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Catchy Title: Read a colonist's diary
Theme/Topic of Lesson: reading comprehension, Maryland history
Time Commitment: three one-hour lessons
Subject Area(s):
Language Arts - Reading
Language Arts - History
Social Studies - History
Grade Level(s): 5
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question: How do historians use primary source documents and other information to understand the past?
Overview:
This lesson provides a glimpse into the life of one of the first English colonists to settle in the area that is now Maryland. While providing valuable historical information using primary source documents, it also gives students practice in close reading of a text. Students make predictions, inferences, and summaries, while also analyzing the point of view from which the text was written.
After reviewing the historical context and reading a short biography of Father Andrew White, students read an excerpt from his diary, written 1634. They begin with a guided and very close reading in which they discuss writing conventions, audience, and point of view. Next they read independently and answer questions that require significant comprehension and inference.
Finally, students learn about the native people of Maryland and imagine the encounter with the English colonists from their point of view. In the process, they learn about the various ways in which historians construct an understanding of the past.
Students should have some prior knowledge of English colonialism, though this is not absolutely necessary. Teachers, however, should be comfortable teaching interdisciplinary studies -- history (English Colonialism), combined with English Language Arts (reading comprehension). It is especially important that teachers know how to help students think critically about text, and be comfortable facilitating discussions where there are no right answers.
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Learning Objectives:
The Students will:
Understand the importance of using primary source documents as well as the benefits and limitations to using them to understanding history Read, understand, and explain journal entries written in old-fashioned English. Describe some of the reasons that people migrated to North America and the difficulties they faced. Draw conclusions and make inferences based on what is stated and not stated in the text. Summarize what you have read and identify main points. Analyze the point of view from which a text was written and imagine other points of view not included in the text.
Assessment
Students will be assessed through the Colonist's Diary Scoring Rubric (12 points total). All four activity sheets will be assessed at three (3) points each.
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Resources
Materials
Per classas determined by instructorPer student team/group of 2Per Student
Vocabulary
- primary source document - an authentic piece of writing that describes an event, written by someone who experienced or witnessed that event; Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories
- viewpoint/ point of view - the way a particular person sees or understands an event or situation
- migration - moving from one place to another. This word is especially used for large moves, such as moving to another country.
- colony - a place that is owned and controlled by another country
- colonist - a citizen of a colonizing country who moves to or lives in a colony of that country
Procedures
In this lesson, students will build on their earlier knowledge about English colonialism in North America as they use various strategies to understand a diary written by a colonist in 1634. To prepare for making sense of the text, they will read about the voyage of the Ark and some of the reasons its passengers traveled to what is now Maryland. When reading the diary, they will begin with a guided and very close reading, during which they will consider what is included and what is not included, whose point of view is represented, and how both author and audience affect the way the text was written. Finally, they will explore other points of view of the arrival of the English colonists in order to place the diary in a broader historical context and to practice critical reading habits.
Most of this lesson relies on information found in the online field trip, "Exploring Maryland's Roots." As they read, students will have access to supplementary information in the form of videos, a timeline, and audio versions of the text. The lesson offers many components that appeal to a variety of learners. Participating in a virtual field trip that includes a multimedia elements appeals to visual, auditory and kinesthetic learners. Some information can be printed to appeal to tactile learners.
Grouping for this lesson will depend on the number of computers available. If possible, one student per computer is ideal; two per computer would work well enough, as long as they are grouped heterogenously by skill level so they can complement and learn from one another.
Multimedia elements, guided reading, hands-on independent work, large-group discussion, and think-pair-share activities support multiple learning styles. Readers who need additional reading support can listen to the audio version of the diary as they read. When audio support is not available, students can work in pairs and read the text aloud quietly as needed.
Students are expected to have some familiarity with English colonialism in North America. A whole-class discussion at the beginning of the lesson will refresh their memory while allowing the teacher to assess prior knowledge. Students are also expected to be familiar with the concept of inference. This can also be assessed through discussion, when introducing the first activity: Ask students what it means for a reader to make inferences about a text, and ask for examples to ensure that the concept is clear.
It is very important that students follow directions carefully when using the online field trip. It might help to set up a structure in advance. For example, you can ask students to turn from their computers and face you when they have completed each task. This way you will know when everyone is ready to move on.
This lesson involves a lot of discussion and reflection. Students are asked to make a lot of inferences about the writer's thoughts. Make sure students understand that there is not necessarily a correct answer to this kind of question; the point is for them to think beyond what is specifically written in the text. This kind of thinking requires practice. Also, remind students that this kind of close reading is useful whenever they read anything important - they should always think about whose point of view is represented and how the author knows what he or she writes.
Day 1: Introducing Father White
Daily Challenge Question: Who was Father Andrew White and why did he travel thousands of miles to build a new home in 1634?
one hour
Set-up Directions:
Students will need access to computers with internet access and copies of Activity Sheets 1 and 2.
