Why Did Early Settlers Come to America?
Tell the class: “This is a research and report activity. Your task will be to research why English settlers came to America to establish colonies in five important areas.” Divide the class into research groups. Have each group identify a Timekeeper whose job is to keep the group on task, a Scribe whose job is to mark the map, and a Reporter whose task is to report the group’s findings to the class. Give each group one map and one Colony Card. Tell groups their tasks are to: • Discover where their assigned colony was located. • Label the location on the map. • Discover the main reason those colonists came to America. • Learn two important facts about their colony. As a culminating activity, have each Scribe label the wall map with the location of that colony. Ask each Reporter to tell the class what his/her group has learned about that colony. Suggested Answers*: • Jamestown was settled by the Virginia Company for business reasons • Massachusetts Bay Colony, Plymouth/Plimouth Colony, an
