Comparing the Three Colonial Regions
Start Here
This is a paper reading activity. You will read three short summaries, look at a map and a table, and answer with a pencil. You do not need a computer or a book — everything you need is in this packet. Work by yourself. Write in complete sentences when a question asks you to explain. If a question is hard, skip it, keep going, and come back. You may read the passages quietly aloud to yourself.
Start Look & Notice 5 min
Warm up before you read. A region is a group of places that share things, like weather or land.
1Look at the map in the Build section (Figure 1). Write one thing you notice about where the three regions are.
2People long ago used the land around them to live. Name one way weather or land might change how people work. (Guess in your own words.)
Build Read the Region Profiles 10 min
New England Colonies (written for this packet)
The New England region was in the far north, near the cold Atlantic coast. Winters were long and cold, and the soil was rocky and hard to farm. Because big farms were difficult, most families grew just enough food for themselves on small farms. Many people turned to the sea instead. They caught fish, hunted whales, built ships, and traded goods in busy port towns. People often lived close together in small towns.
Type: original region summary · Region: New England (north)
Middle Colonies (written for this packet)
The Middle region sat between the north and the south. It had milder weather and rich, flat soil. Farmers grew so much wheat and other grain that this area was called the "breadbasket." Wide rivers helped people move crops to market. Busy port cities grew and traded many goods. People came from many different countries to live here, so the towns were mixed and lively.
Type: original region summary · Region: Middle (center)
Southern Colonies (written for this packet)
The Southern region was in the warm south. It had hot weather, a long growing season, and rich soil. This let people grow large crops like tobacco and rice on very big farms called plantations. Much of the hard field work on these plantations was done by enslaved people, who were forced to work and were not free. Because farms were large and spread out, people lived far apart, and there were fewer big towns.
Type: original region summary · Region: Southern (south)
Word Bank
- region
- a group of places that share things, like weather or land.
- geography
- the land, water, and weather of a place.
- climate
- the usual weather of a place over time.
- soil
- the top layer of ground that plants grow in.
- colony
- a place ruled by a faraway country.
- plantation
- a very large farm that grows one main crop.
- port
- a town by the water where ships load and unload goods.
- fact
- something you can check and show is true.
- opinion
- what a person feels or likes; not proven true.
Table 1 — Comparing the regions (written for this packet)
| Region | Climate & land | Main way people made a living | Towns |
|---|---|---|---|
| New England | Cold; rocky soil | Fishing, whaling, shipbuilding, trade; small farms | Small towns close together |
| Middle | Mild; rich, flat soil | Growing wheat and grain ("breadbasket"); trade at ports | Busy port cities |
| Southern | Warm; long growing season | Large plantation farms growing tobacco and rice | Few towns; people spread out |
Type: original comparison table · Use it with the map to answer the questions.
Apply Read the Map & Table 20 min
3Map reading. Using Figure 1, which region is farthest north? Which region is farthest south?
Farthest north: ______________________________
Farthest south: ______________________________
4Table reading. Use Table 1 to fill in the blanks.
a) The region known as the "breadbasket" is the ______________________ region.
b) The region with big plantation farms is the ______________________ region.
c) The region where many people fished and built ships is ______________________.
5Compare. Use the profiles and Table 1.
One way all three regions were alike:
Two ways the regions were different from each other:
6Cause and effect. Pick one region. Explain how its geography (its land, weather, or water) affected how people made a living there. Write 2–3 sentences.
Sentence starter: "In the ______ region, the ______ meant that people ______."
7Fact or opinion? Write F for a fact you can check in the packet, or O for an opinion (what someone feels or likes).
____ a) The New England region had cold weather and rocky soil.
____ b) The Middle region was the best region to live in.
____ c) Southern plantations grew crops like tobacco and rice.
____ d) Ships are more exciting than farms.
8Check the claim. A student says: "The land and weather were the same in all three regions." Does the packet support this?
- Yes — the packet says all three had the same land and weather.
- No — the packet shows cold rocky land in the north, mild rich soil in the middle, and warm land in the south.
- The packet does not talk about land or weather at all.
Explain your choice using one detail from a profile or Table 1:
Explain Claim–Evidence–Reasoning 10 min
Question 9. Pick two regions. How was the way people made a living different in those two regions, and why? Write a claim naming your two regions and how they were different, give two pieces of evidence from the profiles, map, or Table 1, then explain your reasoning (how geography helped cause the difference).
Sentence stems you may use: "In ______ people mostly ______, but in ______ people mostly ______." · "One piece of evidence is… (from a profile / the map / Table 1)." · "A second piece of evidence is…" · "This happened because the land and weather were…"
Close ACE Wrap-Up 5 min
In your own words, tell a friend what a region is.
Name one place in this packet (the map, a profile, or Table 1) that shows geography changing how people lived.
Think about where you live. Name one way the land or weather changes how people work or play here.
Continue Early Finisher optional · ~15 min
Which region fits the job? On the back of this page, match each worker to the region that fits best, and tell why using the packet: (1) a fisher who catches fish and helps build ships, (2) a wheat farmer who ships grain from a busy port, (3) a farmer who grows tobacco on a very large warm farm. For each one, name the region and give one reason from a profile, the map, or Table 1.