Old Sturbridge Village

Grade Levels: 3 - 5

Objectives

• Students will use vocabulary related to life in a 19th-century New England town.
• Students will learn about the geographical layout and architecture in a 19th-century New England town.
• Students will learn about religion, society, and business in a 19th-century New England town.
• Students will compare and contrast life in their own community with life in a 19th-century New England town.

Materials

• Old Sturbridge Village Worksheet

Procedures

1. Handout Old Sturbridge Village Worksheet.
2. Go to Old Sturbridge Village Website (http://www.osv.org/explore_learn/village_tour.html).
3. Click on spots within the map to read about life in this 19th century New England village.
4. On a piece of drawing paper, draw a village center like the one on the map that includes a house, a church, and a bank.
5. Next to the house, make notes about the daily life of the people from this village.
6. Next to the church, make notes about their religion.
7. Next to the bank, make notes about the businesses and merchants in the village.
8. Set up a time when students can share the information they discovered.

Assessment

Use a checklist to assess students' understanding of life in a 19th-century New England village. Assign a point value to each item.

Extension Activities

• Choose from a large collection of cross-curricular activities for all grade levels.
• Explore outstanding lessons and activities in the Colonial Times theme.
• Have students work with partners or in small groups to create a map of their community. Have them write below their map a brief description of what makes their community special. Display the maps in the classroom or school for others to enjoy.

Standards Correlations

National Social Studies Standards
Students develop an understanding of:

• how human beings create, learn, apply, modify, and adapt to their cultures.
• relationships between human beings and their environment.
• their historical roots and are able to locate themselves in time.
• how reading about and reconstructing the past allows them to develop historical perspective.
• places and regions and interactions of environment and society.

National Educational Technology Standards
Students:

• practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
• use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.