Unit 1 Overview

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SAMPLE Unit of Study: U.S. History

The Thirteen Colonies

Overview

Unit Description

In this unit, students explore the political, social, and religious characteristics of the three colonial

regions. They will trace the relationships between the colonists and English and between the colonists

and the American Indians, as well as the development of slavery in the colonies. Students will also

examine Enlightenment philosophies and how these ideas led to the American Revolution. This unit

includes a study of slavery in Colonial America. Teachers may wish to review some resources for

handling this sensitive topic in the classroom, such as the Teaching Tolerance podcasts here:

https://www.tolerance.org/frameworks/teaching-hard-history/american-slavery/podcast and the

Teaching Hard History report found here: https://www.splcenter.org/20180131/teaching-hard-

history.

Big Ideas

The American colonies were shaped by the time and reasons for their founding, as well as by their

geography and natural resources.

Geographic and cultural forces contributed to both conflict and cooperation between the

American colonists and American Indians.

The events that led up to the American Revolution can be traced back to a number of factors,

including economic, political, and cultural.

Slavery existed in all of the American colonies in varying ways, and the slave trade and the

experience of enslaved people was a brutal part of U.S. history.

Essential Questions

How were ideas of white supremacy, white power and privilege, and racism used to justify slavery

in Colonial America?

Why do people migrate?

In what ways was the French and Indian War a turning point in U.S. history?

How did the ideals of the Enlightenment influence colonists’ ideas about government? Do those

same ideals influence our own ideas about government today?

Unit 1 Overview

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Key Standards

The following focus standards are intended to guide teachers to be purposeful and strategic in both what

to include and what to exclude when teaching this unit. Although each unit emphasizes certain standards,

students are exposed to a number of key ideas in each unit, and as with every rich classroom learning

experience, these standards are revisited throughout the course to ensure that students master the

concepts with an ever-increasing level of rigor.

Gather and evaluate information from multiple sources while considering the origin,

credibility, point of view, authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources

SS.IS.4.9-12

Use interdisciplinary lenses to analyze the causes and effects of and identify solutions to local,

regional, or global concerns.

SS.IS.8.9-12

Evaluate how historical developments were shaped by time and place as well as broader

historical contexts

SS.H.1.9-12

Evaluate the methods utilized by people and institutions to promote change SS.H.3.9-12

Identify the role of individuals, groups, and institutions in people's struggle for safety,

freedom, equality and justice

SS.H.7.9-12

Analyze key historical events and contributions of individuals through a variety of

perspectives, including those of historically underrepresented groups

SS.H.8.9-12

Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past SS.H.11.9-12

Analyze the geographic and cultural forces that have resulted in conflict and cooperation SS.H.12.9-12

Recommended Structures

The Unit Outline included in this document provides a framework for weekly instruction, practice, and

assessment. Each week of instruction includes digital lessons that students will complete independently,

as well as opportunities for whole-group and small-group teacher-led instruction. The Unit Outline will

use the following icons.

Preparation for Weekly Instruction Modifications for Special Populations

Learning Goals

Supporting English Learners

Edgenuity Digital Lessons

Work for Early Finishers

Unit 1 Overview

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Additional Instructional Support

Developing Higher-Order Thinking

Supporting Reading Comprehension

Developing Writing and Grammar Skills

Social Emotional

Learning Connections

Common Misconceptions

& Reteaching Strategies

Unit 1 Overview

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Week 1 – Three Colonial Regions Unit 1: The Thirteen Colonies

Learning Goals This week, students will learn about the three regions in Colonial America.

Gather and evaluate information from multiple sources while considering the origin, credibility, point of view,

authority, structure, context, and corroborative value of the sources (SS.IS.4.9-12)

Evaluate how historical developments were shaped by time and place as well as broader historical contexts

(SS.H.1.9-12)

Evaluate the methods utilized by people and institutions to promote change (SS.H.3.9-12)

Analyze the geographic and cultural forces that have resulted in conflict and cooperation (SS.H.12.9-12)

Edgenuity Digital Lessons The New England Colonies

The Southern Colonies

The Middle Colonies

Week at a Glance

Day 1 Build background knowledge and introduce the unit.

