Forming Colonial Identity

The Enlightenment, First Great Awakening, Colonial Trade and the French and Indian War

Planning this mini-unit

Forming Colonial Identity is the third mini-unit of Unit 1: The American Colonies. This mini-unit is taught after “Introduction to the 13 Colonies,” the second mini-unit in Unit 1: The American Colonies and before “Road to the American Revolution,” the first mini-unit of Unit 2: The American Revolution. Click HERE to get a copy of my pacing guide.

Pacing

Teachers should plan three to five days to teach this unit on a traditional schedule with one-hour class periods. However, for those on a block schedule with 1 1/2 hour classes, teachers should plan for 2-3 days. An effective way to structure this unit includes:

Openers

The First Great Awakening
Colonial Population Growth
Colonial Regional Comparison
Benjamin Franklin and Population
Puritan Marriage

This FREE resource includes 5 openers to use in order to supplement this unit. Begin each class with an opener question. Opener questions can be found on this webpage as an image (see “opener questions” at the bottom of this webpage) or free on TpT (

see link). Give students 3-5 minutes to complete the opener question and allow 5-10 minutes for class discussion. Instead of openers, teachers may use this as an end of class check for understanding.

Lessons

After the opener, begin the Google Slides lesson. Students can take notes on paper using the note-taking guide provided with the Google Slides lesson, or they may take notes digitally with the electronic version (also included with the Google Slides).

TEACHER TIP: I post a PDF version of the Google Slides to Google Classroom so that students can review their notes if they are absent. To do this, click “File, Download, PDF” on the Google Slide.
TEACHER TIP: Some teachers post Google Slides in their Google Classroom and digital note-taking guides for students to complete as homework.
TEACHER TIP: When pressed for time, I will edit the note-taking guides to include answers for some boxes or delete boxes and slides entirely. Teachers should feel free to modify the lesson to meet their students’ needs and individual learning targets.

After teaching a concept, take a break from the lecture and show a quick review video to reinforce the concepts. Suggested videos to enhance the lesson are on this webpage.
Mix up your unit by having the students complete the PROP (Point, Reason to lie or distort, Other sources, Public/private) analysis. For a free resource that reviews PROP, click HERE.
1. TIP TEACHER: Group students together to complete this activity. This strategy sparks conversation and encourages critical analysis. Discussed as a class.
Review additional suggested activities found on this webpage:

5. Print the Prove It activity included in the Google Slides lesson at the end of the unit. Students read statements and determine if they are true or false. If the statement is false, they correct it. This lesson encourages students to review their note-taking guides

key terms to know

People to Know

John Lock
Rousseau
Montesquieu
Jonathan Edwards
Benjamin Franklin
George Washington
George Whitefield

Key Terms

Natural Rights
Social Contract
Salutary Neglect
Navigation Acts
Mercantilism
Colonial Independence
Colonial Interdependence
Albany Plan of Union

Events

The Enlightenment
The First Great Awakening
The French and Indian War

1. To what extent did the 13 colonies have a shared colonial identity?

2. What ideas from the Enlightenment were included in the U.S. Constitution?

3. How did the First Great Awakening affect colonial society?

4. To what extent did the 13 colonies become interdependent?

5. What effect did salutary neglect have on the development of colonial economies and political structures?

6. How did the French and Indian War affect colonial society, politics, and economics?

Google Slides & Note Taking Guides

Click image for link to source

First Page of DIGITAL Note Taking Guide

28 Slides (editable) with graphic organizer note-taking guide and summative assessment worksheet. This Google Slides reviews how the Enlightenment, First Great Awakening, colonial trade and the French and Indian War contributed to a growing sense of shared colonial identity.

This Google Slides:

Editable
Has checks for understanding/thinking questions throughout the Google Slides
Interesting and varied graphic design
A variety of different sources to catch your students’ attention and engage them with the content: maps, charts, primary sources, quotes, timelines, etc.
Major Concepts Reviewed:
1. The Enlightenment
2. Philosophes: Locke, Rousseau, Montesquieu
3. Connecting the Enlightenment and the Constitution
4. First Great Awakening
5. Jonathan Edwards
6. George Whitefield
7. Salutary Neglect
8. Mercantilism
9. Navigation Acts
10. Colonial Interdependence and Colonial Independence
11. The French and Indian War
  1. Causes
  2. Allianes
  3. Timeline of Major Events
  4. Key Battles
  5. Effects

Note-Taking Guide with a Teacher’s Key:

Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document, or handwrite)
Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
Great for IEP, 504, EL students or students who need modifications
Helps students be accountable for information during lecture
Comes with print and digital notetaking guides.

Post-Notes Analysis Worksheet with a Teacher’s Key:

Works with Google Classroom (students can type in a document or handwrite)
Includes ideas on how to use this in your lesson
Has a True/False checking for understanding
Includes a document that connects to information from the slides.
Comes with print and digital post-notes analysis guides.
Students are asked to ” Prove It,” “Analyze It” “Personalize It” and “Explore Limitations.”

Helpful Videos for Your Students