As encouraged by Dr. Tate, I pondered how to teach the idea of colonization using multiple learning styles, movement, and theater. So, I landed on an idea for fifth grade to colonize other classrooms and claim them as our own. Maybe we would even name them after the explorer who found the land, for example "Kyleland" and "New Jamie." I made hats for different people: pilgrims, explorers, merchants, and a king, who gave charters to the merchants to find land. We hung pictures of the British flag wherever we decided to colonize, or claim land. We also had to decide which rooms would be most beneficial for us to take first. The cafeteria had lots of food and money, so we decided to take that land for the King, King James I.
My reflection of the activity was mostly positive. Though, it looked a little disorganized, it definitely gave us a reference point of understanding such a large idea. One example of this was when we claimed a first grade classroom even though they weren't even in the room. They had no idea we had declared a new allegiance for them. This sparked a discussion about how the Natives who had lived in North America thousands of years were not aware of what was really happening.
If you try this teaching idea, please leave comments below to let me know how it goes. This was something brand new I made up this year. It made a difference as we went throughout our unit on settlement and colonization.
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