Colonial America—Rebels, Witches and Heroes
In order to understand more deeply some of the complicated aspects of Colonial life, you will have a chance to choose between three long-term projects. Read the description of each project very carefully. Assess the requirements of each. Think about your own strengths and interests as a student. Consider how you'd like to be challenged. Talk to your parents about which project would both challenge you and also provide you an opportunity to develop your strengths.
Write a one-paragraph explanation of your choice. Include the reasons for your decision. Focus these reasons on the process you went through in order to make a choice. Please write one sentence to indicate your second choice.
Option One: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson Video Documentary
Anne Hutchinson dared to speak her own opinions on matters of religion in theocratic New England. Her stand on the right to interpret the Bible and to follow her conscience has had an enormous impact on subsequent American history. By the time of her trial in November of 1637, Anne Hutchinson had angered the Puritan leaders of the Boston community. She challenged the power and influence of the Puritan leadership with her unorthodox views about religion. She was the rebel fighting the establishment, the nonconformist standing up to authority.
In this project, you will create a video documentary about the trial of Anne Hutchinson, Hutchinson's life and of the aftermath of the trial. In doing so you will learn about the people and issues of Colonial America. You will also discover how a trial of the 17th century worked. You will gain a better understanding of the role of risk takers and rebels in history. In order to create a documentary about the trial you will have to research, take notes, story board, act, find images and sounds to fit the documentary, and edit a final version of your film. As you research and create the documentary, you will have a clear sense of what it might have been like to participate in Colonial life.
Briefly, this project involves the following skills and challenges:
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· research, reading and questioning
· note taking
· planning and decision making
· script writing and perhaps acting/speaking
· creativity (story boarding, props, costumes, etc)
· technical work on i-movie and editing
· locating and creating (infographic style) images and sounds for the documentary
3
Option Two: Salem Witch Trials Newspaper
The Salem Witch Trials began with two young girls playacting, imitating animals and saying silly things in church, and ended with over one hundred accused and over twenty dead. A child was chained to her mother and imprisoned; a man was buried under heavy rocks until he died. Neighbors accused neighbors, especially the townspeople who were poor and outsiders, and the whole region around Salem fell victim to fear and hatred. As you learn about the colonists, you will discover the ways in which they were both courageous and mean-spirited, selfish and selfless. You will learn what it meant to live through the Salem Witch Trials.
For this project, first you will conduct library and internet research to learn as much as you can about the Trials and day-to-day life during the Trials. You will learn about individuals' experiences and the larger historical context that led to these events.
Then you will create a newspaper to address the issues of Salem during the Trials. The newspaper will be a web paper that will be published on line. You will put all of your design, layout, and coordination skills to work to produce a polished product.
The newspaper will tell the story of the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Each person in the group will write at least one article for the paper. Your newspaper will include elements normally found in newspapers, like sports sections, job sections, comics, editorials, travel, weather, advice columns, horoscopes, advertising, obituaries, and of course headline news.
Briefly, this project involves the following skills and challenges:
3
· reading and researching
· note taking
· planning and decision making
· creativity
· writing/drawing/learning the layout of a newspaper
· editing
· using Dreamweaver to put your paper on the internet
3
Option Three: Colonial Encounters Mural Project
New England’s Colonial Period was marked by both cooperation and warfare between colonists and Native Americans. From Tisquantum, early colonial settlers learned how to plant corn—a skill that saved them from starvation. However, colonists were also here to spread their version of Christianity, and one method of dealing with natives was to convert them. Thus, praying towns were born. As more and more English Colonists arrived, the need and desire for land grew, and violent encounters became increasingly common between settlers and Native Americans, resulting in cultural conflicts, wars, and massacres.
In this project, you will conduct research on one of the various encounters between settlers and Native Americans. You will come to understand the following:
-The story of the encounter in as much detail as possible.
-The biases, beliefs and assumptions, and hopes and fears of the groups and individuals who are encountering each other.
-The reasons for this meeting and the consequences of the encounter.
When you have a well-rounded understanding of your encounter, you will plan and paint a mural in a small group with students who are studying the same Colonial Encounter. Your mural will help others understand both the literal story of the encounter as well as its thematic and historical significance. Each group member will not only participate in research, planning, and creation of the mural, but will also write his/her own artist’s statement that describes the events depicted and explains how the mural conveys—in subject and style—the artists’ interpretation of those events. You will also plan a presentation with your small group to explain some of those same ideas at the mural’s unveiling.
Briefly, this project involves the following skills and challenges:
3
· reading and researching
· note taking
· organizing and planning
· creativity
· the ability to “read” images and interpret visual language
· drawing and painting skills
· planning, communication, and cooperation skills
3
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