My Newest and Best Resources for Teaching the Colonial Era
I didn’t post anything last week because I was rushing to get my new book, HISTORY QUESTERS Colonies Trek ready to distribute in time to be used for your Colonial Unit. I’m thrilled to announce that the e-version is now available at Amazon and Barns and Noble.
The Teacher’s Guide that accompanies HISTORY QUESTERS Colonies Trek is available here. Hard copies are still coming in the future, but I was eager to make the novel and teaching materials available for use by students this year—especially in light of the Common Core Standards creating an urgent need for more aligned resources. While I was writing my last post about teaching the Colonial Period, I kept thinking about all of my best strategies and activities that had to wait to be shared, so I decided to publish an e-book format first. In this post I will tell you a little about the book and the activities for teaching about the American Colonies that I developed to go with it. I will also share some reading and discussion strategies for any social studies or ELA class (scroll down).
About the Book
HISTORY QUESTERS Colonies Trek is about a group of kids who travel to the Colonial Period via a Q-Pad and get entangled in real historical events with real historical figures. Because many teachers are faced with diminishing time to teach Social Studies content as they prepare their students for standardized testing in Reading and Language Arts, I saw the need to provide a way to do both at the same time. Even classes that have the luxury of a whole period to teach Social Studies Content, the common core standards necessitate teaching literacy as well. To purchase the e-book for just $3.99 click here to go to my page on Amazon or here for Barns and Noble.
Besides having all of the Social Studies content most state standards require in the form of a sweeping saga of the Colonial Era, the novel tells a compelling coming of age story with all of the rich characters, complex plot and sensory imagery that an ELA teacher would want. It is appropriate for students in 5th-9thgrades and is versatile enough to be used as a supplementary extra credit reading assignment or independent study unit if there is no time in class, or as an entire curriculum unit. It will work well for both regular and homeschool classrooms.
About the HISTORY QUESTERS Teachers Guide and Activity Book
The 90 page HISTORY QUESTERS Colonies Trek Teacher’s Guide includes over 30 interdisciplinary activities that can be used to enhance and enrich the reading experience. Many of them can be used alone, without reading the novel, but together the novel and the teacher’s guide form a complete unit with more than enough material to teach the Colonial Period. A textbook would not even be needed. There are primary source documents, maps, timelines, graphic organizers, graphs, charts, art activities and cooperative learning activities. Here is a copy of the table of contents.requirements of most states.
Look at the Table of Contents:
Lesson Ideas for History Questers’ Colonies Trek……………………………….…4-12
Learner Standards Correlations……………………………………………………..13-14
Background Activities
Time Quest: European Colonies in North America teacher key……………..…..15-16
Time Quest: European Colonies in North America student page…………….……..17
Motives for English Colonization Chart Teacher key…………………………………18
Motives for English Colonization Chart student page………………..……………….19
Push-Pull Factors Activity teacher key…………………………………………………20
Push-Pull Factors Activity student page………………………………………..………21
Strategies for Reading History Questers’ Colonies Quest
HISTORY QUESTERS Colonies Trek Discussion Questions……………..…….22-27
Readers’ Theatre: The Wampum Belt Cast of Characters………………….……28-29
Readers’ Theatre: The Wampum Belt………………………………………..…….30-36
Readers’ Theatre: The Wampum Belt Debriefing Questions student pages…..37-38
Readers’ Theatre: The Wampum Belt Debriefing Questions key……………….39-41
13 Colonies Chart key…………………………………………..……………….……….42
13 Colonies Chart student page….……………………………………….……………43
PEGS New England Colonies Chart key………………………………………………………..44
PEGS (Political, Economic, Geography, Social ) Middle Colonies Chart key……….45
PEGS Southern Colonies Chart key…………………………………………………….….46
PEGS New England Colonies Chart student page……………………………………47
PEGS Middle Colonies Chart student page…………………………………………….48
PEGS Southern Colonies Chart student page……….…………………………………49
Terms and Vocabulary Activities
Colonies Terms Crossword Puzzle key…..…………………….………………………….……50
Colonies Terms Crossword Puzzle student page……………………………………..51
Each One Teach One: Colonial Terms……………………………………………….…52
Each One Teach One: Blank……………………………………………………………..53
Art-based Activities
Timeline Key ………………………………………………………………………..…54-55
Timeline student pages……………………..………………………………….…….56-57
Tree of Liberty Activity Bulletin Board Template……….……………………..……….58
Tree of Liberty Activity key…………………………………………….…….…………..59
Tree of Liberty Activity student page…………………………………………………60-61
Story Elements Cube……………………………………………………….…………….62
HOTS (Higher Order Thinking and Skills) Daily Activities
Foundations of Freedom: Analyzing Documents key……………..………….…….…63
Document A: Mayflower Compact…………………………………….…………..64
Document B: Rhode Island Charter………………………………………………65
Document C: English Bill of Rights………………………………………………..66
The First Thanksgiving True/ False and Evidence key…….…………………..…67-68
The First Thanksgiving Teaching Notes……………………………………….……….69
Document A: Edward Winslow’s Mourt’s Relation………………….…….….…70
Document B: First Thanksgiving Painting………………………………….……..70
Document C: Journal of William Bradford…….………………………….……….71
Document D: National Thanksgiving Day Proclamation…..……….……………71
The First Thanksgiving True/ False and Evidence student page..………….……72-73
Colonial Economy Map key ………….………………………………………………..…74
Colonial Economy Map student page……………………………………………….75-76
Triangular Trade Map key……….………………………………………………………..77
Triangular Trade Map student page……………….……………………………………78
Colonial Ethnic Population Graph key…..………………………………………….…..79
Colonial Ethnic Population Graph student page……………………………….………80
Did Pocahontas Save John Smith? Analyzing the Evidence key…….……….…..…81
Did Pocahontas Save John Smith Teaching Notes.……………………………….…82
Background Reading on John Smith and Pocahontas by Dr. John Birchfield…83-88
Document A: John Smith’s A True Relation…………………..…….…….…….89
Document B: John Smith’s General History of Virginia………………….…….89
Did Pocahontas Save John Smith? Analyzing the Evidence student page…………90
Reading Strategies for Social Studies
I don’t want this blog to turn entirely into a sales pitch, because its true purpose is to share teaching ideas that can benefit all of our students. In celebration of the book’s release, I thought I would share some reading strategies today. I have used my book as the example, however. 
