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Colonial America
Each week, Education World's Great Sites for Teaching About page highlights Web sites to help educators work timely themes into their lessons. This week's sites are among the best on the Web for teaching about Colonial America.
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Primary Source Documents Pertaining To Early American History
http://personal.pitnet.net/primarysources
The University Lake School in Wisconsin hosts this awesome collection of primary source documents from colonial America. The collection of chronologically arranged links offers an intensive look at the philosophical and literary traditions that influenced the thoughts of colonial Americans. Isaac Jogues's description of New Netherlands in 1644, for example, is a striking account. -
You Be The Historian
http://americanhistory.si.edu/hohr/springer
The National Museum of American History hosts this virtual experience of colonial historiography designed for elementary and middle school students. The Springer family of colonial Delaware left many clues that tell what their lives were like. Students get the chance to examine documents and artifacts and practice drawing conclusions based on those clues. The support and feedback the site gives students the opportunity to learn a great deal about the content and process of colonial historiography. When they are done studying the past, students can speculate about what historians in the next century will discover about their own lives! -
Old Sturbridge Village
http://www.osv.org
Just as Colonial Williamsburg provides a picture of southern colonial life, Old Sturbridge Village does the same for New England. This living history museum immerses visitors in life 200 years ago. The Sights & Sounds page offers an interesting collection of Sturbridge images, and the JAVA-based virtual Tour an 1830s Village provides an awesome example of the educational uses of technology as it allows visitors to experience life in a colonial village from the comfort of a modern home or classroom. -
Mayflower Web Pages
http://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html
This comprehensive look at the crew and passengers of the Mayflower includes passenger lists, diaries, inventories, governing documents, and a wealth of historical information from the voyage itself through the establishment of Plymouth Plantation. There's lots of fascinating information here, including a cross section of the Mayflower and biographies of its crew members. For more information about life in the Massachusetts Bay colony, you might want to visit Plimoth-on-Web , the online presence of the Plimoth Plantation living history museum. -
The Lost Colony Of Roanoke
http://tqjunior.advanced.org/3826/intro.html
This ThinkQuest site, subtitled "A Mystery in History," takes students on an interactive journey back in time to Roanoke Island, off the current North Carolina coast. Established by the English in 1585, the settlement apparently just disappeared sometime between 1587 and 1590. What happened to the 300 inhabitants of the Roanoke Island colony? Why did they disappear? Can you solve the mystery? -
Colonial Williamsburg
http://www.history.org
Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, the definitive living history museum of colonial America, presents this comprehensive resource on daily colonial life. Students will enjoy browsing the Almanack, in which they meet colonists and learn about their lives and their history, and the Archaeology pages, in which they learn everything they always wanted to know about the process of learning about those lives. Teachers, however, will probably find a visit to the Teach History page most worthwhile. There, teachers will find exhaustive materials on colonial life, including lots of support materials and ideas for lessons and electronic field trips. -
The Soap Factory
http://www.alcasoft.com/soapfact/history.html
The Soap Factory, an excellent site on colonial soap making, offers a comprehensive history of soap, dating from around 3000 B.C. Scroll down to read about soap making in colonial America. The information is fascinating -- and so detailed that you and your students can use it to create your own soap-making activity! -
Archiving Early America
http://earlyamerica.com/index.html
This comprehensive site offers a priceless collection of primary sources from the colonial period of the United States, including documents, maps, portraits, and writings. The Digital Library features images of important people, places, and events from early American history, and The Early America Review provides "a journal of fact and opinion on the people, issues, and events of 18th century America." After exploring the elements of the site, students might want to test their knowledge with the site's crosswords or Join the Talk at the Town Crier, a forum on colonial America. -
Seven Tours Through Historic Philadelphia
http://www.ushistory.org/districts/index.html
The Independence Hall Association offers these seven virtual walking tours through Philadelphia, one of the country's most historic cities. The clickable street maps allow visitors to select sites of interest and view images and text elaborating each stop.The tours, which include a stroll through the Historic District, offer a nice supplement to a study of the middle colonies.Article by Walter McKenzie
Education World®
Copyright © 2000 Education WorldPlease check out our other articles this week:
03/20/2000
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You've reached the end of another grading period, and what could be more daunting than the task of composing insightful, original, and unique comments about every child in your class? The following positive statements will help you tailor your comments to specific children and highlight their strengths.
You can also use our statements to indicate a need for improvement. Turn the words around a bit, and you will transform each into a goal for a child to work toward. Sam cooperates consistently with others becomes Sam needs to cooperate more consistently with others, and Sally uses vivid language in writing may instead read With practice, Sally will learn to use vivid language in her writing. Make Jan seeks new challenges into a request for parental support by changing it to read Please encourage Jan to seek new challenges.
