![California Standard 5.4.2 Identify the major individuals and groups responsible for the founding of the various colonies and the reasons for their founding (e.g., John Smith, Virginia; Roger Williams, Rhode Island; William Penn, Pennsylvania; [MORE]](../../assets/standards/542.gif){kind=small}
Students will need to research daily life in the thirteen colonies before they can write their plays. Have the students study the jobs, food, clothing, leisure activities, and major conflicts of living conditions. Students should also consider how the time of year or weather might affect their characters' lives.
At a time when women had few rights, Anne Hutchinson stood up for her religious beliefs against strong opposition from her community.
The Examination of Anne Hutchinson
Many of the proverbs from Benjamin Franklin's Poor Richard's Almanac are still well-known today. Have students explain why a proverb teaches a lesson more easily than a long written explanation. Then, have the students read some of Franklin's proverbs out loud. How many of these proverbs have the students heard before from parents, teachers, and others?
Proverbs from Poor Richard's Almanac
The inventions of Benjamin Franklin
Activities and lesson plans based on the PBS series Benjamin Franklin
![California Standard 5.4.6 Describe the introduction of slavery into America, the responses of slave families to their condition, the ongoing struggle between proponents and opponents of slavery, and the gradual institutionalization of slavery [MORE]](../../assets/standards/546.gif){kind=small}
Discuss with students the importance of music in the lives of enslaved people in colonial times. Music provided inspiration, religious expression, and expressed their protest against slavery.
Music Helps to Interpret Slavery
Explore African-American music
