Students are making a Colonial America Brochure!

They have been hired as the new  governor of a colony in the New World. They picked out of a jar to figure out what colony they were presiding over (if only choosing government officials was this easy!). They were given the task by the king to make their colony successful, and the king will reward them with great wealth and power. However, it is up to them to convince all of the new settlers coming from England and other European countries that your colony is the best place to live. They are tasked with creating a Google Slides brochure to be distributed in Europe to convince the people that their colony is the best place to settle before they set sail for the New World.

A Google slides brochure will have six (or more) slides, and a different topic will be covered on each slide. Every topic or slide should minimally have a descriptive paragraph and a visual. They were told that paragraphs should have historical facts written as convincing reasons to move to their colony. They can use bullet points and animate the slides.

Slide One – Front Cover: This is the cover for the brochure and will introduce the colony. It should contain the name of the colony and a visual. Instead of a paragraph, this side should display a catchy slogan describing one of your colony’s best features so people will pick up and read your brochure.

Slide Two – History: This side will discuss the history of the colony before the year 1750. This should include the founder(s), why the colony was founded, and any important events associated with how the colony got started. These important events should emphasize why your colony’s history makes it a good place to live.

Slide Three – Physical Features: This side of your brochure will discuss the physical features of your colony such as the location, geography, and climate. These features should be described in a way that would draw newcomers to your colony to settle there. You should include a map.

Slide Four – Economy: This side of the brochure will discuss important aspects of your colony’s economy, including what type of jobs are available to the people prior to 1750. One side 3 or 4, you should discuss how the physical features of your colony helped make your economy successful.

Slide Five – Government: This side of your brochure should tell people how your colony is governed (i.e., who is in charge) and how the local people may be able to be involved in the local government (i.e., who can vote and how democratic is your government). Do you have a say in what happens in the colony? Why is your form of government a good thing for the local people?

Slide Six – Big Sell: This is the side where you will convince others to move to your colony based on all the wonderful reasons to live there. This is a summary of the great reasons to live here, and not the other colonies. Make a convincing argument as you need more people to help your colony survive.

I cannot wait to see what they create!