Whether you are tweaking statements from this page or creating original ones, check out our Report Card Thesaurus [see bottom of the page] that contains a list of appropriate adjectives and adverbs. There you will find the right words to keep your comments fresh and accurate.
We have organized our 125 report card comments by category. Read the entire list or click one of the category links below to jump to that list.
AttitudeBehaviorCharacterCommunication SkillsGroup WorkInterests and TalentsParticipationSocial SkillsTime ManagementWork Habits
Attitude
The student:
is an enthusiastic learner who seems to enjoy school.
exhibits a positive outlook and attitude in the classroom.
appears well rested and ready for each day's activities.
shows enthusiasm for classroom activities.
shows initiative and looks for new ways to get involved.
uses instincts to deal with matters independently and in a positive way.
strives to reach their full potential.
is committed to doing their best.
seeks new challenges.
takes responsibility for their learning.
Behavior
The student:
cooperates consistently with the teacher and other students.
transitions easily between classroom activities without distraction.
is courteous and shows good manners in the classroom.
follows classroom rules.
conducts themselves with maturity.
responds appropriately when corrected.
remains focused on the activity at hand.
resists the urge to be distracted by other students.
is kind and helpful to everyone in the classroom.
sets an example of excellence in behavior and cooperation.
Character
The student:
shows respect for teachers and peers.
treats school property and the belongings of others with care and respect.
is honest and trustworthy in dealings with others.
displays good citizenship by assisting other students.
joins in school community projects.
is concerned about the feelings of peers.
faithfully performs classroom tasks.
can be depended on to do what they are asked to do.
seeks responsibilities and follows through.
is thoughtful in interactions with others.
is kind, respectful and helpful when interacting with his/her peers
is respectful of other students in our classroom and the school community
demonstrates responsibility daily by caring for the materials in our classroom carefully and thoughtfully
takes his/her classroom jobs seriously and demonstrates responsibility when completing them
is always honest and can be counted on to recount information when asked
is considerate when interacting with his/her teachers
demonstrates his/her manners on a daily basis and is always respectful
has incredible self-discipline and always gets his/her work done in a timely manner
can be counted on to be one of the first students to begin working on the task that is given
perseveres when faced with difficulty by asking questions and trying his/her best
does not give up when facing a task that is difficult and always does his/her best
is such a caring boy/girl and demonstrates concern for his/her peers
demonstrates his/her caring nature when helping his/her peers when they need the assistance
is a model citizen in our classroom
is demonstrates his/her citizenship in our classroom by helping to keep it clean and taking care of the materials in it
can always be counted on to cooperate with his/her peers
is able to cooperate and work well with any of the other students in the class
is exceptionally organized and takes care of his/her things
is always enthusiastic when completing his/her work
is agreeable and polite when working with others
is thoughtful and kind in his/her interactions with others
is creative when problem solving
is very hardworking and always completes all of his/her work
is patient and kind when working with his/her peers who need extra assistance
trustworthy and can always be counted on to step in and help where needed
Communication Skills
The student:
has a well-developed vocabulary.
chooses words with care.
expresses ideas clearly, both verbally and through writing.
has a vibrant imagination and excels in creative writing.
has found their voice through poetry writing.
uses vivid language in writing.
writes clearly and with purpose.
writes with depth and insight.
can make a logical and persuasive argument.
listens to the comments and ideas of others without interrupting.
Group Work
The student:
offers constructive suggestions to peers to enhance their work.
accepts the recommendations of peers and acts on them when appropriate.
is sensitive to the thoughts and opinions of others in the group.
takes on various roles in the work group as needed or assigned.
welcomes leadership roles in groups.
shows fairness in distributing group tasks.
plans and carries out group activities carefully.
works democratically with peers.
encourages other members of the group.
helps to keep the work group focused and on task.
Interests and Talents
The student:
has a well-developed sense of humor.
holds many varied interests.
has a keen interest that has been shared with the class.
displays and talks about personal items from home when they relate to topics of study.
provides background knowledge about topics of particular interest to them.
has an impressive understanding and depth of knowledge about their interests.
seeks additional information independently about classroom topics that pique interest.
reads extensively for enjoyment.
frequently discusses concepts about which they have read.
is a gifted performer.
is a talented artist.
has a flair for dramatic reading and acting.
enjoys sharing their musical talent with the class.
