13 Colonies Recruitment Fair: A Colonial America PBL

Have you ever attended a recruitment fair - such as a college or career fair? The recruiters use so many different skills to encourage you to join their team. In this PBL activity, students develop those same skills to recruit their audience to live in their assigned colony.

Students are divided into groups representing each of the 13 colonies. They use various resources, including websites, videos and textbooks, to research their assigned colony. Students focus on the founding of the colony, geography and climate, economy, and culture. They then plan for and creating a booth that will be featured in the fair.

On fair day, you can invite administrators, specialists, teachers, students, and possibly even parents to visit the different booths. Students will use what they have learned about their colony and their persuasive skills to convince the travelers to settle in their colony.

This activity is highly engaging and motivating and is definitely one of their favorite activities every year. No matter what curriculum I am teaching, I always incorporate this strategy. Kids get to practice a variety of skills and use their persuasive skills on an authentic audience. We are creating 21st century learners!

Included in this product are:

- PowerPoint presentation to introduce the project to your students

- Teacher guide

- Research worksheets for each role and websites that can be used for research

- Rubric