The New World

Teacher: Laura Bjorklund

Unit Name: Foundations of Social Studies: Communities
Grade Level: 2
Time: 30 minutes

Standards
SC Standard 2-4: The student will
demonstrate an understanding of
cultural contributions made
by people from the various regions in
the United States.
2-4.1 Recognize the basic elements
that make up a cultural region in the
United States,
including language, beliefs, customs,
art, and literature.

Objective(s)
TSWBAT create a list of items that the
colonists arriving in North America
would need to bring with them from
Europe

Assessment
The objective will be assessed by a
Colonist packing list that includes five
items necessary for survival.

Materials and Resources:

1 per group: Colonist Packing Lists, Explorers name & paper identifying the land they discovered
Pencil,
Flip chart presentation

Lesson Introduction
3 minutes

Procedure

Today we are going to travel very far back in time, several hundred years, to the beginning
of what will become the United States, the country we live in today. The only people living
here are Native Americans. They are also known as Indians. What do you think the land
looked like way back then? Students will be asked to make guesses.
A. Preview the New World:
Many years ago this country did not look like the United States
we live in today. If you had come to live here many, many years ago you would have
seen
only woods, mountains, swamps, and wide grassy areas.
1. There were NO stores that sold food, clothing, tools, or toys
2. There were no doctors or hospitals
3. There was no electricity or clean running water from a water fountain
4. There were no bathrooms, or washing machines
B. Explorers:
* were the first people to come to this new World. They came from far away in Europe
to search the land and learn what was here.
* They traveled back to Europe after exploring and learning about the area. Because they
learned where the best places to live were located, they were able to bring people who
wanted to move here from Europe to live in the New World.
* Christopher Columbus was a famous explorer who brought colonists called Pilgrims to
the colony called Plymouth

D. Colonists:
* Many people left their homes in Europe and moved here to find gold and become rich
* The place they lived in was called a colony. The people who lived there were called
colonists
* they had to learn how to build a home, grow their own food, hunt for food. WHY?
* Soon there were 13 colonies.

E. Problems:
* Hunger- food supply ran low because they did not know how to farm and hunt
* Health- sick, accidents, wild animals
* Weather- very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter
F. Special people:
* John Smith- taught the colonists, who lived in a colony named Jamestown, how to
build better homes, hunt for food, plant crops and trade the crops with the Native
Americans.
Discuss possible trade items from the Native Americans: food, blankets, clothing,
seeds, tools
* Squanto- a Native American, helped the colonists in Plymouth by showing them where
to fish and hunt and plant corn
After the first successful harvest the Pilgrims invited their new Native American
friends to a celebration feast. Today we celebrate this feast with a national holiday
called Thanksgiving.
G. Colonists and explorers (1 from each group)
* will create a list of 5 items that they will bring to the New World
* this list should be items that the colonists need the most to survive
* each item will have a reason why it is necessary to bring all the way from Europe

Lesson Closure

Colonists will share their list of items that they will bring to the New World

Works Cited:
Second Grade textbook, Social Studies People and Places, Scott Foresman
Miss Ferguson, Second Grade Teacher, Lone Oak Elementary