Teaching the Thirteen Colonies - The Stamp Act and More

How do you think about teaching the thirteen colonies? There are so many splendid stories? Do you ever find yourself taking on the role of story teller? Certainly stories are great teaching tools, but they may not be enough.

I always struggle with the power of teaching with stories. Though study says that stories alone are not going to prompt students to think in valuable ways, my popular high school educator told stories all year long.   I undoubtedly learned to think critically. But, perhaps this tangent is for a distinct article. 

Stamp Story

If you select to teach beyond stories there are so many efficient ways to do so while considering the customary thirteen colonies and the Stamp Act. Here's an example. The stamp act is typically seen as an intensive British performance against the colonists, but was it really? Before the British began to enforce the stamp act, they had spent a great deal of money fighting the French and Indian War. In part, they fought this war to safe the colonists. Weren't the British entitled to earn back some of these funds, from the colonists? Consider keeping a turn over in your class to discuss this question. Of course, you should also put in order students by discussing colonial grievances.

Another way to teach the thirteen colonies is by asking students to take on the role of an individual who lived during the colonial era. So, for example, I recently advanced a unit in which the students play the advisor to a British family that has three sons. Each son has slightly distinct occupational goals and personal interests. The advisor, that is the student, must help the sons rule the most accepted colonial region to which they should move. Students use a set of prompts on Google Earth that I have advanced to put in order their presentations.  

Story telling is great. But, not every student will learn from it in the same way that I learned from my high school teacher. The most efficient teachers will engage a multitude of distinct strategies to reach distinct students. 

Teaching the Thirteen Colonies - The Stamp Act and More