1. Share with students an excerpt from of William Penn’s advertisement for colonists for Pennsylvania, Letter

to the Free Society of Traders, 1683 (sections I – X). The document can be found here:

http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/7440/.

Give a brief biography of William Penn, along with his purpose for creating the document (see

https://www.loc.gov/item/today-in-history/october-14/).

Have students read the primary source in small groups and list examples from the document that

Penn is using to “sell” life in the colonies. Next, have students infer what worries people might have

Unit 1 Overview

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had about moving to the colonies based upon Penn’s description. How does Penn try to address their

concerns?

Conduct a class discussion, asking questions such as: What does Penn write in this letter that sound

“too good to be true”? (Relate this to advertising techniques students may be familiar with today.)

How effective an advertisement is Penn’s letter, and why? Do you think people that read this

document would be more likely to move to the colonies as a result? What do you think motivated

the people who decided to move to Pennsylvania, and the other colonies, during this time? What

would it take to motivate you to move far from home, to a new country? Would it change your mind

if you knew you were unlikely to ever return home again? How would you feel if you were forced to

move to a new country, away from your family, and against your will?

2. Have students imagine they need to encourage colonists to relocate to their city or town. Conduct a class

discussion, asking questions such as: What are the most important features of the area? What kind of jobs,

homes, and social events are most important that a new resident would enjoy?

3. Have students create their own advertisements to persuade people to relocate to their town, by either

writing a letter or making a poster.

Teachers should note that some language in the later sections of this primary source document is sensitive in

nature. If teachers choose to include these sections, they should discuss the content and phrases in context with

the class before students read the document.

Day 2 Students will work independently on the digital lesson: “The New England Colonies.” Monitor students who are

struggling and provide individual attention as needed.

Day 3 Students will work independently on the digital lesson: “The Southern Colonies.” Monitor students who are

struggling and provide individual attention as needed.

Day 4 Students will work independently on the digital lesson: “The Middle Colonies.” Monitor students who are

struggling and provide individual attention as needed.

Unit 1 Overview

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Day 5 Have students work in small groups to complete a graphic organizer like the one below:

New England Colonies Middle Colonies Southern Colonies

Why was it

founded?

Who lives there?

What was the

economy like?

What were the

characteristics

of colonial

government?

How did the

physical

geography of

the region affect

colonial life?

What were the

religious

identities of the

colonists?

Modifications for Special Populations

Supporting English Learners Low Proficiency High Proficiency

Frontload needed vocabulary before students begin the

lesson on Day 2. Vocabulary needs will vary with each

Have students complete a Venn diagram comparing and

contrasting the settlers moving to new colonies (the

Unit 1 Overview

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student population, but consider including: Indentured

servant, slave, noble, overthrow, colonist, tax [taxation],

alliance, plantation, artisan, founded, proprietor,

persecute, bear arms, and cultivation.

“first immigrants”) vs. today’s modern immigrant

moving from their home country to the United States.

Discuss the two experiences.

Work for Early Finishers Have students re-imagine William Penn’s advertisement for colonists for Pennsylvania, Letter to the Free Society

of Traders, 1683 as a print ad or a commercial.

Developing Higher-Order

Thinking

Imagine moving to a foreign country and not having the ability to contact family or friends by cell phone or text. If

you could send a text message, what information would you share about the strange new environment? Share

three reasons why you would like for your family or friends to come live here with you.

Supporting Reading

Comprehension

The primary source used on Day 1 includes archaic grammar and word choice that some students may find

challenging. Teachers may wish to read the selection aloud, letting students follow along, stopping to discuss

unfamiliar words. Alternatively, teachers may also want to provide an abridged version of the document with

modernized language, which is available here:

http://www.livingston.org/cms/lib9/NJ01000562/Centricity/Domain/596/William%20Penn%20Letter%20to%20t

he%20Free%20Society%20of%20Traders.docx

Social Emotional

Learning Connections

This document and the digital lessons in this unit use the term American Indians, as opposed to Native Americans.

