“I’ll take Manhattan"-U.S. History lesson

(Adapted from History of US Vol. 2, Joy Hakim written by master teachers Barbara Dorff and Tamala Gnikpingo)

Essential Question

Why did free enterprise develop in the colonies?

Enduring Understanding

The American colonists borrowed the idea of private property from the English to establish the New World. During colonization free enterprise developed in the United States when the British acquired fertile and mineral rich land through conquest and purchase, and a large inexpensive and unskilled labor supply helped the American colonial economy grow. 8.15a

Instructional Activities

Hook: Have students brainstorm ways a family can make money at home. (This could be for a purpose like raising money to help victims of hurricane Katrina.) What can they do or sell to make money? They might think of lemonade stand, sewing, washing windows, washing cars, dog sitting, baby sitting, bake or cook, yard work, fix cars, grow a garden, raise chickens and eggs, garage sale, etc.
Teacher explanation to students: In the United States citizens are allowed to make money in creative ways beyond a salary or job. We call this free enterprise. Free enterprise means that people can own land, invent, create new products or services, and sell them for profit. Free enterprise has four components (parts): Land, Labor, Capital, Entrepreneurship
The free enterprise system stresses private, rather than state, ownership of businesses and the importance of entrepreneurs in promoting economic growth and freedom.
I. Vocabulary Acquisition: free enterprise, entrepreneur, land, labor, capital, merchant, harbor

Vocabulary Activity 1: Visual Discovery V1

Guided Practice: Teacher will demonstrate using the word Land to explain the “big idea” of the

picture and how it relates to land.

Independent Practice: Divide class into six groups. Give one vocabulary word to each group.

Students will use the plantation picture to explain the “big idea” of the picture and how it relates to

the vocabulary word.

Vocabulary Activity 2: Frayer Model (divide students into four groups.)
Guided Practice: Teacher will demonstrate using the Frayer Model using one of the vocabulary
words
Independent Practice: Each group will fill out the Frayer Model for one of the words and then
using the model, teach the word to the class using a skit or act-it-out, as well.
Vocabulary Activity 3: Visual Discovery-Checking for Understanding

II. Reading

Reading Activity 1: Anticipation Guide (see attached)
.
Reading Activity 2: Students read “The Dutch Do Manhattan”. Students will “ratiocinate” the
reading sentence by sentence using highlighter markers. (one color for land, another color for
labor, another color for capital, another for entrepreneurship). Compare answers in pairs, then
groups, then as a class.
III. Critical Thinking: Picture comparison
IV. Debriefing Activity:
Define free-enterprise and the terms: land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship.
Complete the chart to apply free-enterprise to the colonies.

Visual Discovery

V-8 Frayer Model (Doty, 2003)

Modeling:The teacher will provide an example such as the one below as a model of what the students are expected to do to complete the assignment.

Frayer Model

Visual Discovery: Check for understanding

Write two things that are similar and two things that are different about each picture.

Explain how both pictures show free enterprise.

Debriefing Activity:

Define free-enterprise and the terms: land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. Fill out the chart below to show how free-enterprise applies to the American Colonies.

Settlement / Land
(who owns it?) / Labor
(who works?) / Capital
(whose money?) /

Entrepreneurship

(whose ideas?)
New England Colonies
Middle Colonies
Southern Colonies

Main Idea

I. Answer:
Who?______
What?______
When?______
Where?______
Why?______
II. Complete Sentence: (format: When, who what where because why…)
______
______
______
______
______
Example: In 1865 [when], the south [who] seceded from the Union [what] in the United States [where] over the issue of states’ rights, tariffs and slavery [why].