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5th grade · Social Studies · Unit 1 of 6

The Thirteen Colonies

New England, Middle and Southern colonies

What your child practices

Why the colonies were founded, how the three regions differed in land, climate and work, and early self-government such as the Mayflower Compact and the House of Burgesses.

Alaska content standards learning standard: SS.5.2.16.1; SS.5.1.17.1 · the thirteen colonies, their regions and how the land shaped life in each

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The 13 colonies formed three regions: New England, the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies.
  2. New England fished and built ships; the Middle Colonies were diverse farm country; the South grew cash crops.
  3. A cash crop is grown to sell. An indentured servant worked several years to pay for the trip.

Example: Is Pennsylvania a New England, Middle or Southern colony? New England is the far northeast, like Massachusetts. Pennsylvania sits between New England and the South. Answer: a Middle Colony

The Thirteen Colonies in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 1 of 6 in 5th grade Social Studies, before Colonial Trade & Work.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which mountains formed the western edge of the 13 colonies?

    • The Andes
    • The Rocky Mountains
    • The Appalachian Mountains
    • The Cascade Range

  2. Question 2

    Which colony is in New England?

    • Georgia
    • Massachusetts
    • Pennsylvania
    • Virginia

  3. Question 3

    Which colony is one of the Middle Colonies?

    • Massachusetts
    • South Carolina
    • Georgia
    • Pennsylvania

  4. Question 4

    What is a cash crop?

    • A crop that grows coins
    • A crop given away free
    • A crop grown to sell, not to eat at home
    • A crop grown only in winter

  5. Question 5

    New England had rocky soil and long winters. So many people there worked in…

    • Growing rice in swamps
    • Gold mining
    • Fishing, shipbuilding and trade
    • Growing cotton on huge plantations

  6. Question 6

    Why did Southern plantations come to depend on enslaved Africans?

    • Africans chose to move there for jobs
    • Planters forced enslaved people to do the hard work without pay to make large profits
    • The king paid them well
    • The work was easy

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