There are many options for reading History Questers’ Colonies Quest, or any history-based book. Using a variety of strategies will enhance the experience. It is best to break the reading into small chunks of a chapter or two. Whichever reading strategies are used, they should be accompanied with pre-reading activities that access prior knowledge and give background; during reading activities that engage the student and make them think; and post-reading activities that reinforce learning, build new understandings and apply them to new connections.
Independent Reading
Students could read the book, or some chapters, for homework, or as summer reading. It could also be read as an extra credit assignment or as an enrichment assignment for GT students.
Teacher Read
Teacher could read aloud some chapters. This might work best for the first few chapters to introduce the novel.
Pair or Group Read
Form History Questers teams in your class. Let each team choose a name and work together for some of the reading and/or activities. They can read aloud to each other.
Reader’s Theatre
Some of the scenes could easily be acted out or read as a script. It would be engaging to assign groups to rewrite these scenes (or portion of scene) with a narrator and dialogue, and act them out for the class as you get to that part of the novel. One such scene has already been turned into a Reader’s Theatre as an example. The Wampum Belt is available as a free download for a limited time. It is also available in the Teacher’s Guide.
PEGS Chart
The History Questers kids in the novel are collecting political, economic, geographic, and social information during their quest. It would be logical for your students to collect it along with the characters. If they are working in teams you could assign each team member a different category to collect and share with group, or watch out for if reading aloud. Students can record their information on the charts provided for each region. The History Questers visit a representative colony of each region, but all colonies are discussed within those chapters.
HOTS Discussion Questions
Discussion questions in sequential order are provided for each chapter, along with the chapter and scene where the answers are found. The questions range from fact-based to higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students could answer them independently, or during group reading. They could also be used solely as discussion questions after reading a chapter or chapters. Teachers can choose all or some of them. There are questions that meet English/Language Arts Literacy standards and questions that meet Social Studies Standards as indicated by the Common Core Literacy Standards and TEKS.
13 Colonies Chart
This chart lists the region, the date, and reason for establishment of each of the colonies and has spaces to fill in the colonies’ names. It could be used as a guided reading activity. It could also be used as a check for understanding, guided practice, or evaluation tool. You could also change the chart so that it gives only the Colonies’ names and students fill in the other information as notes during a lecture/discussion or during reading. All of the information is in the novel.
Discussion Activities
HISTORY QUESTERS Colonies Trek or any book is best taught through a variety of educational experiences. Reading and writting activities alone will not provide a rich, interactive educational experience. At least some portions of the novel and the events it portrays should be discussed as a class and or in group settings. The activities provided in the teacher’s guide are designed to guide, facilitate, or stimulate discussion.
Inner/Outer Circle
Once students are familiar with the origins of the colonies and the geographic regions, you may want to go a bit deeper. One way that you can get to the analysis and evaluation level of Blooms is to have an Inner/Outer Circle discussion—especially with older students. Assign 1/3 of your class to become experts on the New England Colonies, 1/3 on the Middle Colonies and 1/3 on the Southern Colonies. (or add a separate group for Chesapeake, if you wish.) These will become the inner circle and will answer the questions and elaborate during the discussion of their region. There are several options for the Outer Circle. You can have them pre-write and ask the questions, or ask for elaboration during the discussion, or just take notes and listen. Even younger ones can do this if you adjust the level of the questions. Even younger students can do this if you ask the questions and make them simpler.
Placemat discussion
A form of group discussion that is interactive, yet quiet is the placemat discussion. Begin by grouping students in threes or fours. Hand each group a discussion mat, which is a large piece of butcher paper divided into four sections. Write an open- ended question in each section. Explain to students that they will answer the question on their section by writing their comments on the butcher paper. After a minute or two have them turn the paper so that they are answering the next question. When each student has answered all four questions, turn the paper again and ask each student to comment on everyone else’s answers. Encourage them to ask new questions and make new observations. You may even want to turn it a third time. Have each student use a different color marker so that you can identify who made each comment. This also facilitates grading. This would work well as a chapter debrief or at the end of the book.
Here are some sample questions using Chapter 7 in HISTORY QUESTERS as an example.
What is the young Scotsman’s attitude toward Native Americans? What caused him to feel that way?
What was Braxton’s attitude toward Native Americans? What caused him to feel that way?
Do you think William Penn followed through on his promise to make Pennsylvania a Holy Experiment? Explain.
What do you think the team learned from hanging out with the Native American boys in Pennsylvania? Would you enjoy spending a day like this?