Before beginning this activity, go the the atlapedia website: http://www.atlapedia.com. Make sure the site is active and appropriate. Note that after choosing a country, the site displays two world maps, one physical and one political. By clicking on these maps, you can zoom in to a view of the selected country and surrounding area.
The teacher may also want to bookmark the Exploring Maryland's Roots field trip site http://mdroots.thinkport.org
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Introduce the lesson by briefly reviewing the historical context. Who were the colonists and why were they traveling to Maryland? Why was the British government interested in setting up colonies in North America? Ask students to imagine traveling for several weeks on a wooden ship to an unknown and faraway land (with no easy way to communicate with friends and family). What do they know about the conditions of the journey? Can they think of any situations today in which people take similar risks?
Explain to students that some of these questions will be answered in the following activities. They will read a brief online description of the voyage of the Ark (a ship that carried colonists to Maryland in 1634). After viewing the video and while reading the text, they will answer the questions on Activity Sheet 1, The Voyage of the Ark.
Introduce (or review) the vocabulary words migration, colony, and colonist.
To answer the map question, students may use a paper atlas or map, or they may visit http://atlapedia.com. Note that once you have selected Barbados, clicking on one of the world maps will allow you to zoom in for a view of Barbados.
Optional: You may also choose to project this to the class if you have an LCD project.
Activity 1 - Who were the travelers on the Ark?
During this activity, students will access information from the online field trip "Exploring Maryland's Roots" and read a brief introduction describing English colonists' voyages to North America. They will complete an activity sheet based on the reading.
Note: The teacher may follow along with an LCD projector, or simply guide the instruction as students are engaged in the interactive.
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
After the introductory discussion, students will log on to the online field trip entitled, "Exploring Maryland's Roots" on the Thinkport website. Go to http://mdroots.thinkport.org and select the appropriate bandwidth version. Click on "Voyage to Marie's Land," then "Journey to a New Life." Allow students to watch the introductory video (by clicking on the appropriate link). The character in the video describes himself as an "indentured servant." Indentured servants were one of the groups of people who traveled to Maryland as colonists. Point out that students will learn more about indentured servants through this activity. (They may already be familiar with the term.)
After viewing the video, students should click on "Read important information about the interactive." After reading the text, they will complete Activity Sheet 1.
Note: Do NOT have students click on "begin the interactive." This activity simulates a voyage on the Ark by a young child. It is a time-consuming activity and not directly related to this lesson.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Students will be responsible for completing Activity Sheet 1, with questions based on information from the online field trip.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
After students have completed the activity sheet, collect the sheets and ask students to volunteer answers to the questions. If a large map is available, trace the Ark's route from England to the Canary Islands to Barbados, then to Virginia and Maryland. Explain that today they will be reading about Father Andrew White, a Jesuit priest who was one of the colonists who traveled on the Ark.
Activity 2 - Who was Father White?
Students will read a biography of Father White on the Thinkport website and identify the main ideas from the text. They will create a consolidated list of the main events of his life and discuss other questions that arose in reading his biography.
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
Now that they have learned something about the voyage of the Ark, students will read an introduction to Father White. To find the biography, click on "Library" at the bottom of the screen. Select "biographies," then select "Father Andrew White."
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Have students read the text independently and answer the questions on Activity Sheet 2.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
When students are finished, collect the activity sheets and ask volunteers which events they thought were most important and why. Generate a list of events and write them on the board, overhead, or chart paper. Work together to narrow it down to five or six events that the class agrees are most significant. Write the final list on a fresh piece of chart paper and post it in the classroom.
Once you have identified the main events of Father White's life, discuss these questions as a class:
1. The text states that Catholic priests were not allowed to live and work in England, but it does not explain why. Why do you think this might have been? How could you find out? (England was ruled by Protestants; there was a lot of hostility between Catholics and Protestants at that time. You could find out by reading books or websites about English history, or about the history of Catholicism or Protestantism.)
2. The text describes Father White's book as "very important." Why do you think this book might be considered important? (It is one of the only records of this voyage and early settlement.)
3. A mission is a place where priests and other church members try to convert people to their religious beliefs. Why do you think Father White wanted to convert Native Americans to the Catholic faith? (He believed it was for their own good; he believed the native people would be friendly toward the colonists if they shared the same religion.)
Wrap Up:
Tell students that now that they have learned about Father White and his voyage to Maryland, they are ready to read his record of the arrival. They will look at his diary tomorrow.
Day 2: Tackling the text
Daily Challenge Question: What did Father White think and feel when he arrived in North America after his long voyage?
one hour
Set-up Directions:
Each student will need a copy of Activity Sheet 3. In addition, students need access to computers with Flash player. It is not necessary to have one computer for each child; however, the greater the number of computers relative to students, the better.
