Send Mom and Dad Back in Time

What would life be like for your parent(s) if they were colonists from England
living in a Massachusetts colony in 1628?

This web quest will show you what life was like back then.
Then you will create an Inspiration idea web and outline and use them to create an essay
comparing the life your parent(s) lead now
to the life they would have led over 300 years ago.

First download your worksheet into MS Word by right-clicking here.

You will now look at short videos and answer the questions printed under the video link.
The answers to these questions go on your worksheet.

Click here to look at a short introductory video.

A. Welcome to Massachusetts.  Click here to see the video.
1. What is another name for the Pilgrims?
2. Describe King James' opinion of the Pilgrims.
3. List an important reason for choosing the site for the new colony on Cape Cod Bay.


B. The Village of New Plymouth.  Click here to see the video.
4. How was the Plymouth colony of 1628 different from a typical English town?
5. Name one important building or feature at the colony.

C. New Plymouth's Houses.  Click here to see the video.
6. How many rooms made up most houses?

D. Building Homes.  Click here to see the video
7. What materials did the colonists use to build their houses?

E. Getting Enough to Eat.  Click here to see the video.
8. What kind of work did the colonists do?
9. What was their most important crop?
10. How were the colonists taught to plant corn?
11. Who taught them to plant corn this way?

F. From the Garden.  Click here to see the video.
12. What kinds of stoves were in colonial homes?
13. What did colonists use for medicine?

G. Raising Animals.  Click here to see the video.
14. What did raising cattle require?
15. What animals did the colonists keep?

H. Livestock, Food, Clothing and Labor.  Click here to see the video.
16. What uses were cattle put to?
17. Where did cloth come from?

I. Other Daily Tasks.  Click here to see the video.
List 2 other tasks that colonists had to do: Use #18 and #19 on your worksheet.

J. The Hardships of Colonial Life.  Click here to see the video.
20. List one hardship of the early colonists.

K. The Progress of the Colonists.  Click here to see the video.
21. As the colonists became more successful, which group fared badly?
22. How did the colonists begin to think of themselves?

L. Take the Video Quiz.  Click here to see the video quiz.
Answer the 10 True or False questions on your answer sheet.

Look at the following links from the web site

of the recent PBS television program "Colonial House."

See panoramas of colonial homes.   Click here.
On your worksheet, describe one "Highlight" you observed.

See the Laws of the Colony.  Click here.
On your worksheet, describe two laws you read about that you consider the most bizarre.


After checking your work, print your worksheet and hand it in to your teacher.

If you have time, you can also view a ten-minute video clip titled
"The Early Colonists, Forging a New World" by clicking here.


Load Inspiration.  Begin your web by copying the symbols as shown below.
For each symbol, open a Notes box, as also shown below.

When you're done, print your web and your outline and hand it in to your teacher.
Open MS Word.  Use a copy of your outline to begin an essay comparing the lives of your parent(s)
in 2004 to the lives they would have led in a colony in 1628.
Be sure your outline is in this order...

Print your essay after checking it carefully and hand it in to your teacher.


Click here to return to the Writing Class page.