Unit 3: A Time of Change
Big Idea Activity: Why do people take risks?
Students should tell a story about one risk faced by people in early New York history. Encourage students to research several examples of people taking risks during this time. Have them explain why they chose their particular example. Ask the students to speculate about why these risks were taken. What was to be gained by taking these risks?
Explore New York’s early history.
Visit this site for information about the history of the Iroquois Confederacy.
Discuss each of the People Who Made a Difference with students. Ask them to explain how New York was affected by each of these people. How would the state be different if these people had never been in New York?
These websites emphasize the impact these figures had on American history and their influence in New York. Students will learn more about the People Who Made a Difference through discussion and activities.
Ask students if they think people in New York have ever had to take risks. The American Revolution is one example of people taking risks. Why are risks taken? How did the People Who Made a Difference take risks? Discuss with students how each of these people risked something and what happened because of that risk.
Writing Activity: Writing Activity
Students will write a 2 paragraph essay answering the Big Idea Question – Why do people take risks?
1. The graphic organizer will be used to list the main ideas that will be in the essay. Complete the graphic organizer as a class or have the students complete it themselves.
2. The writing activity will focus on New Yorkers that have taken risks. Students should think about how these different peoples affected communities in general as well as their own community specifically.
3. Once the graphic organizer has been completed by the students individually or as a group, assign the type of essay that they will write: Descriptive, Narrative or Persuasive.
Biography: Sybil Ludington
On the evening of April 26, 1777, Sybil Ludington helped chase British troops from Danbury, Connecticut. She rode all night shouting that the British were burning Danbury. Her father’s militia chased the British troops from the area. Later, Ludington was thanked personally by General George Washington. Discuss how Ludington showed courage.
There were many questions to be answered after the American Revolution. What kind of nation would the United States of America become? What would be New York’s place in this nation? There were many ideas, and many arguments. Many steps were involved in the development of the new government during the late 1700s. Discuss what these steps were. What was considered when forming this new government?
A Day in the Life: A Young Person’s Life on the Frontier
Boys and girls living on the frontier helped their parents from an early age. Boys helped their fathers work in the fields and hunt. Girls helped their mothers manage the house and tend to the other children. Discuss with students the daily activities of young pioneers. Have students compare the lives of pioneer children with their own lives. How was life then similar to and different from life today?
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