Student Directions

Colonial Figures on Twitter

A mobile device project

Benchmarks:

SS.8.A.2.4.-Identify the impact of key colonial figures on the economic, political, and social development of the colonies.

Florida Standards:

LAFS.8.SL.1.1-Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one on one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 8 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

  1. Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

Essential Questions

  1. How did religion influence the development of colonial governments?
  2. How did geography, religion, and government affect how people lived in the American Colonies?

Introduction

Many influential men and women contributed to the formation of the American colonies. These individuals’ beliefs and actions paved the way for the development of a new American Society.

Task

You are to take on the role of an influential colonial figure. You will choose an early colonial figure to research and create a modern day Twitter profile for your selected individual. You and your classmates will use your newly created Twitter account to participate in a Twitter colonial reenactment. The goal of the chat is to make it as realistic as possible so you will need to do research. In your chat you will highlight your person’s contributions to the newly established colonies and give a real life response to questions about every day colonial life.

Process

Step 1: Choose your colonial figure

  1. Choose one person from the list of colonial figures below:
  1. John Winthrop
  2. Roger Williams
  3. William Bradford
  4. George Calvert
  5. Anne Hutchinson
  6. William Penn
  7. Thomas Hooker
  8. Metacom (King Phillip)
  9. Sir George Carteret
  10. Lord John Berkley
  11. Duke of York
  12. John Rolfe
  13. Pocahontas
  14. Lord Baltimore
  15. John Mason
  16. John Smith
  17. James Oglethorpe
  18. Roger Williams
  19. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella
  20. Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles
  21. Jonathan Edwards
  22. George Whitefield
  23. Chief Powhatan
  24. Jacques Cartier
  25. Peter Minuit

Step 2: Research

Research and take notes on your chosen person. The following is information you are required to know about your colonial figure:

  1. Where and when they were born.
  2. Details about their life: Mother, father, etc. How did they come to live in the colonies? How did they become an influential person in the colonies?
  3. Details about contributions that they made to colonial America. Religious contributions, political, social, etc.
  4. How did their contributions or ideas leave a lasting effect on the American colonies?
  5. Where and how did they spend the last days of their lives? Example: Lived in Jamestown for the rest of their lives or returned to England etc.
  6. The following are website you can use to conduct your research. You can always use other resources but, you must site all your sources on your profile.

Websites-

Step 3: Create Twitter Profile

Having completed your research, you will now create a twitter profile using the following template:

  1. Scroll down and click on “Fake Twitter Template” to download the template you will use.
  1. Once downloaded, you will customize the profile using the information you gathered on your person. Once completed you will share your profile on your classes Edmodo group(see instructions below).

Step 4: Share profile and colonial reenactment

  1. Following your teacher’s instructions, you and your classmates will have a Twitter colonial reenactment.
  2. Log in to Edmodo using the Group Code your teacher has provided for you -

  1. Once you are in your group you will post your fake Twitter profile to share with the class.

  1. You are to view another student’s Twitter profile and post a question to their profile using a Twitter format. In addition, you will answer at least one students question on your profile.
  2. You and your classmates will also, respond to your teachers questions on the page as if you were your assigned colonial figure. In this colonial reenactment you will respond to the questions as if you were living in colonial times. See Twitter profile rubric below for project expectations.

Twitter Profile Rubric

5 Tweets / Good
Project has at least 5 tweets/conversations that are relevant to the person’s views/opinions. / Fair
Project has less than 5 tweets/conversations that are relevant to the person’s views/opinions / Poor
Project has 2-0 tweets/conversations that are relevant to the person’s views/opinions
Twitter Name/Blurb/Trending Hashtag / Good
Twitter Name, Blurb, Trending Hashtag are all created and present, and indicative of the time period. / Fair
Twitter Name, Blurb, Trending Hashtag are somewhat created and presentand indicative of the time period. / Poor
Twitter Name, Blurb, Trending Hashtag are not created and presentand indicative of the time period.
Images / Good
Avatar picture, uploaded pictures, and twitter background are all fully created and present relating to the person, and the time period / Fair
Avatar picture, uploaded pictures, and twitter background are partially created and presentrelating to the person and the time period. / Poor
Avatar picture, uploaded pictures, and twitter background are not created and presentrelating to the person and the time period
Followers/Following/Tweets / Good
Followers, Following, Tweets are all created and present / Fair
Followers, Following, Tweets are partially created and present / Poor
Followers, Following, Tweets are not created and present