Discuss these two terms with students and explain that there is significant disagreement within the tribal

communities about which term is preferred. Edgenuity uses the term preferred by U.S. government agencies, but

there is no “right” term to use. In fact, some members of the community eschew both terms, preferring instead

to use more specific descriptors such as Cherokee and Navajo. Engage students in a discussion about the

controversy and the power of language to describe a population.

Unit 1 Overview

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Week 2 – Slavery Unit 1: The Thirteen Colonies

Learning Goals Students will explore the development of slavery and the experience of enslaved people in Colonial America.

Evaluate the methods utilized by people and institutions to promote change (SS.H.3.9-12)

Identify the role of individuals, groups, and institutions in people's struggle for safety, freedom, equality and

justice (SS.H.7.9-12)

Analyze key historical events and contributions of individuals through a variety of perspectives, including those

of historically underrepresented groups (SS.H.8.9-12)

Edgenuity Digital Lessons The Growth of Slavery

The French and Indian War

Sons of Liberty

Week at a Glance

Day 1 Students will work independently on the digital lesson “The Growth of Slavery.” Monitor students who are

struggling and provide individual attention as needed.

Day 2 Give students time to reflect on and discuss slavery in America.

1. Hang 6-8 documents and images around the room. Good sources for images include:

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/slavery/pictures

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/slavery

http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/082_slave.html

2. Ask students to walk around the room with a notebook and pen/pencil and Notice, Think, Wonder,

Connect.

Notice: Write down something you notice in the image.

Think: Write down what you think about that.

Unit 1 Overview

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Wonder: Write down a question that you wonder about based on what you noticed.

Connect: Make a connection to your own life and time.

3. Bring the class together and provide time for students to share their thoughts on a few of the images.

Ask students to vote on which images they found most powerful—either by a show of hands or by having

them stick small stickers on the images. Prioritize these in the discussion.

4. As students share, reflect and summarize the conversations; don’t judge. For example, you might say,

“I’m hearing a lot of ____ in the room” or “It seems like several people are feeling ______.”

Confronting the realities of slavery and its role in the history of our nation can bring up a variety of feelings in

students, and it’s important to give them time to process those feelings in a safe and guided way.

Day 3 Help students see the early cultural contributions of African Americans by reading and discussing poetry by

Phyllis Wheatley.

1. Provide some background knowledge on Phyllis Wheatley (see

https://www.biography.com/people/phillis-wheatley-9528784).

2. Project a hypertext version of her most famous poem, “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” where

the whole class can see it: https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/brought.html

and read the poem together as a class. Use the hyperlinked discussion questions to structure the reading

and discussion.

3. Divide students into groups of 3-4.

4. Direct each group to the hypertext version of one of Phyllis Wheatley’s poems—either by assigning half

the groups each poem or by letting students choose the poem they wish to read.

https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/tosm.htm

https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/webtexts/Wheatley/imagination.html

5. Have students read and discuss their poem, using the same format you modeled with “On Being Brought

from Africa to America.”

Unit 1 Overview

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6. If time allows, bring the class back together to share their overall thoughts on Wheatley’s poems and the

context in which she wrote.

Day 4 Students will work independently on the digital lesson “The French and Indian War.” Monitor students who are

struggling and provide individual attention as needed.

Day 5 Students will work independently on the digital lesson “Sons of Liberty.” Monitor students who are struggling

and provide individual attention as needed.

Modifications for Special Populations

Supporting English Learners Low Proficiency High Proficiency

Build background knowledge by having students watch

two videos pertaining to slavery and the Sons of Liberty

at https://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDQ124ji15/

and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y59tOAHilnU

&feature=youtu.be.

Choose a number of illustrations from the online

book about the French and Indian War A Charming Field

for an Encounter. Divide the class into small groups and

assign each group 2-3 images for which they will write

captions (assign them in chronological order). Each

group will make a poster with their

images/captions; upon completion the class will take

part in a gallery walk. The online book is provided by the

National Park Service and can be found here:

https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/fone/c

harming_field.pdf.

Work for Early Finishers Have students research and present their findings on other famous women from the Colonial era, such as Anne

Bradstreet, Anne Hutchinson, Mary Chilton, Mary Dyer, and Mary Rowlandson.

