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Children in Colonial America: Main Ideas, Inferences and Summarizing

Subjects

English Language Arts
--Informational text/nonfiction
History
Social Studies

Grade

4-6

Brief Description

Students read an informational text to learn about the lives of colonial children. Then they practice summarizing, determining the text’s main idea, and making inferences.

Objectives

Students will read an informational text describing the daily lives of colonial children, and then:

  • Explain concepts in the text (grade 4)
  • Determine the main (central) idea and explain how it’s supported by key details and evidence (grades 4-6)
  • Draw inferences based on the text (grades 4-6)
  • Summarize the text (grades 5-6)
  • Determine the meaning of vocabulary words (grade 6)


Keywords

Colonial, America, history, social studies, English language arts, Common Core, colonists, children, informational text, nonfiction, main idea, details, inferences, summarizing


Materials Needed

Lesson Plan

In colonial times, America was a very different place than it is now, particularly when it comes to the lives of children. While kids today might complain about strict bedtimes and being made to eat all of their vegetables, colonial children were more concerned with doing their chores and trying to remain silent at meals.

Introduction

Explain to students that they will be practicing close reading of an informational text by reading a passage that describes what life was like for children during the colonial period of American history (1600s to early 1700s).

An important part of their reading will be determining the passage’s main idea. Spend a few minutes going over this concept. A main idea can be explained as “the part of a passage, text or story that the author wants readers to walk away with.” A main idea is like the center or core, around which all the details are arranged. Details are all related in some way to the main idea—they help to explain the main idea, give examples of it, or give evidence to support it.

For more teaching strategies on main ideas, see pages 2 and 12 of Illinois State Board of Education’s Common Core Teaching and Learning Strategies: English Language Arts, Reading Informational Text, Grades 6-12, and try having students practice using the Sum It Up graphic organizer.

Next, review the concept of an inference. An inference is like an assumption or a conclusion that is not stated explicitly (obviously) in the text, but which can be drawn based on clues or evidence in the text. Making inferences helps us grasp a text’s deeper meaning as we read. As they’re reading, students should ask themselves: Why did the author include this particular detail? Was he or she trying to suggest a particular assumption, belief or conclusion? If so, what is that assumption, belief or conclusion? Is there one or more details pointing to that same assumption, belief or conclusion?

For more teaching strategies on inferences, see pages 1 and 11 of Illinois State Board of Education’s Common Core Teaching and Learning Strategies: English Language Arts, Reading Informational Text, Grades 6-12, and try having students practice using the It Says, I Say, and So graphic organizer linked to from page 11.

Finally, explain how to summarize a text and provide students with some examples. See Emily Kissner’s helpful guide Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling, which explains the concept and defines a summary as “a shortened version of an original text, stating the main ideas and important details of the text with the same text structure and order of the original.”

Student Assignment

Ask students to carefully read the text, taking notes on any or all of the following (teachers can choose). If you’d like kids to take notes directly on the text and to be able to underline and highlight portions of the text, print out a copy of the Children in Colonial America handout for each student. Otherwise, they can read the document (and take notes) on computer.

  1. Write at least two things that surprised you about colonial childhood, and/or two new things you learned about colonial children.
     
  2. What's the main idea of the passage (highlight/underline part of the text, or write your own main idea statement)?
     
  3. Underline or write down evidence/details that support the main idea.

    For more work on details, try these templates from Gretchen Owocki’s Common Core Lesson Book: K-5 (Working with Increasingly Complex Literature, Informational Text, and Foundational Reading Skills):

    I Explain template (page 159): Students list an interesting piece of information contained in the text, then share three details and a quotation related to that piece of information.

    Evidence from Informational Text template (page 160): Students share a key argument, opinion or piece of information, along with five details related to that argument, opinion or piece of information.
     
  4. In the margin (or on a separate piece of paper), write down any inferences you make based on the text, and explain what in the text led you to make that inference.
     
  5. Write a summary of the passage (indicate how long you’d like students’ summaries to be; 2-3 sentences should suffice).
     
  6. Predict (use context clues to determine) what you think the seven bolded vocabulary words mean.

Then discuss/complete the following as a class (see grade-level suggestions for each question):

  1. What facts about colonial children were interesting or surprising? (grades 4-6)
     
  2. What is the main idea of the passage (what did you underline, highlight or write)? What evidence or details support this main idea? (grades 4-6)
     
  3. Ask students to explain the following concepts in the text (grade 4):

    What did it mean to be “seen, and not heard”? How does this reflect adults’ expectations for children’s behavior in colonial times? How are expectations different for today’s children?

    In colonial America, fourteen-year-olds were considered adults. How are the experiences of today’s teens different? Why are expectations different for today’s teens?

    Do today’s teens participate in any activities that are similar to the apprenticeships popular in colonial times? If so, what are these activities, and how are they the same or different from apprenticeships?
     
  4. What inferences did you make, and why? (grades 4-6)

    Here are a few discussion starters:

    Babies wore stays under their clothing to keep them upright, and they were discouraged from crawling. Based on this evidence, what inference can you make about baby behavior that was valued in colonial times? Do today’s parents have the same expectation that babies behave like “little adults”?

    Colonial children often used hornbooks to study at home, rather than going to a school building. Based on this evidence, what inference can you make about what was considered the most important role of a child in colonial times? Do today’s kids spend more time doing schoolwork or doing chores around the home?

    Teen boys worked at apprenticeships to learn trades, and teen girls were expected to get married and raise children. Based on this evidence, what inference can you make about the role that one’s gender played in colonial times? Did people in the 1600s have as many life choices as males and females have today?
     
  5. Summarize the text (grades 5-6)

    A possible answer might be:

    The lives of colonial children were difficult. They were expected to behave, do a lot of work around the home and become adults at a young age.

    Discuss what various students’ summaries have in common. Have kids check their summaries for completeness: Are the ideas contained in all the passage’s paragraphs represented in each summary? If desired, collaboratively write a class summary.
     
  6. What’s the meaning of the vocabulary words? (grade 6)

    Use the links on the Children in Colonial America handout to research the definitions of the vocabulary words. Write down the definitions and compare them to your predictions. Were your predictions accurate?

Following class discussion, check student understanding with this quiz.

Quiz Answers:

1. b
2. a
3. b
4. c
5. c
6. b
7. a
8. a
 

Assessment

Evaluate students’ participation in class discussion, as well as the number of quiz questions answered correctly.


Submitted By

Celine Provini, Editor and Jason Tomaszewski, Associate Editor


Common Core State Standards

English Language Arts

Grade 4

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1 Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.2 Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key details; summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.3 Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text.

Grade 5

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1 Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2 Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.8 Explain how an author uses reasons and evidence to support particular points in a text, identifying which reasons and evidence support which point(s).

Grade 6

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1 Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.2 Determine a central idea of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

Craft and Structure

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings.

 



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