Introduction
Guiding Questions:
What were the founding reasons and early struggles of your assigned colony?
How did geography and climate affect the economy and lifestyle of the people living in the colony?
What cultural, social, and economic factors influenced the development of the colony?
How did your colony interact with other colonies and indigenous populations?
What lasting legacies from your colony can be seen in modern American society?
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to identify key historical events, figures, and cultural developments in their assigned colony.
Students will analyze how geography and climate influenced the economy and way of life in their colony.
Students will use digital tools to create a visual and informative virtual museum exhibit showcasing their colonies history, economy, and culture.
Task
Students will create a virtual museum exhibit on a power point presentation for the 13 colonies. Each group will be given 2 colonies where they must explain and show the history,economy,culture, and geography of each colony given. You each will take on a role like a historian, geographer, economist, or cultural expert. Do research on your tasks and toward the end, present your findings as if you were museum keepers.
Process
Here is a step by step process on how this project must be completed. Each group will have 4 students.
Step 1: Divide responsibilities amongst the 4 of you. There will be a-
Historian- Who researched when the colony was founded. who founded it, and why it started. Create a timeline of ONE major event. Highlight at least 2 major historical figures during this time.
Geographer- Do research on the colony's geography. Find out the climate, what kind of landscape , and what kind of resources they bring to their economy. You may create your own or find a map and label rivers and towns. Then, explain how your findings Impacted the colony's ability to develop.
Economists- Research the economy of the colonies. Like what was being imported or exported. Explain how peoples labor affected the economy.
Cultural expert- Research daily life of the residents. You must include religion, traditions, education, and managing property. Did they interact with native Americans? Discuss their relationship.
Step 2: Research on the colonies given, Here are some links for each role to do research on the colony. Write down any important information needed and discuss with your group regularly so you all are on the same page.
Historian-:https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/thirteen-colonies and https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-colonies
Geographer: https://www.britannica.com/topic/American-colonies/American-social-and-cultural-development and https://www.studentsofhistory.com/comparing-colonial-regions
Economist: https://study.com/learn/lesson/colonial-economy-trade-history-purpose-f…. and https://guides.loc.gov/colonial-america-business-research/general-resources
Cultural expert-: https://study.com/academy/lesson/13-colonies-colonial-life-economics-po…. and https://mrnussbaum.com/13-colonies-regions-new-england-colonies
step 3: You can use PowerPoint or Google slides to create your presentation. You must have at least 6 slides with at least 2 pictures that correlate to each topic. Feel free to use maps, charts, or timelines. At the end you will present your presentation to the class.
Evaluation
Your project will be graded in four categories as in content teamwork creativity/ visuals and presentation.
Content(50%)
4- Detailed information and accurate information about the colonies. 3-Most information is detailed and accurate but has some gaps in information. 2- The information is somewhat accurate and detailed, missing key points. 1- Information is missing and information is inaccurate
Creativity and visuals (20%)
4-Project is clearly creative and visually engaging. 3- It is creative in a sense and visuals are good. 2- Very little creativity and visuals. 1- Absolute absence of visuals and creativity.
Teamwork(10%)
4- All members equally collaborated and contributed to the final project. 3- The majority of the group contributed without issues. 2- There were collaboration and contributing issues within the group.1- Very little collaborating among the group members.
Presentation(20%)
4 Clear and confident presentations with all members contributing. 3- Great presentation although some members did not contribute to the presentation 2- Unclear presentation 1- Presentation is done poorly and members lack participation in the presentation.
Conclusion
This virtual Museum exhibits webquest's intended purpose is to help students explore and understand the aspects and lifestyle of 13 colonies. Each student is designed to take on a certain role whether it be historian, geographer, economist or cultural expert and they must research topics like lifestyle, geography, and the start of the colony. The students will create a digital exhibit showcasing their findings and present to the class as if they were museum keepers. This way the webquest will help students better understand the topic and learn to work together as a team, enhance creativity skills, and presentation skills.
Here is an enrichment activity link: https://www.mission-us.org/games/for-crown-or-colony/