Optional: If computers are not available, this activity can be adapted to whole class, using an LCD projector
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Prepare students for today's lesson with a brief review of the information from the previous day. Ask: Who was Father White? Why was he traveling to North America? Who traveled with him and for what reasons? When did the trip take place and what was its route?
Tell students that today they will be reading Father White's diary, which is a primary source document about an early English settlement in Maryland. Define primary source document and explain that such documents are an important tool for historians.
Discuss with students that today's activities involve a lot of discussion and reflection. Talk about what is fact versus opinion and perception. Students will be asked to make inferences about a writer's thoughts. Make sure students know what an "inference" means and that there is not necessarily a correct answer. Promote higher level thinking by encouraging students to think beyond what is written in the text.
Activity 1 - Introducing the diary
As a class, together have students log on to "Exploring Maryland's Roots" on the Thinkport website. (http://mdroots.thinkport.org) Click on "The Colony Begins," from the row of buttons across the top. From there, select "Read a colonist's diary" on the left side of the page. Click on “Important Information about this Interactive” and choose a student volunteer (or more than one) to read the introduction aloud. (Emphasize the definition of a primary source document. Instruct students to think, during this activity, about the difference between primary and secondary sources. (Secondary sources are written by historians or others who have gathered information from primary sources.)
The next activity guides students through reading the first part of the diary while discussing aspects of it as a class. The second requires them to read independently from the website and answer questions on their own. See specific directions in the "Activity description" section of the lesson plan.
Have students follow the instructions below (recommended that you print instructions) for the remainder of the activity. As a modification, use an LCD to project the site and guide students through the activity.
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
First, allow students to watch the video (by clicking on the appropriate link).
Next, go to "Begin the interactive."
Click "start" and look at the headings at the tops of the two columns. Who were the audiences for this piece of writing? How might the intended audience affect what was written? (We usually think of a diary as a private record of one's thoughts and actions. Note that this was not the case with Father White's diary. Note, also, that he wrote two slightly different versions for two different audiences.)
Note the unfamiliar spellings in the text on the left. Point out that dictionaries had not yet been created and there were no standard spellings. (Point out that the spellings in the second version are standardized because it is a contemporary translation of the Latin.) Ask students to comment on the advantages of standardized spelling. Are there any disadvantages? Click "help" for some hints for understanding the diary. Have students read this section to themselves. Click "return to the diary," then show students that they can make the diary easier to read by clicking "on" at the top of the page. This changes some of the letters to the forms that we use today.
Now you are ready to begin reading. Have students place the mouse over the first section and click. Ask a volunteer (or two) to read aloud the highlighted sections in the two versions. What is the same? What is different? How do the differences affect the reader's impression (if at all)? Have another volunteer read the caption on the side. Whose point of view is reflected? How might you describe this event from the Piscataways' point of view? Have students click on the second segment and choose someone to read the caption. Whose point of view is being described this time? Read the third section, where Father White describes the Piscataways' view of the ship. How do you think he knew what they said and thought? Click on this section and read the caption. The author writes that the native people "must have thought" that the colonists' boat was made out of a single tree. Is there any evidence that they thought so? If so, what is the evidence? Remind students that we do not have any primary source documents from this event written by the native people. Discuss how this affects our understanding of the event.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
All students should read the text silently while volunteers read sections aloud. Everyone is responsible for participating in the whole-class discussion about the first few sentences of the diary.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
After this activity, students will move right into Activity 2. They will read the rest of the diary excerpt on their own. They will be responsible for applying the concepts from the discussion (e.g., about evidence and point of view) to the second part of the reading (Activity 2).
Activity 2 - Reading the diary
Instruct students to read the remainder of the diary on their own. If time allows, they should read both versions for the sake of comparison. As they read, they will complete Activity Sheet 3, Father White's Diary. (If time is short, they can jot down notes and fill in the activity sheet with complete sentences for homework.)
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
Students will continue reading the colonist's diary from the "Exploring Maryland's Roots" online field trip. They will use the same web page they were using for Activity 1.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Students will complete Activity Sheet 3, Father White's Diary, while reading the text online.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
The information will be discussed and applied in the next day's lesson, in which students will examine different points of view.
Wrap Up:
When students have completed the activity sheets, collect the papers (or allow students to put them away in their homework folders) and inform students that you will continue discussing their ideas about the diary tomorrow. To close today's lesson, point out that today students have done what historians do: examine primary source documents, read closely, make inferences, note what is said and what is not said, and consider the point of view from which a document is written. Ask students how this experience is different from reading secondary source material such as textbooks. Lead a brief discussion.
At this point, you can simply solicit ideas. The next day's activities will address this point in more depth.
