LEARN NC

4.7 Teaching about education in colonial Carolina

By Melissa Edwards

These teaching suggestions are designed to help fourth-grade teachers discuss the article “Learning in Colonial Carolina” with students.

  • Have students watch the video at the top of the page, which explains writing in colonial times. Students will have a better understanding since they can actually see the things being described. Have students use an FQR chart (fact, question, response) or a two-column “I learned .. I wonder” table to take notes while viewing the video.
  • On the left hand side of the page under the image the caption reads, “Most colonial children learned what they needed to know to live: how to grow crops, build and maintain farms, and raise families.” Ask the students: As part of your education today, do you learn what you need to know to live? Have them compare and contrast education in the present day and in colonial times.
  • Vocabulary to discuss and define during the reading:
    • Agricultural society
    • Formal learning
    • Informal learning
    • Apprentice
    • Profession
    • Self-sufficient
  • The lesson plan “Reading Questions: Learning in Colonial Carolina” found in the sidebar of the article is designed for eighth graders but the first four questions would be suitable for fourth graders.
  • At the end of the first section is the statement “a majority of the colony’s children learned what they needed to know to live in the agricultural society of the time.” Have students brainstorm what they need to learn to live in society. You may wish to use a brainstorming site like bubbl.us.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 4

  • Goal 3: The learner will trace the history of colonization in North Carolina and evaluate its significance for diverse people's ideas.
    • Objective 3.01: Assess changes in ways of living over time and determine whether the changes are primarily political, economic, or social.
    • Objective 3.05: Describe the political and social history of colonial North Carolina and analyze its influence on the state today.