Grade 8 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 1, Lesson 4

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
A More Perfect Union

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 1, Lesson 4: Life in the English Colonies (pp. 33-39)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Interdependence Depending upon the climate and soil, farms in the English colonies varied greatly in size and in the amount of labor required to run them.

Discuss with students the differences in crops grown on farms in New England, Middle colonies, and Southern colonies and how these differences required different amounts of land and labor.

Review with students the similarities and differences between indentured servants and slaves. Be sure to point out that indentured servants were often ill-treated as were slaves, but unlike slaves, had some legal protections.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Have students take on the role of a farmer in either a New England, Middle, or Southern colony and write a letter to an relative describing a week of their lives.
Have students draw a map of the English colonies, using symbols to show the type of soil, crops grown, and amount of labor required to farm in each colony. Remind students to make a legend for their map and to show both types of farms in the Southern colonies.

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