Barbara K. Smith
This curriculum unit, which addresses everyday life in Early America, is intended as an integrated Family and Consumer Sciences (Home Economics) and Social Studies unit for grade five or below. My specialized knowledge of home skills, combined with the historical research generated from the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, will create synergy in classroom instruction. It is my hope that this synergy will create a living representation of colonial children and bring their practical pastimes into the lives of our New Haven students during their studies of American colonial history, enriching their learning experiences.
This unit is planned to have students learn about the foods and preparation methods of the past, and also to allow them to taste the foods and use some colonial utensils for representative recipes. This unit will show them the kinds of clothing that were worn, but also will allow them to feel the fabrics and try on some reproduction garments. Hopefully they will learn how to do some of the stitching that the colonial children had to learn. Students should be shown and be able to handle varieties of natural items which were used to create games and crafts. They will then be able to play some games and make some crafts. Each lesson will include activities, demonstrations, projects and a take-home packet.
(Developed for Social Studies, grade 5; recommended for Social Studies, grade 5, and Family and Consumer Sciences, grades 5 and 8)
