General Information

This toolkit is designed to give kids a hands-on approach with primary sources or replicas of primary sources, and it demands that they play the part of an archeologist to figure out the time period, place and type of settlement from a time capsule from the past.  After identifying the different settlements students will make statements about the similarities and differences of the Thirteen Colonies and how that led to the writing of the Articles of Confederation and then the United States Constitution.

Standards Tapestry

This toolkit is designed to give kids a hands on approach with primary sources or replicas of primary sources, and it demands that they play the part of an archeologist to figure out the time period, place and type of settlement from a time capsule from the past.  After identifying the different settlements students will make statements about the similarities and differences of the Thirteen colonies and how that led to the writing of the Articles of Confederation and then the United States Constitution.

Assessment Rationale

I will be assessing in a variety of way, with the primary assessment being the final project on Women Trailblazers.  Students will also complete a map on lines of latitude and longitude, write a summary and poem, and create a poster on the Bill of Rights.  After reading many primary source documents, including letters, diaries, and amendments, students will complete a paper on analyzing primary sources and causes and effects.  A final, short test on women trailblazers will also be given.

Humanities-rich Resources

Type (book link, etc.)	Name	URL (if any)	Annotation (can include description and notes on how to use.
Link	Our Documents	http://ourdocuments.gov	This is a great site to view and get lesson plans for the 100 Milestone documents.
Link	Tinker, Tailor and Sailor	http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/	(to add a new row, click in the last cell and press the “TAB” key)
Link	Primary sources	http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/educators/	This gives instructions on how to set up a primary source toolkit.
Link	Today in History	http://www.memory.loc.gov/	Website that gives what happen in history today
Link		http://edsitement.neh.gov/
Link	Early American History	http://www.watertown.k12.ma.us	Website in the making about early America
Link	Nat. Geographic expeditions	http://www.nationalgeographic.com	Place to get maps to print
Link	Kids Dig Reed	http://www.kidsdigreed.com/	Website gives a tour of an archeological site and see what archaeologists do.
Link	Jamestown Rediscovery	http://www.apva.org	Website touring the Jamestown archeological site.
Link	Advertisement	http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu	Advertisement for a farm horse
Link	Colonial Settlements 1600-1763	http://www.memory.loc.gov
Link	Articles of Confederation	http://ourdocuments.gov	From Our Documents.gov
Link	The Virginia Plan	http://geonames.usgs.gov/	Primary source of the Virginia Plan that was written by James Madison that was part of the Great Compromise of the Constitution.
Link	USGS National Mapping Information	http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn/	Site where you can go to find the Longitude and Latitude of any location in US and its territories.
Link	What are Primary Sources?	http://ourdocuments.gov/doc.php	Website lesson on primary sources
Link	George Washington's slave list	http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/will/
Link	George Washington Pioneer Farmer	http://www.mountvernon.org/learn/	Includes picture of George Washington with an overseer watching slaves harvest wheat.
Link	Plan of part of Mount Vernon Lands	http://gwpapers.virginia.edu	Contains a picture of a map of part of Mount Vernon.
Link	George Washington Letter	http://lcweb2.loc.gov	This is a letter from George to Jonathon Augustine Washington telling him about escaping death in battle.
Link	George Washington's papers inLibrary of Congress	http://memory.loc.gov	Copies of George Washington's papers
Link	Weblink to image of Sailor's Bride song sheet	http://memory.loc.gov	From Library of Congress American Collections An example of publications from Philadelphia and evidence of  sailing
Link	George Washington's Mount Vernon  Estates and Garden's	http://www.mountvernon.org/	Take a virtual tour of Mount Vernon
Link	Site for South Carolina Price Current	http://memory.loc.gov	South Carolina Price Current from 1774
Link	Site for PA Packet General Advertiser	http://memory.loc.gov	General Advertiser from 1775 Evidence of publishing in 1775
Link	Site for a Remembrance of Samuel Hirst 1726 Boston	http://memory.loc.gov	Published Rememberance, Evidence of publishing in 1726
Link	Website to The Address of His Majesty's Council 1775	http://memory.loc.gov	Address of His Majesty's Council, Boston, 1775 Evidence of government
Link	Site for a broadside about Tea being destroyed by Indians	http://memory.loc.gov	This is a broadside about Indians destroying tea in 1773:  The Boston Tea Party?
Link	Link to image of SC Constitution 1776	http://memory.loc.gov/	Written document from 1776 about SC Contitution
Link	Link to broadside in PA about taxes in 1770's	http://memory.loc.gov/	This broadside talks about the unfair excise taxes being voted on in Parliament in England in the 1770s

Instructional Day	Description
Day 1  What are Primary Sources?	This lesson is designed to introduce students to analyzing primary source and identify primary and secondary sources.  See Lesson Plan 1. Have students do the Webquest (link “What are Primary Sources?” word document here) for the “What are Primary Sources?” Website at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/learn which was retrieved on 6/17/04.
Day 2 What's This? Analyze artifacts in the investigation tubs	Students will work in groups to analyze the artifacts in four different boxes.  They will use the artifact analysis worksheet (link artifact analysis worksheet here) to chart their information and make inferences. They will use books (link list of resource books) to help them figure out from what kind of settlement and what time period each box.  See “What's This?” Lesson Plan (link WT Lesson Plan here) for details.
Day 3  What's This Continued	Students will rotate the boxes around to different groups so that they look at a new box today.
Day 4  What's This Continued	Students will rotate the boxes around to different groups so that they look at a new box today.
Day 5  What's This Continued	Students will rotate the boxes around to different groups so that they look at the last box today.
Day 6 What's This Wrap Up?	As a class we will share the information that we gathered from each box and discuss what kind of inferences we made about each settlement. You may use the What's This Wrap Up Worksheet
Day 7 Mount Vernon Virtual Tour	Mount Vernon Virtual Tour at http://www.mountvernon.org retrieved on 6/17/04
Day 8 Similarities and Differences	Students will write an essay about the similarities and differences of the thirteen colonies.  Students may use their notes. See “Essay on Similarities and Differences of the Colonies” and Essay Rubric.
Day 9 Analyzing the Articles of Confederation	Analyze the Articles of Confederation and complete the worksheet “Articles of Confederation worksheet ”
Day 10	Discuss findings for ““Articles of Confederation” worksheet.

Instructional Documents

Essay on Similarities and Differences of the Colonies
Essay Rubric
Analyze This Worksheet
Creating the Investigation Tubs
Final Product
Lesson Plan 1- Introducing Primary Sources
List of Book Resources
Resources
Web Quest for What are Primary Sources
What's this Lesson Plan?
What's this Wrap Up?
Articles of Confederation Lesson Plan
Articles of Confederation Worksheet
CON Worksheet
Constitution Lesson Plan
PRO Worksheet

Teacher Inquiry Kiosk

American Colonies Bibliography