Students investigate daily life in the colonies through the eyes of a specific group. They analyze sources, build understanding, and share their findings through writing and presentation.
Students investigate daily life in the colonies through the eyes of a specific group. They analyze sources, build understanding, and share their findings through writing and presentation.
Students are introduced to the idea of studying colonial America through the daily lives of specific groups such as women, enslaved people, Indigenous communities, landowners, tradespeople, indentured servants, or children. After viewing an image of tobacco cultivation at Jamestown and reading about the lesson focus and objectives, they respond to two discussion walls: first, imagining themselves as time travelers choosing whose experiences and voices would best reveal what colonial life was really like, and second, posing one question they are curious to answer about life in the colonies.
Teacher MovesPresent the overview and objectives, emphasizing that the lesson centers on real people’s experiences, including those often overlooked. Decide and communicate whether students will work individually or in groups and how each group will be assigned a colonial group to study. Preview that students will analyze both curated and self-selected sources later in the lesson, and discuss expectations for research, valid sources, and evidence use. As students respond to the prompts, encourage them to think critically about whose stories are usually emphasized or left out and to approach the investigation with curiosity.
Students take on the role of historical investigators focused on one assigned group in colonial society. They read a targeted article about their group (choosing from Women in the Colonies, Enslaved People in the Colonies, Indigenous Communities in the Colonies, Landowners in the Colonies, Tradespeople in the Colonies, Indentured Servants in the Colonies, or Children in the Colonies) to learn about that group’s work, roles, challenges, and contributions. Using a graphic organizer, they record what the source reveals about daily life, the challenges or limitations their group faced, and the contributions the group made to colonial society. They then reflect by posting one question the article raises for them about life for their group and by writing a brief summary on a discussion wall that captures the main takeaways about their group’s daily life, challenges, and contributions.
Teacher MovesRemind students of their assigned groups and ensure each student or group accesses the appropriate article. Frame the reading as foundational research and guide students in using the graphic organizer to pull out key evidence rather than copying details. Prompt students to notice what surprises them or stands out, and to use precise, respectful language when describing each group’s experiences. As students generate questions and summaries, encourage them to move beyond listing facts to identifying patterns and big ideas. Consider having a few students share their summaries to highlight similarities and differences across groups and reinforce that colonial life varied greatly depending on identity and status.
Students extend their inquiry by conducting independent research on their assigned group. They locate one primary source (such as an original document, image, or firsthand account) and one secondary source (such as a more recent article, summary, or video) related to their group’s experience in colonial society. For each source, they post the link on a discussion wall and complete a graphic organizer that analyzes what the source shows about daily life, challenges, and contributions for their group. After analyzing both sources, students respond to two reflection prompts: first, explaining what their research reveals about their group’s daily life, challenges, and contributions and why this perspective is important for understanding the colonies as a whole; and second, listing at least two specific examples from their sources and explaining how those examples support their summary.
Teacher MovesBefore students begin researching, model how to identify and evaluate strong primary and secondary sources by asking who created the source, when and where it was made, its purpose, and how it connects to the research questions. Clarify expectations for valid, age-appropriate sources and internet safety, and decide whether to provide a curated set of resources or allow open searching. As students work, circulate to support source selection, help them distinguish between primary and secondary sources, and prompt them to use the organizer to anchor their thinking. Encourage students to synthesize across sources when writing their summaries and to explicitly connect their claims to evidence. Consider closing the scene with brief sharing or peer review so students can hear key takeaways from different groups and recognize the diversity of colonial experiences.
Students synthesize their learning by creating a “Day in the Life” card for their assigned group using a drawing tool. They design a visual representation that shows key aspects of daily life—such as work, home life, education, laws, challenges, and contributions—incorporating at least three accurate facts from their research through drawings, images, labels, and short explanatory text. After completing their cards, students present them orally to the class, explaining the choices they made, highlighting the group’s unique perspective, and teaching classmates about how their group experienced colonial society. Finally, students respond on a discussion wall to reflect on how people’s identities shaped their experiences in colonial America, supporting their ideas with examples from the presentations or their own research.
Teacher MovesExplain that this scene is an opportunity to creatively communicate research findings and, if helpful, model or show an example of a strong “Day in the Life” card, pointing out layout, labeling, and historical accuracy. Encourage students to include both visual and written elements that clearly convey daily life, challenges, and contributions for their group. Facilitate the oral presentations, prompting presenters to connect their visuals to specific evidence from their sources and to emphasize what they most want peers to understand. Consider using strategies such as a gallery walk, peer feedback, or note-taking to keep the audience engaged. After presentations, guide a whole-class discussion around the reflection prompt, drawing out patterns and contrasts across groups and helping students articulate how race, gender, age, and status shaped opportunities and challenges in the colonies.
Students complete a self-assessment of their research and explanatory writing. They answer multiple-choice questions about how confident they feel in the quality of their sources and their understanding of them, and how clearly they explained their group’s experience in their summary. They then write a brief reflection on a discussion wall explaining why they chose their responses, what went well in their research and presentation, and what they would do differently next time.
Teacher MovesIntroduce the self-assessment as a tool for reflection and growth, clarifying the criteria for strong research and clear explanation. Encourage students to respond honestly and thoughtfully. After students complete the questions and written reflection, review their responses to gauge how they perceived their own performance, identify common strengths and challenges, and determine next steps for supporting research and evidence-based writing skills in future lessons.
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