Participation
The student:
listens attentively to the responses of others.
follows directions.
takes an active role in discussions.
enhances group discussion through insightful comments.
shares personal experiences and opinions with peers.
responds to what has been read or discussed in class and as homework.
asks for clarification when needed.
regularly volunteers to assist in classroom activities.
remains an active learner throughout the school day.
Social Skills
The student:
makes friends quickly in the classroom.
is well-liked by classmates.
handles disagreements with peers appropriately.
treats other students with fairness and understanding.
is a valued member of the class.
has compassion for peers and others.
seems comfortable in new situations.
enjoys conversation with friends during free periods.
chooses to spend free time with friends.
Time Management
The student:
tackles classroom assignments, tasks, and group work in an organized manner.
uses class time wisely.
arrives on time for school (and/or class) every day.
is well-prepared for class each day.
works at an appropriate pace, neither too quickly or slowly.
completes assignments in the time allotted.
paces work on long-term assignments.
sets achievable goals with respect to time.
completes make-up work in a timely fashion.
Work Habits
The student:
is a conscientious, hard-working student.
works independently.
is a self-motivated student.
consistently completes homework assignments.
puts forth their best effort into homework assignments.
exceeds expectations with the quality of their work.
readily grasps new concepts and ideas.
generates neat and careful work.
checks work thoroughly before submitting it.
stays on task with little supervision.
displays self-discipline.
avoids careless errors through attention to detail.
uses free minutes of class time constructively.
creates impressive home projects.
Related: Needs Improvement Report Card Comments for even more comments!
Student Certificates!
Recognize positive attitudes and achievements with personalized student award certificates!
Report Card Thesaurus
Looking for some great adverbs and adjectives to bring to life the comments that you put on report cards? Go beyond the stale and repetitive With this list, your notes will always be creative and unique.
Adjectives
attentive, capable, careful, cheerful, confident, cooperative, courteous, creative, dynamic, eager, energetic, generous, hard-working, helpful, honest, imaginative, independent, industrious, motivated, organized, outgoing, pleasant, polite, resourceful, sincere, unique
Adverbs
always, commonly, consistently, daily, frequently, monthly, never, occasionally, often, rarely, regularly, typically, usually, weekly
Betsy Ross
Build grammar skills using this activity and answer key for an article about Betsy Ross.
Click for a PDF (portable document format) printable version of this Every-Day Edit activity.
Scroll down or click for work sheet text and answer key.
Click for our archive of Every-Day Edit activities from previous weeks.
Click for Ideas for Using Every-Day Edit in the classroom.
Activity Key
Uncorrected Text
Betsy Ross was born on January 1 1752. She was the eight in a line of 17 children soon after marrying John Ross, the two newlyweds started a sewing business. When America and england went to war, John Ross join the army. Soon after that he was killed in an ammunition explosion. A few months later, according to legend, george Washington axed Betsy to use her expurt sewing skills to create the first american flag.
Answer Key
Betsy Ross was born on January 1, 1752. She was the eighth in a line of 17 children. Soon after marrying John Ross, the two newlyweds started a sewing business. When America and England went to war, John Ross joined the army. Soon after that he was killed in an ammunition explosion. A few months later, according to legend, George Washington asked Betsy to use her expert sewing skills to create the first American flag.
Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World® Editor in Chief
Copyright © 2004 Education World
08/20/2004
Subject: Science
Grade: 2
Lesson Objective: To learn about what a plant needs to grow
Common Core Standard: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.1- Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
Materials:
Printable Student Worksheet Handout
Starter:
Say:
What do you know about plants? (Allow the students to answer.)
Main:
Say:
There are so many different types of plants and so many different facts that we know about them.
Some plants have flowers and those flowers have seeds.
Other plants grow seeds without flowers.
All plants absorb water through their roots. Roots grow under the ground. Some plants even live in the water and their roots float.
All plants have leaves. Most plants have green leaves, but leaves can be different colors.
Plants have stems. Plants that are trees have a very big stem called a trunk.
There are plants all around us. We eat food from plants. Fruits and vegetables grow on plants.
Plants need several things so that they can grow. What do you think they need? (Allow the students to answer).
You are going to read about plants. You are then going to answer questions about what you have read.
Does anyone have any questions?
Feedback:
Say:
Who would like to share your answers? (Allow the students to share)
Related lessons:
Emergency Sub Plan: Plants - Science
Emergency Sub Plan: Plants - Writing
Emergency Sub Plan: Plants - Reading
Emergency Sub Plan: Plants - Math
Check out our complete Emergency Sub Plans Library!
Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer
Kimberly is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.
Copyright© 2020 Education World
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