Colonists Wanted!
As a result of the explorations of the Spanish, French, and English, there was much competition to settle permanent colonies in the New World. There were many hardships (such as disease, climate, native peoples, etc.) that the colonists had to overcome in order to establish these settlements. Not all of the settlements survived, but there was a competition to see which could.
Problem: You have just been hired by one of the European nations (France, Spain, or England) to recruit colonists for the new South Carolina colony. Your goal is to create a commercial that will convince Europeans who are considered moving to the New World to come and live in your colony. Your video must tell them where they will likely settle, what they will do for a living once there, and how their lives will be better. However, the newly established FCC (Federal Communications Commission) requires that your video also include any possible dangers and pitfalls to moving to the South Carolina colony.
As you prepare your commercial, be sure to answer these questions:
- How did the Spanish, French, and English start colonies with distinct qualities in North America? Where were these colonies located?
- What were the success and failures, pitfalls, and dangers that faced settlers in each of these colonies?
Lesson Partners: Spartanburg School District 7, ETV Education, Knowitall.org
Essential Question
How does a government or individual convince colonists to take a perilous voyage overseas to start a new colony in a potentially hostile environment?
Grade(s):
- 8
Subject(s):
Recommended Technology:
Computers/tablets with internet access
Other Instructional Materials or Notes:
Click the links below for tips for creating videos:
Lesson Progression
Step 1:
In small groups, students will choose a country (England, France, or Spain) to focus on and then research the colonies that the country founded. Students will need to focus on where the colony was located, what daily life would be like for the colonists, and successes and hardships that colonists might face along the way.
Check the Resources tab for suggested sites for research.
Step 2:
As a class, take a look at some effective (and perhaps ineffective) commercials. Be sure to include taking a look at drug commercials to see how they add the side effects of the drugs. This might be a way students can inform potential colonists of the dangers that may face them. Make a chart or list as a class that tells what makes a commercial convincing.
Step 3:
Student groups will write a script and produce their commercial remembering to include all of the important information in an engaging way.
Find tips for creating videos below:
- Using iMovie – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sfs90D4Sl4
- 20 Cool iMovie Tips - https://www.iskysoft.com/video-editing/imovie-tips.html
- Using Windows Moviemaker Live – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZZij3NNyVg
Step 4:
Students will share their commercials with the class. As an enrichment activity, you might decide to have students then write a letter as a future colonist telling a family member which colony they have decided to move to and why.
Web-based Resources to Support the Implementation of the
South Carolina Academic Standards 2011 for Social Studies
View ResourceThe James Poyas Daybook: An Account of a Charles Town Merchant, 1760-1765
From the Lowcountry Digital History Initiative
View ResourceKnowitall.org - Spanish Settlements
For God, Glory and Gold: Early French and Spanish Conquest of South Carolina, Part 1 of 4
This program recounts the history of the French and Spanish efforts to colonize South Carolina in the 16th century. The focus is on two important settlements located on the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot on Parris Island, near Beaufort. Historians relate the dramatic history of these settlements and document the conflict between France and Spain for this coast more than 100 years before Charleston was founded by the English in 1670. Archaeologists describe how they have uncovered the remains of both settlements, providing insight into the occupation and ultimate abandonment of these important colonial outposts.A co-production of South Carolina ETV and the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of South Carolina. Production was funded, in part, by a grant from the South Carolina Humanities Council.
Land of the Brave: South Carolina Colony
This article provides a South Carolina Colony Fact File providing interesting facts and information at a glance in respect of:
-Facts about Religion in the South Carolina Colony
-Facts about Government in the South Carolina Colony
-Economics in the South Carolina Colony
-Facts on the History and famous people of the South Carolina Colony
-Facts and info about the South Carolina Colony
Charlesfort | Project Discovery
Archaeologists with the South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology are working to uncover the site formerly known as Charlesfort, the settlement established by Huguenots seeking refuge. Located on present-day Parris Island, it was the earliest French site in America. Captain Ribault led the expedition, but he went back to France for supplies and didn’t return. Dissension reigned among the remaining settlers, who were left under the leadership of Captain de la Pierria. The colonists eventually mutinied, overturning de la Pierria and returning to France. They never came back. The Spanish eventually resettled the site of Charlesfort.
The excavation of Charlesfort resulted from the excavation of Santa Elena. The sites were directly on top of one another! Technicians reanalyzed pottery from the site, discovering that pottery that had been labeled from the plantation period was actually 16th-century French porcelain. This discovery confirmed the French Huguenots’ original claim on the land.
Lesson 3 - First European Settlers | Conversations on S.C. History
Noted South Carolina historian Dr. Walter Edgar discusses the key issues in SC History.
The First European Settlers of South Carolina are discussed in five lessons:
Spanish Exploration of SC
French Explorers in SC
English Explorers in SC
Early Colonists
African Americans in SC
Standards
- 8.1.CO Compare the three British North American colonial regions economically, politically, socially, and in regard to labor development.
- This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how the three British colonial regions developed in terms of their culture, economies, geography, and labor. The indicator was also developed to encourage inquiry into the unique story of the development of South Carolina.
- I Inquiry-Based Literacy Standards
- I.1 Formulate relevant, self-generated questions based on interests and/or needs that can be investigated.
- I.3 Construct knowledge, applying disciplinary concepts and tools, to build deeper understanding of the world through exploration, collaboration, and analysis.
- I.4 Synthesize integrated information to share learning and/or take action.
- RI.MC.5 Determine meaning and develop logical interpretations by making predictions, inferring, drawing conclusions, analyzing, synthesizing, providing evidence, and investigating multiple interpretations.
- W.MCC Meaning, Context, and Craft
- C Communication
- C.LCS Language, Craft, and Structure
- C.LCS.4 Critique how a speaker addresses content and uses stylistic and structural craft techniques to inform, engage, and impact audiences.
- C.LCS Language, Craft, and Structure
Assessments
Colonists Wanted Rubric:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pjy_o2Tk2EDSfa9iRwwk2eWhrvBizaHy7Nam...