Name: Shannon Hopson

Lesson Title:


A Day in the Life
Subject Area:

Social Studies
Grade Level:

5th
Unit Title:

Colonial America
GLCEs/ Common
Core Standard

5 U2.3.3 Describe colonial life in America from the perspectives of at least three
different groups of people
(e.g., wealthy landowners, farmers, merchants, indentured servants, laborers and the
poor, women, enslaved people, free Africans, and American Indians). (National
Geography Standard 6, p. 154)
METS-S/NETS-T

5. RI.2. use digital tools to find, organize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate
information
Essential
Questions:

What kind of work did people do during colonial times? How was life
different/similar for people of different backgrounds in colonial times?
Objectives:

Using the teacher created Web Quest activity; students will evaluate the life,
occupation, and home of a colonial family. Students will answer specific
questions throughout the search
Tools and
Resources:
Teacher made Web Quest
Computers
Teacher created Web Quest worksheet
Paper and Pencils
Rationale:


Reading about people who lived long ago can be boring and dry. This activity is
aimed at giving students the opportunity to be a historian, collecting artifacts and
information to send to the future. Technology is used to bring to life the boring
textbook in new and exciting ways that connect with media driven students today.
Sequence of Activities:
Anticipatory
Questions/Activity:


What would it be like if there was no electricity? Have you ever thought about
where the food you eat comes from? What about the clothes and shoes you wear?
How long do you think it would take to travel if you didn't have a car? How would
you get around?

Teacher- Close your eyes for a moment. Think about some of the activities we have
done so far.If you lived during colonial times where do you think you would
live?.......Would you be a merchant, a farmer, a slave?.............Open your eyes. Not
all people had a say in what they did or who they worked for. If you were poor in
England, chances are you would be an indentured servant in the colony.
Student- What is an indentured servant?
Teacher-That is a good question. What do you think it might be?
Student- A slave, a maid, someone who has to work for another person?
Teacher- Those are great ideas. Indentured servants didnt have money to come to
the colonies. So they borrowed it from a wealthy or rich person in exchange for
doing work. You will learn more about indentured servants, slaves, merchants and
Name: Shannon Hopson

more people in your activity today.

Body of Lesson
Plan:


1. Pull up the WebQuest site and model for students the process of using this
WebQuest. http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=247310
2. Teacher-See the green tabs on the left? You will click on these tabs in order to
get your directions. Start with Introduction and go step by step to the
conclusion.


3. On the Process page you will see a link to a website. All of your information
will be gathered from this website. http://www.history.org/history/index.cfm

4. The directions are on the WebQuest Process page. Remind students to read all
of the instructions before they start their Quest.
5. Click on the web link to give students a sneak peek at what they will find.
Name: Shannon Hopson


6. Teacher- You will choose the People category to work on your inventory.
When you get into the list of people you will choose one African American,
one Euro American, and one Native American to complete a Historian
Inventory on.

7. Teacher- When you have finished at least one inventory on an African
American, a Euro American, and a Native American you may choose another
person to inventory. When you have completed at least three inventories you
may move on to your letter or journal entry.
8. Allow students 20 minutes to start their Quest. Students will be allowed to
work on the remainder of the WebQuest throughout the week during small
group instruction.

Conclusion

Students will use their inventory worksheets to write a letter to a family member or a
journal entry. The writing piece must include five different pieces of information
found on the inventory worksheet.


Name: Shannon Hopson

Lesson Differentiations:
Simplifications:

Students may complete a Web Quest for one person in the colony.
Extensions:

Students may choose additional people to research beyond the three they have chosen
for this activity.
Assessment
Piece:

Students will complete a teacher created worksheet to guide them through the Web
Quest and write a one page letter or journal entry.

Task Excellent-4 Good-3 Satisfacory-2 Needs
Improvment-1
Complete
at least 3
Historian
Inventories.
One in each
category.
Student
completed 4 or
more Historian
Inventories
Student
completed 3
Historian
Inventories.
Student
Historian
Inventories
were not from
three different
categories as
stated in the
instruction.
Less than 3
Historian
Inventories were
completed.
Write a
letter or
journal
entry from
the point of
view of one
person you
researched.
Writing is well
edited with
fewer than 2
grammatical or
spelling errors.
Writing is
well edited
with fewer
than 4
grammatical
or spelling
errors.
Writing is
edited with
fewer than 6
grammatical or
spelling errors.
Writing has
more than 6
errors.
The letter
or journal
entry will
include five
or more
different
facts from
the
Historian
Inventory.
Writing
includes more
than 5 facts
gathered on the
Historian
Inventory
worksheet.
Writing
includes 5
facts gathered
on the
Historian
Inventory
worksheet.
Writing
includes 4 facts
gathered on the
Historian
Inventory
worksheet.
Writing
includes 3 or
fewer facts
gathered on the
Historian
Inventory
worksheet.

Teacher Created
Handouts:

Historian Inventory

1. Who are you investigating? Where was their home? What kind of place was it?



2. Who lived there?



3. What did they do for work? How prosperous were they?

Name: Shannon Hopson



4. List three facts tell you about how they lived.
a)
b)
c)

5. Explain how your life might be different if you were this person.