Student Resources:

• Major Industries of the 13 Colonies Map 
• Major Industries of the 13 Colonies Handout 

Teacher Resources:

• For Teacher Background Knowledge:  
• Colonial America Introductory Essay from Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness 

Glossary term(s): Cash crop, lumbering, industries, geography 

Facilitation Notes

• This activity is based on a map that is also available in the Colonial Era Escape Room designed for the BRI Jr. Elementary Curriculum for 3rd-5th graders. The escape room could be used as an extension, remediation, or early finishers activity in the middle school classroom.  

Engage 

Glossary term(s): Cash crop, lumbering, industries, geography 

• Distribute copies of the student resources, there is a map and a handout.  
• Begin the activity by leading a brainstorming session with students.  
• Toward the top of the handout, there is a brainstorming box. Point out the box to students and give them 3-5 minutes to reflect on what they already know about the climate and establishment of the 13 colonies. They will organize their thoughts by comparing the northern and southern colonies.  
  • Say: “Today we will be analyzing a map of the 13 colonies that focuses on the industries that were present in each colony. Before we begin, I want you to consider what you already know. How does the climate compare between the Northern and Southern parts of our current Eastern coast? Would you see much snow in Georgia? What about in New York? Which colonies were founded first? Which were added later?”  

Explore 

•  Transition: Move students into pairs, if desired.

Scaffolding note: Grouping students with differing background knowledge or ability levels is recommended for this activity. 

• Assign students the comprehension and analysis questions on the handout. Allow students 20-30 minutes to complete the assignment in pairs or independently.  
• Move around the room as students work, offering suggestions and helping students make connections that will help them answer the questions.  

Assess & Reflect

More to Say 

• To complete the lesson, ask students to choose one question from the list that they have more to say about and expand on their answer in written form.  
  • For instance, a student might choose the following question:  
    • If you were tasked with starting a new colony during this era, which industry would you focus on and why?
• The student could take their answer and add where they might place their colony, how they would build their industry, or what labor they might need to be successful.

Scaffolding note: Students can be encouraged to be creative with their answer expansion, or you may want to provide sentence stems for students such as:  

• I also think… 
• In addition to this… 
• I think this because… 
• This connects to…