and how the colonists chose to govern themselves. In a hot-text activity, they select the phrase that best explains why the colonists signed the Compact, answer a multiple-choice question about the responsibilities the colonists took on when setting up self-government, and post to a class wall explaining how the Mayflower Compact helped start the idea of self-government in the colonies using evidence from the text.
Teacher MovesExplain that this optional extension deepens understanding by analyzing the settlers’ own words. Support students in unpacking the dense language of the excerpt, directing attention to key phrases about forming a “civil body politick,” creating “just and equal laws,” and promising obedience. Provide scaffolds as needed for the final written response, prompting students to link specific phrases from the Compact to broader ideas of consent, shared rule, and the beginnings of representative government.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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