Colony Poster

You are a settler in the British Colonies in America, and you want more people to come to live in your colony. Your job is to become an expert on one of the 13 colonies. You will create a poster that will serve as an advertisement to lure people in the 17th and 18th centuries to come to your colony. You want to show people in Europe why your colony is the best place to live.

Project Requirements

• Research your colony using your social studies text and at least two other reference sources.
• Take notes on note cards to record information you read.
• Create your poster advertising your colony to attract more people.
• This a persuasive writing activity. Apply everything you have learned in class about persuasive writing. The text of your poster should be written in present tense, as if you are living in the 18th century.
• Give a short oral presentation about why people should come to your colony.

Poster Requirements

• Create a map of the region, including borders, bodies of water, mountains or other important geographic features, towns, or cities.
• Write a paragraph and illustrate each of the following topics:
  
  
  • Location and Climate
    Describe the climate and weather.
    Describe the environment (seashore, mountains, plains, a mixture?).
    Describe the natural resources of the colony.
  • Economy
    What job opportunities are available?
    What land opportunities are available?
  • People
    Who founded the colony, and why was it founded?
    Who are the immigrants that moved there? What did they bring with them that affects the culture of the colony?
    Who are the Native Americans that live there?
  • Culture
    What is the daily life of the colonists?
    What is the main religion?
    What type of government exists in your colony?

  
   

• All paragraphs should be written in ink or word-processed. They should include a strong topic sentence and good supporting details.
• Illustrations must be in color and support the paragraphs.
• Keep track of your references. What is the source of your information?
• Presentation counts! Pay attention to neatness, readability, grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Read your paragraphs aloud to see if they make sense.

Oral Presentation Requirements

• You have 2-3 minutes to tell about your colony.
• Practice ahead of time so that you can talk without reading your poster. You may use notecards, but you may not read from them.
• Try to persuade the audience that your colony is the best place for new immigrants to settle.

Evaluation

• The poster includes well-written paragraphs that thoroughly discuss each of the four required areas. Each of the topics includes a color illustration. (60 points)
• The poster includes a map that shows planning and is in color, with labels and attention to detail. (20 points)
• The information is accurate and demonstrates knowledge of how the colonists adjusted to the native people and geography of the East Coast. (10 points)
• Writing is clear and well organized. Grammar and punctuation are basically correct. (10 points)

Ask to see examples of posters that were created by previous students.

 

The Thirteen Colonies