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Summary and Objective
In this lesson, students will analyze and discuss the merits of different tools and possessions that a person in the second half of the 18th century might have owned. Students will choose five of the fifteen items as "most important," present their choices, and then defend in front of the rest of the class.
Students will understand that to successfully analyze past events and cultures, they need abandon their modern perspective and attempt to "see" things from the point of view of the people they are studying.
Teaching Plan
Step 1.
When students enter the class their "Daily Check-In" will be to write a brief summary of our discussions about Colonial/Pre-Revolution life. (3 minutes)
Step 2.
A few students will be selected to read their summaries out loud for the class. (3 minutes)
Step 3.
Students will then be divided into groups of two. Each group will be responsible for examining one of the fifteen artifacts from the database and discussing its possible uses. (5 minutes)
Step 4.
Groups will then describe their artifact for the rest of the class. The other students will be expected to take notes on the other groups' artifacts. (30 minutes)
Step 5.
Students will then be given their homework for the evening: "Thinking about the artifacts that you took notes on today, choose five that you see as being "essential" to living a happy life in the colonies. Keep this in mind as you write: the past is a foreign country - people do things differently there. Write a short paragraph for each artifact, explaining your choice." (5 minutes to explain homework)
Step 6.
Day Two: The Daily Check-In will be for students to come in and on a large chart (designed by the teacher, with a row with each student's name, and a column for each artifact)place an "X" in the boxes for the artifacts they chose. (3 minutes)
Step 7.
The remaining class time on Day two will be spent asking focused questions and allowing students to discuss and debate the merits and flaws of their choices.
Some questions to help guide the discussion include:
1) "Were there any items no one picked, why do you think that was?"
2) Were there any items that every student picked, why do you think that was?"
3) "Is there anyone else's choice that you strongly disagree with, why?" If this question is asked, then the person whose choice was disagreed with should get a chance to respond.
4) "Was it hard to pick only 5 items? Why?"
5) "How did you prioritize your choices if there were more than five things that you wanted?"
(This discussion should take the rest of class)
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