Unit 1: The Land and Settlement of Maryland

Unit 1: The Land and Settlement of Maryland

In our first unit we will be learning about Maryland's land, water, and regions, the Paleo-Indians and Woodland Indians of Maryland, and map skills.  Then we will focus on the settlement of Maryland and the growth of the Maryland colony.

Key Vocabulary

Artifact	An object made by humans, such as pottery, baskets, tools, etc.
Barter	To exchange goods without using money.  For example, you give a person a fur and they give you blankets in return.
Charter	A plan for business or an organization.
Climate	The weather over time.
Colony	A settlement ruled by another country.
Compass Rose	Part of a map that shows the cardinal and intermediate directions.
Culture	A way of life shared by a group of people, such as the Native American culture.
Custom	A way of doing something that is shared by a group.
Economy	The way people run businesses and make money in an area.
Elevation	The height above sea level.
Indentured servant	Persons who agree to work for a certain time period without pay in order to pay off a debt.
Landform	A feature of the Earth’s surface, such as mountains.
Legend	Part of a map that explains what the colors, symbols, and lines on the map represent.
Lines of latitude	Imaginary lines that run east and west on a map.
Lines of longitude	Imaginary lines that run north and south on a map.
Longhouse	A large, rectangular house with a frame of wood poles covered with sheets of bark used by most Eastern Woodland Indians.
Map scale	A part of a map that compares distance on the map to distance in the real world.
Natural Resources	Something found in nature that is useful to people, such as trees.
Parliament	Group that makes most of the laws in England.
Plantation	A large farm on which crops are grown by workers who live there.
Port	A place where ships and boats can dock, load, and unload products.
Prehistoric	People and things that existed before writing was invented.
Proprietor	A person who owns and controls the land of a colony.
Rebellion	An attempt to overthrow a government or change it by force.
Region	An area that has one or more features in common, such as the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Piedmont Plateau, and Appalachian Mountain Regions in Maryland.
Slavery	A system in which people can be bought and sold and made to work without pay.
Tolerance	Allowing people to do or to believe as they wish.
Trade	The exchange of goods or products.
Wetland	Land that is covered by water part of the year, such as a swamp or marsh.

Maryland's Regions

• The Atlantic Coastal Plain Region:  is very flat, made of lowlands, has many rivers and marshes, has excellent farmland, and has mild temperatures.
• The Piedmont Plateau Region:  is hilly with large rocks, many cities and factories are located here, and has farmland where wheat, hay, and corn are grown.
• The Appalachian Mountain Region: the Appalachian Mountains run through this region, is cooler than the rest of the state because of the mountains, is a good area for the lumber industry because it has many trees, and is a good place to grow apples.

Maryland's Native Americans

•  To learn about Maryland's Native Americans read "Maryland's Early Native Americans" book in the Choptank Digital Library. 

 To learn more about maps go to the Type of Maps page on this site. 

 To learn more about landforms go to the Landforms and Bodies of Water page on this site.

 To learn more about plantations go to the Maryland Roots link "Build a Plantation" and create your own plantation.  Follow these directions:

• Click on high bandwidth.
• Click on The Colony Begins.
• Click on Build Your Plantation.
• Build your plantation.

To learn more about the colonial economy between 1600 - 1750 go to the link "To Market, To Market."

 To practice longitude and latitude.  

 To practice map skills.

 To learn about the day in the life of a Maryland Native American.

Teacher Websites © 2008 SchoolWorld