Unit 1 Overview

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Supporting Reading

Comprehension

During the Guided Reading of “On Being Brought from Africa to America,” model strategies for reading challenging

text. For example, pause after each line and put the text in your own words, using sentence starters like, “I think

this means…” or “To me, that means…” Think aloud and reflect on what you’ve read, using sentence starters like,

“That makes me wonder…” or “I don’t quite understand this, but it makes me think about….” Then circulate during

the small-group work and encourage students to use the same strategies as they read.

Social Emotional

Learning Connections

Discuss the power of language with students. How are the terms “slave” and “enslaved person” different? How

are the terms “owner” and “enslaver” different? Which did they first learn in elementary school and how might

that have shaped their perceptions of slavery?

Unit 1 Overview

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Week 3 – The Seeds of the Revolution Unit 1: The Thirteen Colonies

Learning Goals Students will trace how the French and Indian War started a chain of events that led to the American Revolution.

Use interdisciplinary lenses to analyze the causes and effects of and identify solutions to local, regional, or

global concerns (SS.IS.8.9-12)

Analyze multiple and complex causes and effects of events in the past (SS.H.11.9-12)

Evaluate how historical developments were shaped by time and place as well as broader historical contexts

(SS.H.1.9-12)

Edgenuity Digital Lessons The Enlightenment

Week at a Glance

Day 1 Open the class period with a discussion question:

Last week, we saw how a chain of causes and effects over many years led to Colonial rebellion. What

events are happening in our world now that could lead to local, national, or global consequences? How

might this unfold over time?

Students might cite climate change and the refugee crisis, tariffs and trade wars, the Black Lives Matter

movement, or local events. Help students engage in respectful discussion if challenging or controversial issues

are raised.

After students have had a chance to share their ideas, bring their attention back to the historical context of the

Colonial Period. Explain that—along with the chain of events that led from war to taxes to rebellion—the final

ingredient that led to revolution was a change in the way people in the Western world were starting to think

Unit 1 Overview

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about government: specifically the relationship between the government and the governed and the rights of the

governed. These new ideas provided the fodder for rebellion to evolve into revolution.

If time allows, have students begin the next digital lesson, “The Enlightenment.”

Day 2 Students will work independently on the digital lesson “The Enlightenment.” Monitor students who are

struggling and provide individual attention as needed.

Day 3 Use data to identify students who struggled with the lessons “The French and Indian War,” “Sons of Liberty,” and

“The Enlightenment.” Group students in pairs or triads such that each grouping has at least one student who

passed the three quizzes and at least one student who did not. Have students work in groups to write an

argumentative speech in favor of independence, drawing upon Enlightenment ideals in their rhetoric.

Common Misconceptions & Reteaching Strategies

Have groups who are struggling with their speeches first list the ideals of the Enlightenment (economic

relationship, quality of life, choices, attitudes, rebellion). Ask students to note how colonists might use

each idea to argue in favor of independence.

Day 4 Have all students complete the Unit Review.

Day 5 Have all students take the Unit Test.

Modifications for Special Populations

Supporting English Learners Low Proficiency High Proficiency

Have students complete a graphic organizer like the one

below about the causes of the colonial rebellion as a

review for the Unit Test.

Have students review for the upcoming exam by

creating their own set of Quizlet

flashcards. (Quizlet.com is a free website that enables

teachers and students to create digital flash

Unit 1 Overview

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CAUSE EFFECT

cards. Quizlet automatically generates interactive

games and tests of material entered by the user.)

An example of a set of Quizlet flashcards pertaining to

The Enlightenment can be found

at https://quizlet.com/217144069/enlightenment-

influence-on-declaration-of-independence-flash-cards/.

Work for Early Finishers Have students create a timeline to document relevant details of events from the French and Indian War up to the

Revolutionary War, connecting events to ideals of Enlightenment.

Developing Higher-Order

Thinking

If time allows, encourage students to journal or discuss the questions below with other students:

Was the American Revolution inevitable? Why or why not?

Social Emotional

Learning Connections

Pair students and ask them to discuss what freedom means to them. Then have students come up with three ways

in which colonists were not able to live freely. Ask pairs to share their thoughts and discuss with the class whether

any of these issues are still present today in the United States or in the world.