Mr. Trzepinska

United States History I Enriched

13 Colonies Project – 100 points

This will be our first research project of the year! Using all of the skills that we have learned so far you will be constructing a product on an area of your interest. You can do any topic as long as it is from the North American Colonial Time Period (1585 – 1754). You must create and support a thesis using research and reliable sources that will answer one of the following research questions:

  1. How does your topic compare and contrast to the characteristics of the Southern, Middle, and New England Colonies?
  2. How does your topic contribute to the major political, economic, and/or social elements of colonial life?
  3. What impact has your topic had on the development of Colonial America and the United States?

Your project must contain a minimum of 5 RELIABLE sources. Use a combination of primary and secondary sources (see my teacher webpage). These will be cited in Chicago format.

Onthe following page you will find a list of possible topics. You may choose a topic or subtopic that is not on the list. Remember this is about your interests! Whatever you choose should be a reflection of an interest of yours.

You will also find a list of project ideas. Once again, these are just suggestions. Your project must contain a thesis, evidence, and proper citations, but how you decide to express that is up to you, BE CREATIVE! Do a project that will show off your skills and something that you can be proud of to show off.

Steps: Complete these steps toward the project

  1. Select a topic of interest
  2. Gain background knowledge
  3. Conduct research and find sources
  4. Read sources and take notes
  5. Use the notes to create a preliminary thesis
  6. Repeat steps 2 - 4 to refine your thesis
  7. Begin creating your product
  8. Cite your sources (MLA)

LIST OF POSSIBLE TOPICS

You may choose a topic or subtopic that is not on this list.

●Motives for migration to New World

●Royal colonies, Proprietary Colonies, Joint Stock Colonies, Charters

●Lords of Trade/Navigation Laws (1686)

●Southern Colonies 1640-1750’s

○Social Organization

○Political organization

○Religious aspects

○Intellectual developments

○Economics

●Virginia

○Virginia Company of London

○Jamestown

○Roanoke

○Powhatan/Pocahontas

○John Smith/John Rolfe

○House of Burgesses

○Headright System

○Indentured Servants vs. Slavery 1600’s

○Bacon’s Rebellion Social unrest in the Virginia

●Maryland Proprietary Colony

○Lord Baltimore (a.k.a. George Calvert)

○Act of Toleration (1649)

○Catholic Haven

●South Carolina (1670)

●North Carolina (1712)

●Georgia (1733)

○James Oglethorpe

●New York (1665)

○Leisler’s Rebellion

●Pennsylvania (1681)

○Quakers

○William Penn

○Social Aspects of Pennsylvania

○Relations with Indians

●New Jersey (1664)

●Delaware (1703)

●New England Colonies

○Social Organization in NE

○Political organization in NE

○Religion in the Colonies

○Puritans

○Salem Witch Trials

○Intellectual developments in NE

○Economics NE

●Plymouth Bay Colony (1620)

○Virginia Company of Plymouth

○Mayflower/Mayflower Compact

○Starving Time

○William Bradford

○Separatists/Pilgrims

○First Thanksgiving

●Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629)

○Great Migration (1630’s)

○John Winthrop

○Great Awakening

○Townhall Meetings

○John Cotton

○Anne Hutchinson

○Halfway Covenant (1662)

●Rhode Island (1644)

○Roger Williams (1635)

○“Liberty of conscience”

○“Wall of separation”

●Connecticut (1636)

○Thomas Hooker

○Fundamental Orders of Connecticut

●New Hampshire (1679)

●New England relationship with Indians

○Pequot War (1636-37)

○King Phillip’s War (1675) (Metacom)

●Weaving

●Daily Life and Farming

●Hunting

●Fashion

●Colonial Music

●Colonial Dance

●Foods: Daily Meals

●Weaponry

●Shipbuilding

●Piracy/Privateering

List of Project Ideas:

You may choose to create a product not on this list.

●Video

●fake Facebook page / event page

●Tumblr blog / other Social Media page

●Baseball/trading card

●Timeline

●Teacher Activity

●Newspaper

●Poster

●Travel Brochure

●Monument

●Artifact re-creation

●Board game

●Screenplay

●Song

●Pottery

●Poetry

●App

●??? - What, if you could make anything, would you like to make???

Checkpoints

The purpose of checkpoints is to provide students with guidelines on how to best use their time and keep students on task. Throughout the project I will be checking to make sure that students meet these checkpoints. This will be part of the class participation grade for the project.

Checkpoint 1 - Research topic, collect sources, complete bibliography (see below). This should take between 2 - 3 class periods

Checkpoint 2 – Preliminary Thesis, Conferences with teacher, continuing research, refining thesis. This should take 2 class periods

Checkpoint 3 – Projects are created that support thesis and research. All sources are PROPERLY cited. This should take 2 - 3 class periods.

Checkpoint 4 – Presentation of Projects. This will take one day

Useful Websites:

●GL Primary Sources:

●Common Primary Sources:

●LOC Primary Sources:

●Primary Sources:

●Some Primary Sources:

●Colonial Williamsburg:

●Colonial Art:

●Plymouth Museum:

●Winthrop Society:

●Databases:

●eBooks:

●Primary Sources:

CATEGORY / Excellent / Good / Average / Needs Improvement
Thesis / Thesis is precise, knowledgeable, significant, and distinguished from alternate or opposing claims / Thesis is precise and knowledgeable, and answers the research question / Thesis may be unclear or irrelevant, and/or may not answer the research question / Thesis is missing
15 points / 15-14 / 13-11 / 10-8 / 7-0
Support for Thesis / Information clearly supports the opinion, including several supporting details and/or examples from primary sources. / Information somewhat supports the opinion, providing a few supporting details and/or examples from primary sources. / Information partially supports the opinion, without sufficient details and/or examples given from primary sources. / Information has little or nothing to do with support for the opinion, or has no examples from primary sources.
25 points / 25-22 / 21-18 / 17-14 / 13-8
STUDENT CREATED
5 points / 5 / 4 / 3-2 / 1-0
Reliable Sources / All included sources are primary sources, from databases, or other reliable sources. / Most included sources are primary sources, from databases, or other reliable sources. / Half of the included sources are primary sources, from databases, or other reliable sources. / Less than half of included sources are primary sources, from databases, or other reliable sources.
10 points / 10 / 9-8 / 7-6 / 5-0
Use of Chicago Format (In-text and Works Cited) / All sources (information and graphics) are accurately cited in Chicago format / All sources (information and graphics) are cited, but a few are not in correct Chicago format / All sources (information and graphics) are cited, but many are not in correct Chicago format / Sources (information and graphics) are completely missing citations
10 points / 10 / 9-8 / 7-6 / 5-0
Creativity & Effort / Product contains superior originality and inventiveness; Product is visually appealing and professional / Product contains obvious originality and inventiveness; Product is visually appealing and professional / Product contains some originality and inventiveness; Product is mostly visually appealing and mostly professional / Product shows little attempt at originality; Product may not be visually appealing, or is unprofessional
20 points / 20-19 / 18-16 / 15-12 / 11-8
Use of Class Time / Successfully completes work within the allotted time in the classroom / Is on-task during allotted time in the classroom / Is occassionally off-task during allotted class time / Is often off-task during allotted class time
15 points / 15-14 / 13-11 / 10-8 / 7-0