Day 3: Exploring different points of view
Daily Challenge Question: How might the native people of Maryland have viewed the Ark's arrival?
one hour
Set-up Directions:
Each student will need a copy of Activity Sheet 4/ Woodland Indian Village. Students will also need to use computers with internet access.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Introduce the activity by reviewing the last two activities. Ask a couple of brief questions: Who was Father White? Why did he travel to Maryland? Divide the class into groups of two, and ask each pair to discuss what Father White wrote in his diary and compose a brief summary of its contents. When they have completed this, choose a few volunteers to share their summaries with the class. Make sure the main ideas are reflected in the summaries. Next, discuss the questions that students answered in Activity Sheet 3: What details were important to Father White? Why? Who might have been the "strangers" that the colonists were worried about? You may want to discuss here inference versus factual information.
In this activity, students are asked to imagine the point of view of the native people of Maryland. However, they still have only secondary sources from which to gain information. Make sure students are aware of the limits of the sources they are using. See the resources section for some additional sources of information, or have students look elsewhere (for example, in the library) for information told from native people's points of view.
Activity 1 - Thinking like a historian
Review the passage in which Father White described the native people's reaction to the ship's arrival.
"....since such a big ship had never been seen by them, messengers sent from this side and from that were reporting that a canoe similar to an island had come near, and that it held as many men as there were trees in the woods." (From the Colony Begins --> Read a Colonists Diary).
Remind students that we do not have any primary source documents written from the Piscataways' point of view. Ask students how they think historians might deal with the fact that, for most historical events, they do not have primary source documents written from all points of view. (We do not even have diaries from all of the colonists, who might have seen things differently from Father White.) What other tools might historians use to understand how things happened?
Focus for Media Interaction
Focus for Media Interaction: The focus for media interaction is a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites or other multimedia elements.
Tell students that they are going to learn about different ways that historians try to understand the past. Have them log on to the online field trip, "Exploring Maryland's Roots." (http://mdroots.thinkport.org) Click on "The Land and its People," then "Visit a Woodland Indian Village" from the bar on the left. Tell students that they are going to watch the video, and that they should pay attention to the tools that historians have used to recreate a Woodland Indian hamlet. (A hamlet is a small village.) They should write their answers on Activity Sheet 4, in the space provided. Recommend that students simply watch the video first, before trying to answer the question. They can then re-watch the video to answer the first question
After students have watched the video and answered the first question, discuss their responses as a class. What kind of information do historians have about this village? How accurate is it likely to be? Whose points of view are represented?
Next, have students click on "Read important information about the interactive." They should read the information to themselves and answer the Question #2 on Activity Sheet 4. Point out that they can read more about the engraving of the village by clicking on "Begin the interactive" and reading the introductory paragraph.
Ask students whether they noticed that the engraving of the village is a secondary source, because the artist had never actually seen a Woodland Indian village. The artist made the engraving based on other people's descriptions.
Allow students to explore the interactive for a few minutes. Each student should choose one building or other item, read its description and write a summary of the description's main points on Activity Sheet 4, Question #3. Choose volunteers to read their summaries aloud until all buildings have been described.
Viewing Activities
What will your students be responsible for while viewing this piece of multi-media or video?
Students will learn about the Woodland Indian Village as the colony begins to be built.
Post Viewing Activities
How will students utilize the information they gathered while viewing the multi-media or video?
Now that students know a little bit more about the lives of Maryland's original inhabitants, ask them to imagine that they have a diary written by a Woodland Indian villager, describing the arrival of the English colonists. What might this person think and feel? How might the colonists look to him or her? Working in pairs again, have students jot down their ideas about the diary, then compose a summary of what they think it might say. This time, allow all pairs of students to read their summaries aloud to the class. Compare the summaries: How are they similar? How are they different?
Wrap Up:
Remind students that historians must always be cautious when imagining what people might have thought or felt in the past. However, fiction writers have a lot more freedom to use their imagination about people who actually lived as well as those who didn't. Today, students have worked as both historians and writers of fiction. They have also practiced critical reading skills (considering evidence, considering point of view) that will help them in reading for all purposes.
Optional: For homework or during a later class period, have students make final copies of their summaries of Father White's diary and the fictional Piscataway villager's diary. These can be illustrated, placed side by side, and displayed in the classroom.
Enrichment Options
Cross-Curricular Extensions
Math: Father White's diary states that the area selected for settlement was only 400 acres. Find out how many square feet are in an acre. How many times would your classroom fit into an acre? How big is 400 acres compared to your town or a nearby area?
Fine arts: Students can draw pictures of the arrival of English settlers in Maryland from the point of view of either the settlers or the native people.
Science: Students can do further research on the plants and animals Father White encountered when he arrived in what is now Maryland. Are these plants and animals still common in the region? What makes them well adapted to Maryland's climate? In what ways and for what purposes have people used these plants?
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As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students' learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?
Author: Amy Stuart
Modified by: Donna Schnupp
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