Materials

• An atlas for each student or for each group of two or three students
• List of countries with different economic situations
• Maps of colonial and present-day America
• Computer with Internet access

Instructional Activities

1. Review the previous session’s content, as needed.
   
   
2. Explain that colonial economies were either similar to that of Europe or distinctively American, depending on the geography and national resources of the area. Divide the class into groups of 2 or 3 students. Provide to each group atlases that reflect climate regions, biomes, economies, etc. Instruct each group to develop a list of four or five regions of the world where they think the geography drives the economy. Each student should contribute one region to the group list. Allow time for the groups to share their responses and explain their reasons for selecting those regions. They should not be restricted to the United States or to the past: an understanding of the concept is the goal.
   
   
3. Explain that colonists had a strong belief in private ownership of property and free enterprises. Ask students to explain what these two terms mean. Provide examples of private versus public ownership. Provide examples of free enterprise versus a command type of economy.
   
   
4. Begin discussion of the New England colonies from the perspective of its economy. Remind students that this information should be added to the chart they began during study of the previous organizing topic (or the previous session, if not done earlier).
   
   
5. Instruct students to review the present-day states (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and portions of Vermont) that were considered part of the New England colonies. Use maps to illustrate this. Provide the students with outline maps they can color code.
   
   
6. Display the following prompt on the board or overhead:
   The economy of the New England colonies was based on shipbuilding, fishing, lumbering, small-scale
   subsistence farming, and manufacturing.|Display a period map of the New England colonies or a present-day map reflecting their location, and stimulate student discussion with questions that will identify what geographic and cultural characteristics contributed to the facts in the statement. Sample questions to prompt student responses may include:
   • What geographic features contributed to an economy based on shipbuilding?
   • What geographic features contributed to an economy based on fishing? What type of fishing developed?
   • What geographic features contributed to an economy based on lumbering? In what specific region was lumbering developed? What type of lumber was involved?
   • What geographic features contributed to an economy based on small-scale subsistence farming? What is the meaning of the term small-scale subsistence farming?
   • What geographic features contributed to an economy based on manufacturing? When did manufacturing begin? What types of manufacturing (e.g., clothing) were developed? What was the difference between household production and factory production?
   • Did the origin of the New England colonists contribute to the economic structure of the colonies? Why, or why not? For example, did the New England colonists come from areas where shipbuilding or fishing was prominent?
   • What were the dominant religions in the New England colonies during colonial times? Did the religious beliefs of the New England colonists contribute to the economic structure of these colonies?
   • To whom did the New England colonist sell their products? (Great Britain) What are some examples of products they sold? (lumber and furs) What products did they get in exchange? (cloth, tools, and luxury item).
   
   
7. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.