8A 3D Colony Challange

Wow. So many amazing ideas and creative details! You all did a magnificent job. This was such a hard challenge to judge. As you know, I brought another teacher with extensive knowledge about the early American colonial period in to take a look at your projects - she has no clue which students worked on which projects. Remember - in addition to a well-crafted project, the most important part of this challenge was illustrating what you know about your colony. Here are some pictures of your amazing work:

South Carolina plantation

Check out the white plantation house - such a creative use of resources!

Barn/slave quarters

Here's a small wheat farm in Pennsylvania

Here's a model of early Virginia

Super cool tobacco plants

Nice work!

And... finally... our winners. Congratulations, Massachusetts!

Your colony illustrated so many things that were characteristic of a New England colony. First, you illustrated life along the coast with the sea. Check out the ships and the fisherman - the fishing industry was a huge part of New England's economy, as well as a major food source for the early colonists. 

 

You included the shipbuilding industry as well. Here are some hard-working men building ships - another important part of New England's economy.

Agriculture played a smaller role in New England than it did in the middle or southern colonies. They had very small farms. Here a colonist prepares to eat some salt pork on his small farm - a common food eaten during the long winter months.

Here's a great representation of the logging industry that was so important to early colonial New England.

I love how this colony incorporated the cold Northern climate by using snow. Here, the women perform domestic tasks, just as we discussed in class.

Everyone did a wonderful job and I had a blast watching everyone use their creative talents! 

8B 3D Colony Challenge

The winner for 8B is Virginia!

Check out the cabins and tobacco plants.

Here are a few pictures from other colonies:

Massachusetts - here is a shipbuilder's house

Pennsylvania - A small wheat farm next to a church

Build Day 1 + Extra Credit :)

Aaaand we're off! So many good ideas today. Here are a few highlights from our very first day of the Colony Construction Challenge:

Bacon, anyone?

 

Loving the cabins!

 

Great paint work!

 

 

Silly times. You guys make me chuckle.

Extra Credit Opportunity:
Who is the "old man" on our Social Studies board (the one with the speech bubble that says, "How did colonial life take shape?")? Hint: He's someone who we will learn about in Chapter 4. Let me know by the end of the week!

Government Challenge Winners!

I heard/saw a ton of great ideas while all of you worked with your colonies to establish a system of government. Still, many of you were stumped - it's not easy figuring out how to take charge and keep order. Tough questions arose; yes, you've decided on a representative system, but who should be able to vote? Who will enforce the law? What happens if things get ugly? These were just a few of the tough questions each of the real colonies faced as they began a life in the "new world." Kudos to all of you for your teamwork and your awesome planning skills.

And now, for the winners of our government challenge... *drumroll, please*

8A - Virginia
 

williamstrachey.com

The colonists of Virginia have decided that their government will be a representative government with 11 elected officials, to be called the "Representative Council." Members of this council are elected by anyone within the colony who is employed. Elections are held every 4 years. The laws upheld are the 10 Commandments, as well as any additional neccessary laws (to be created by the Council). Some rights the colonists will be guaranteed are "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (sounds familiar!) and trial by jury. Those found guilty of breaking the law will be subject to capital punishment. The official policy on Native Americans is to "mingle" with them, and to be civil.


8B - Pennsylvania

The colony of Pennsylvania will have an elected governor to rule the colony. City Hall will host weekly town meetings at which colonists may propose and vote on laws. Some laws include a limit on the amount of land one can own (in order to provide economic opportuity to future colonists), one must be 15 years old to vote, and violators of the law will be sentenced to slavery. It is the official policy of the colony of Pennsylvania that the colony as a whole will interact with surrounding colonies for trade and alliance.

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/countyformations/pa-map-old.jpg

 

 

Upcoming Survivor Challenges

Hello everyone! Wonderful job on your Chapter 3 Tests - I can tell that many of you have been studying and were well-prepared for today. :)

Just a few reminders about our upcoming challenges:

On Monday, we will gather with our colony members to finalize our colonial governments. I will have specific questions for you to answer regarding your government so you can take what you've brainstormed already and plug your ideas right into your official plan. (Afterwards we will have a class discussion about what's coming up in Chapter 4.)

