Settle Down!
SPRING, 2005-2006
What was it about the Genesee River that drew people from New England to settle here? What happened once they got here? Third grade students explored what the river and surrounding land was like at the arrival of the first settlers. They learned about the first seven settlements, including what made each one unique and how and why the settlements depended on each other.
Each crew researched the history of one of the seven settlements - Castletown, The Hundred Acre Tract, Frankfort, McCrackenville, Carthage, King's Landing, or Charlotte. Each child took on the role of a different member unique to the crew's settlement, such as storekeeper, miller, ferryman, tanner, or innkeeper. From their character's perspective, students wrote journal entries, letters to friends back home in New England, a description of "a day in the life," and a persuasive letter encouraging someone from New England to move to their settlement. Students will also worked together to design and create a scrapbook chronicling their collective experiences as members of the settlement. Throughout the process, students built upon their knowledge of the roles of climate and geography in determining how people live. They also further developed skills in mapping, notetaking, and public speaking.
To simulate the interdependence of early settlers, the class participated in a camping trip at Webster Park. The class's final product was a "Town Square Fair" at which each settlement was represented and students' journals and scrapbooks unveiled.
