The Revolutionary War was the start of our American History.
Times were tense in the colonial villages as preparations were being made
to join the fight for freedom. But,
everyday life went on. Imagine that
you are a reporter for the village newspaper.
It is your job to inform the public of the turn of events on the
political scene and also to keep them apprised of what is happening locally.
Your task, as a reporter, is to research the daily life of the colonists
during the 1770’s. You will use
this information to write a variety of articles that would be found in a
colonial newspaper.
- Work
in groups of four, choosing one student to act as editor.
- Research
colonial life using the web sites listed in the Resource section or others.
- Decide
on appropriate name for your newspaper.
- Use
information to write timely articles including:
- Headline
news story dealing with the political scene of the day
- Editorial
about the political climate
- Letter
to the editor
- Tribute
to a renowned citizen (e.g. Ben Franklin, Betsy Ross, etc)
- Local
news story
- Sports
story (e.g. leisure activities, games, etc.)
- Advertisements
(e.g. clothing, tools, want ads, etc.)
- Feel
free to include other types of articles
- Be
sure to include a byline for each article written.
Your project will be graded accordingly:
| Timeliness |
20 |
|
Creativity/Neatness |
20 |
| Organization |
20 |
| Mechanics
|
40 |
When you have finished publishing your paper, you will have a visual
representation of life in Colonial America.
How has life changed since then? What
major contributions were made during colonial times that made our life today
possible?