We will use extra class time after taking notes to brainstorm with our colonies throughout the week. Remember, Thursday we will be building our 3D models! As you brainstorm/plan/research, remember to look for early colonial settlements and what they looked like (1600s - mid-1700s); don't confuse the modern "colonial-style" houses we have today for what homes looked like back then.

Remember that your group can choose to represent a large part of your settlement (several small houses, farms, etc.) OR can construct a larger model of an individual colonial property (1 house, often a small farm on the property). I will be providing all the main materials you'll need, but your group is more than welcome to bring in craft items you'd specifically like to use.

Happy brainstorming!

Online Version of Chp. 3 Study Guide

Just in case you lose yours...

Study Guide: Chapter 3

Test: Thursday, September 13^th

As with all of your tests, be sure to review your key terms from each section. Some important things to study and remember:

 

I.                   The climates, general geography, and economy for each of the three colonial regions. For example:

New England – cold, mountainous, thin/rocky soil, fishing/shipbuilding industries

II.                Study your colonies charts. Pay special attention to the reasons Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Georgia were founded. Remember that Massachusetts was formed by two settlements (Plymouth and Mass. Bay: know the differences between the Pilgrims and the Puritans).

III.             Review how self-government was formed among the colonies. Study the House of Burgesses (Virginia) and the Mayflower Compact very closely. Remember that these new governments were mostly elected legislatures (representative government) and encouraged democracy.

IV.             Important questions to ask yourself:

-          For what reasons did England expand? Think about the resources and trade opportunities America offered.

-          What happened to the Roanoke colony?

-          How did Jamestown finally succeed as a colony? Remember how Powhatan, John Smith, the Starving Time, and tobacco played a role.

-          How did Squanto contribute to the survival of the Plymouth colony?

-          What was ironic about how the Puritans in Massachusetts Bay viewed non-Puritans? Think about the reasons they left England and religious toleration.

-          Who could vote/hold office in these new colonies? Could women? Could slaves?

-          Who was William Penn, and what was his Holy Experiment?

-          What was life like in the backcountry? Think about the farmers who joined Nathaniel Bacon in his rebellion.

-          Why was the South able to grow better, more profitable crops? Who controlled most of the wealth in the South? What major crops were grown and exported? Think about plantations.

-          Why did slavery become a major part of the early colonies?

-          What was happening to the native population? Conflict over land, disease, trade…

-          How did Spain treat the Native Americans? Think about the Spanish missions and what they tried to accomplish

Colonial Survivor

Hello 8th Grade Social Studies! Please read the following information about our upcoming Colonial Survivor Game.

What is it?

To better understand the early American colonial period, we will participate in group activities and challenges which will give us a unique perspective and will provide insight into the experiences and trials of the early settlers.

How will the game be played?

Every week, each "colony" (group) will draw a random card. The cards, ranging from extreme weather conditions to surprise attacks from surrounding natives, will bring your colony to face a situation for which you must organize a response/solution. Other cards that may be drawn will earn your colony extra points or will help protect your colony in the future, such as a surprise shipment of extra supplies, a healthy and profitable crop of corn, etc. After a quick response plan from your colony (written and handed into me), your group will face a challenge. Your response plan will be assigned a point value based on clarity, creativity, and likelihood that your plan will help your colony.

What kinds of challenges will we face?

Your colony will be competing with the other colonies in weekly challenges. Some of these challenges include building a 3D replica of your first settlement, creating a plan for your colony's government, and following a colonial recipe. If possible, we will do a planting activity as well. All materials will be provided.

What happens if we win a challenge?

The colony to win each weekly challenge will earn bonus points.

How will we be graded?

At the end of our Survivor game, the colony which earns the most points (1 per section, 8A and 8B) will be declared the Colony Most Likely to Survive. The members of this colony will receive extra credit and will earn a party.

Your grade is not dependent on the points earned by your colony. Your grade is solely based on two things:
1. Participation
2. Positive Teamwork
A small portion of your Teamwork grade will be based on peer evaluations, which are to be completed by your group members. Please remember that a positive, cooperative attitude goes a long way when working with a team.

I am very much looking forward to seeing everyone's bright ideas and creativity come to life in the classroom!