Scope Site Lesson Plan s5

Later Elementary Social Studies Colonial Life Early American History SCoPE Site Lesson Plan

Title: Lesson 6 – Colonial Government: Foundations of Self-Government (SS050406)

Abstract In this lesson students explore colonial government. They begin by connecting back to what they have previously learned about the House of Burgesses and the Mayflower Compact. Next they take part in a simulation of a New England town meeting. Students then study the organization of colonial governments and compare the organizational patterns to our government today. The lesson concludes with a brief look at the English Bill of Rights and an artifact-based activity on John Peter Zenger and freedom of the press.

Grade Level and Course Title: Fifth Grade/Early American History

Unit of Study: Colonial Life

Benchmark  Locate the New England, Middle Atlantic, and Southern colonies, and describe the culture of each region (II.1.LE.2). GLCE.

Key Concepts primary/secondary sources self-government

Instructional Resources Equipment/Manipulative Overhead projector

Student Resource Any class set of textbooks for fifth grade Social Studies, such as:

Berson, Michael J. Horizons: United States History: Beginnings. Orlando: Harcourt School Publishers, 2005. 163, 167-168, 191-192.

Teacher Resource Images of the John Peter Zenger Trial. 28 July 2006 .

Thomson, Melissa and Ruth Dean. Life in the American Colonies. San Diego: Lucent Books, 1999.

Other Egbo, Carol. Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc). Teacher-made material. Waterford, MI: Oakland Schools, 2005.

July 28, 2006 SCoPE SS050406 Page 1 of 5 Later Elementary Social Studies Colonial Life Early American History Sequence of Activities 1. Begin the lesson by writing the word “Government” on the board or an overhead transparency. Access students’ prior knowledge by asking what a government is and what it does. Guide students to the idea that government is when a person or group of people has the authority to make, enforce, and interpret laws or rules over the conduct of people.

2. Tell students to describe an example of colonial government they have already learned about in their social studies journal. Give students time to write and then have them share their ideas in the large group. Possible answers include the House of Burgesses, Mayflower Compact, and New England town meetings.

3. Place students in small groups of three or four students and give each group a copy of the “Connecting Back Chart” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc ). Tell the small groups to discuss what they have previously learned about the three examples of colonial government on the sheet. Assign a group recorder in each group to summarize group ideas on the chart. Give groups time to work together and then have groups share their charts with the entire class.

4. Ask students the following question: What did the House of Burgesses, the Mayflower Compact, and New England town meetings all have in common? Discuss student responses. Guide students in understanding that all three were based on the desire of colonists to have a say in their government.

5. Write the term “representative government” on the board or an overhead transparency. Explain that in this form of government people choose representatives to make laws and decisions for them. The House of Burgesses was an example of representative government. Share the following information with students.  After the House of Burgesses was begun in 1619 in Virginia, other colonies began to form their own representative assemblies. Massachusetts Bay did so in 1634 and then in 1639 Plymouth and Maryland did the same.  The English felt the right to elect representatives to government was one of their most important rights. They brought this belief with them to North America.  The King of England was the head of the English government, but the main lawmaking body was the Parliament. This became the colonists’ model for representative government.  The Parliament had two houses. One was called the House of Commons. This was a group of men elected by the people. The other was called the House of Lords. This was made up of an appointed group of nobles, judges, and church officials.

6. Write the term “direct democracy” on the board or an overhead transparency and ask students if they remember what this term means. Discuss student response and students to the idea that in a direct democracy the people all meet to make decisions and create laws. Keep in mind that if you have not done Unit 1 of the SCoPE curriculum yet, the term might be unfamiliar to students. Explain that New England town meetings were examples of direct democracy.

July 28, 2006 SCoPE SS050406 Page 2 of 5 Later Elementary Social Studies Colonial Life Early American History 7. Explain that students will now have a chance to participate in a simple simulation of a town meeting. Choose nine students and give each of them one of the “Town Meeting Role Cards” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc ). Explain that they should be prepared to play their role in the upcoming town meeting. Explain that the other students in the class will be town meeting members also, but without a specific role. They should listen to the ideas of others and then make a decision on the issue being discussed.

8. Share the following information regarding the issue to be discussed at the town meeting:  The town is a very small one with only eight school-age children. They have been attending school in the home of the Parker family. The town pays for a teacher to teach the children.  Now the town is starting to grow and some people want to use town funds to build a school.  Other people would like to see town funds used for other things. They feel it is enough for the town to pay for the teacher.  The town meeting is being held in order to decide whether or not to build a school.

9. Have the student playing the role of town leader convene the town meeting and review the issue: Should town funds be used to build a school? Then, have the town leader conduct the meeting by calling on students who are playing different roles as well as other town members. Encourage students to ask questions of each other. After sufficient discussion time, have the town leader call for a vote on the issue.

