Between 1607 and 1754, the British presence in North America vastly increased and there were more than 30 British colonies. Among those colonies were the “13 colonies” that eventually became the United States.
The attached lesson plan allows students to practice their historical thinking skills in multiple ways. Students must research characteristics of the different colonial regions of British North American and categorize them using a SPRITE chart using the reasoning process of comparison. They will also read and source primary sources in the form of a DBQ and create arguments using evidence for support using the reasoning process of causation. The goal is for students to leave this lesson with a better understanding of the characteristics of colonial America as well as a better grasp of the historical thinking skills and reasoning processes needed for success on the AP® Exam.
Enjoy!
Lou Gallo is a College Board AP® European History and United States History consultant who leads summer institutes nationally. He currently teaches both courses at West High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, and also teaches AP® European History online at Dwight Global, based in New York City. He has also served in a leadership role at the AP® European History reading since 2000 and is a Senior Reviewer of the AP® European History coursebook by AMSCO®.