Welcome to Colonial America!
You have just traveled back to Colonial America. How different things are here! Gone are the lives you are used to- no more cellphones or texting for you. What was life like 300 years ago?
Step 1: Who are you?
You will be placed into groups of students. Once you know who your group members are, you will all have to agree on which colony you want to live in. When you all agree on where you want to live, you each get to decide who your character is going to be. Come up with a description that includes your name, age, occupation, and family members. Your characters can be from the same family, but they don’t have to be. Remember, the information that you look up in the next steps will need to fit with who your character is and where you live, so choose wisely!
Step 2: Gather Information
Use the websites below to find information about what your life would be like as a colonist. Remember, you are going to use this information later to write your readers theater so pay attention to details! Use your graphic organizer to jot down some important information. While you can add other things to your readers theater, you must include information about:
- What their schools were like
- What kind of jobs they had
- What games and toys they played with
- What type of clothes they wore
- One other interesting aspect of Colonial life you discovered
Education
* Colonial Education
*Schooling
* Schools in the different colonies
* History of Education in Colonial America
Jobs
*What did the colonists do for a living?
*Occupations and jobs in the colonies
*Trades in the colonies
Daily Life
*Life in the colonies
*Life for kids in the colonies
* Chores for kids
*Games and toys
*Clothing in the colonies
*Fashion for colonists
*Wigs and hair
* Colonial Education
*Schooling
* Schools in the different colonies
* History of Education in Colonial America
Jobs
*What did the colonists do for a living?
*Occupations and jobs in the colonies
*Trades in the colonies
Daily Life
*Life in the colonies
*Life for kids in the colonies
* Chores for kids
*Games and toys
*Clothing in the colonies
*Fashion for colonists
*Wigs and hair
Step 3: Creating a Colonial Skit
Now that you are an expert on what life was like in Colonial America, you are going to use that knowledge to create a skit to teach the class about what a day in the life of your family was like. Here are the roles each member should take on:
1. Task Master- this person is in charge of the group. You will make sure all group members stay on task at all times, take turns in sharing their ideas, and help members to compromise. You need to be responsible and feel comfortable in a leadership role. You are also in charge of making sure everything in your skit is historically accurate. (you will help everyone involved)
2. Recorder- this person will be writing down the ideas of the group on the graphic organizer. You will need to have good handwriting and so all group members can understand what is written. Once you have assisted the typist you will work with the costume/prop specialist to help them with their job.
3. Typist- this person will work closely with the Recorder to organize the script. Once all of the ideas have been put together, it is your job to type it up for the group. You should have good typing skills. Once you are done typing the script, you will work with the Costume/Props Specialist to help them with their job.
4. Costume/Prop Specialist- this person is in charge of coming up with ideas for everyone's costume (consult your group members to see what they can wear from home) - nothing needs to be purchased. You will need to know, or be able to find, the type of clothing each character would have worn in Colonial America. You will also be in charge of collecting and organizing the groups props to be used in your skit. The props should look authentic and add to the overall experience of the skit. Props can be made out of recycled materials or anything you can find in the classroom. If you have an idea let me know and I will help you create it. Think of your backgrounds - you can use Google slides or draw a background on large paper. BE CREATIVE! (You must also contribute to the script).
1. Task Master- this person is in charge of the group. You will make sure all group members stay on task at all times, take turns in sharing their ideas, and help members to compromise. You need to be responsible and feel comfortable in a leadership role. You are also in charge of making sure everything in your skit is historically accurate. (you will help everyone involved)
2. Recorder- this person will be writing down the ideas of the group on the graphic organizer. You will need to have good handwriting and so all group members can understand what is written. Once you have assisted the typist you will work with the costume/prop specialist to help them with their job.
3. Typist- this person will work closely with the Recorder to organize the script. Once all of the ideas have been put together, it is your job to type it up for the group. You should have good typing skills. Once you are done typing the script, you will work with the Costume/Props Specialist to help them with their job.
4. Costume/Prop Specialist- this person is in charge of coming up with ideas for everyone's costume (consult your group members to see what they can wear from home) - nothing needs to be purchased. You will need to know, or be able to find, the type of clothing each character would have worn in Colonial America. You will also be in charge of collecting and organizing the groups props to be used in your skit. The props should look authentic and add to the overall experience of the skit. Props can be made out of recycled materials or anything you can find in the classroom. If you have an idea let me know and I will help you create it. Think of your backgrounds - you can use Google slides or draw a background on large paper. BE CREATIVE! (You must also contribute to the script).
While you will each have your own specific role, you are ALL responsible for contributing to the process of making the script. This includes working together to brainstorm ideas and contribute information you researched.
Each skit should be between 3-5 minutes long. You do not have to memorize your lines, but you should not struggle when reading. You want this to run smoothly!
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performance rubric | |
File Size: | 80 kb |
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