10. Give each student a copy of the “Town Meeting Reflection Sheet” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc ) and have them answer the questions on the sheet. Then, lead a class discussion relating to the simulation based on the questions.

11. Explain that although the colonies were under the control of the king and Parliament, Britain did not interfere much in the late 1600s and the first half of the 1700s. Each colony developed its own government and even though the majority ended up royal colonies under the leadership of a royal governor, colonists still had some say in their government.

12. Ask students why they think Britain did not interfere much in colonial affairs. Discuss student responses. Possible answers include Britain had problems with other countries such as France, Britain and the colonies were separated by a large ocean, and Britain had internal problems that demanded the king’s attention.

13. Explain that although each colony developed its own government, the governments had a lot in common. They were organized in very similar ways. Explain that there were also many similarities to our government today. Give each student a copy of the “Organization of Our Government Today Chart” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc ). Have students fill in as much of the chart as they can. Note that if you have already completed Unit 1 this should not be a difficult task. Also note that a completed chart has been included in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc).

July 28, 2006 SCoPE SS050406 Page 3 of 5 Later Elementary Social Studies Colonial Life Early American History 14. Discuss the three main duties of government as shown on the chart: making laws, enforcing laws, and interpreting laws. Explain that colonial governments also served these three functions. Discuss this idea by using “Colonial Governments, Overhead #1,” and “Organization of Colonial Governments, Overhead #2,” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc ). Use the following questions to guide your discussion:  Who made up the executive branch of the colonial governments?  What powers did this person have?  How was the legislative branch organized? How is this similar to and different from our legislative branch today?  How was the judicial branch organized?  In what way was the Council a part of both the legislative and judicial branch?  Did this system have any “checks and balances”? If so, what were they?

15. Explain that besides these colonial governments, the colonies also had local governments. These differed according to region. Share the following information regarding this issue:  Local government in New England was based on towns and town meetings.  In the Southern Colonies, local government was based on counties instead of towns.  The Middle Colonies borrowed ideas from both other regions. It had a mixed system of county and town, or township, local government.

16. Explain that voting was a right connected to both colonial and local government. Ask students if they think everyone had the right to vote. Discuss student responses and guide students to the idea that voting rights were quite limited. Explain that by the 1720s all the colonies had laws that restricted the right to vote to white, Christian men over the age of 21 who owned property. Ask students why they think these restrictions existed. Discuss student responses. Possible answers include there was discrimination against blacks and women; people favored Christianity over other religions, etc.

17. Explain that colonists had other rights also. Explain that in 1689 King William and Queen Mary agreed to the English Bill of Rights. Ask students what they know about the term “bill of rights.” Discuss student responses and guide them to the idea that a bill of rights is a written list of freedoms a government promises to protect. Discuss the following rights that were granted to the people of England and English colonists by the English Bill of Rights:  free elections  no excessive fines or cruel punishments  trial by jury

18. Make an overhead of Primary Source #1 and Primary Source #2 located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc) or place students in small groups and give each group copies of the two primary sources. Give students time to examine the artifacts in order to answer the following questions:  What are the artifacts?  To what important right do the artifacts relate?

19. Discuss student answers to the questions. Explain that Primary Source #1 is an arrest warrant for John Peter Zenger who was a newspaper publisher in New York. Primary Source #2 is a

July 28, 2006 SCoPE SS050406 Page 4 of 5 Later Elementary Social Studies Colonial Life Early American History page from his newspaper. Share the following information about freedom of the press and John Peter Zenger:  John Peter Zenger was arrested and put in jail for printing criticism of New York’s governor, William Cosby. He spent nine months in jail.  At the time it was illegal to criticize the government in print.  At his trial, Zenger’s lawyer argued that people had the right to speak the truth. The jury agreed and Zenger was released.  The trial established a new right, freedom of the press.

20. Remind students that as you have previously discussed Britain did not interfere much in colonial affairs from the late 1600s through the mid 1700s. There was an exception to this, however. Parliament did pass a series of laws called the Navigation Acts beginning in the 1650s. Use “The Navigation Acts, Overhead #3,” located in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc) to explore these laws. Explain that many colonists resented the Navigation Acts because they felt they favored English merchants. As a result, some colonial merchants ignored the laws or found ways to get around them. Explain that in the next lesson on the colonial economy students will learn more about these laws.

21. As an assessment have students create a Venn diagram comparing colonial government with government today. Note that a list of similarities and differences has been included in the Supplemental Materials (SS050406.doc ) to use in assessing student diagrams.

Assessment The Venn diagram can be used as an assessment as well as participation in the Town Meeting simulation.

Application Beyond School Students could attend a meeting of their local government council and compare it to a New England town meeting.

Connections English Language Arts Students practice the speaker’s craft as they participate in group discussions and a town meeting simulation.

Students practice a variety of comprehension skills as they analyze primary sources.

July 28, 2006 SCoPE SS050406 Page 5 of 5