Morgan students get to work learning about Colonial America

Morgan Elementary fifth-graders are going to work to share what they learned about life in Colonial America.

Morgan students recently turned their cafeteria into a job fair, where they brought to life typical colonial jobs to show their peers their world of early American settlers.

"I really like this project because you get to show other students what you have learned," said fifth grader Angelina Dinh, who created Angelina's Pottery ("Where Pottery Becomes Beauty"). "I like how we have to imagine what jobs were like in order to learn more about how people lived."

Students spent three weeks researching typical jobs in the original 13 colonies, looking at the settlers' way of life, dress, how they practiced their craft and typical places they would have lived. Students were supposed to also look at resources needed to complete their work

Jobs featured at the fair included school mistresses, owner of a general store, wig maker, dentist, doctors, seamstress, markets ("Boston's Besy Buy'), and one worker who created "The Best Barrels in Town."

Morgan fifth-grade teachers initiated the fair this year as a way to help students conceptualize early America.

"In an age of technology, it can be hard for our students to truly understand what it was like during colonial times," said Morgan teacher Marianne Nowicki. "We really felt this would be a good way for them to learn how people lived during this time."