Grade Level: 3
Time: 30–45 minutes for introduction and first entry; 30 minutes for sharing and end-of-week reflection 

Standards: Cultural Communities in Connecticut Present and Past 

3.His.11.a. Make inferences about the intended audience and purpose of a variety of historical sources from information within the source itself (e.g., diary entries, historical markers, letters, seals, symbols). 

Learning Objective: 

Students will understand that a diary is a valuable historical record that can be used to track daily events, community news, and personal observations. They will practice detailed observation and writing by documenting their own lives using a format similar to that of Joshua Hempsted.

Teacher Background: 

Farmer, carpenter, and gravestone cutter Joshua Hempsted was born in 1678 in New London, Connecticut. He began keeping a diary on September 8, 1711, to keep track of his business activities and continued it for almost 50 years until November 3, 1758. On a daily basis, he recorded the weather, marriages, baptisms, town meetings, celebrations, and other goings-on in New London. Hempsted’s travels took him to the surrounding areas of Hartford, New Haven, Boston, New York City, and as far as the West Indies.  Along the way he recorded the many people he met, observations of the land he passed through and its crops, and the comings and goings of ships to the many trading destinations of New London merchants. Because of its thoroughness and the daily nature of its entries, it is one of the most important sources of information about colonial life that we have. 

An example of an entry from Hempsted’s diary: 

“fryd 31. fair & moderate. I was at home all day. farewell January. I never knew one So moderate. No frost in the ground So that many are plowing, & Diging Stones & making wall like Spring.” (667)

Click here for more information on Joshua Hempsted.

Materials: 

• Lined diary pages (printable worksheet) 
• Pencil
  

Introduction (10-15 minutes)

1. Teacher Prompt:

“Does anyone here keep a diary or a journal? Do you ever write down what happened to you on a specific day, or maybe how you were feeling, or what you bought?  

When you write something down about your life, you are creating a primary source—a firsthand record of history! Today, we are going to learn about one of the most important primary sources from the time of Colonial Connecticut: The Joshua Hempsted Diary. 

Joshua Hempsted was a man who lived nearly 300 years ago in New London, Connecticut. He began keeping his diary to keep track of his many business activities, but he didn’t just write about work! For 47 years (from 1711 through 1758), he wrote every single day. 

Because he was so thorough, his diary is an incredibly valuable historical tool. He recorded the date and the weather consistently, but he also tracked all sorts of important community and personal events. He wrote about town meetings, births, deaths, military activity, and even when ships came and went. 

Because he included so much detail about all the parts of his life and his town, the Joshua Hempsted Diary is one of the most important sources of information about colonial life that we have. We know exactly what life was like almost 300 years ago because he was such a careful record-keeper. 

Your job this week is to become historians of your own lives! You are going to create your own diary entries, trying to be as detailed and comprehensive as Joshua Hempsted was, recording not just what you do, but the events and observations that make up your day.” 

2. Class Discussion: 

On the board, brainstorm what might fall under each of the following categories: 

Work and Chores: schoolwork, homework, farm chores, cleaning tasks
Community Events: club meetings, team practices, assemblies
Important Life Events: birthday parties, visits from relatives, personal milestones
Travel and Observations: trips to the store, visiting friends, vacations/longer trips

Main Activity: Write a Diary Entry (20–25 minutes)

Every student creates a diary entry, keeping track of one day in their lives. 

1. Date and Weather: Students should document the day’s date and the weather conditions, just like Joshua Hempsted. Students can use the provided worksheet or lined paper.
2. Daily Activities: Students should write their entries for the above categories (Work and Chores, Community Events, Important Life Events, Travel and Observations).
3. Drawing: Students can choose one image to represent their day and draw it in the space provided. 

Opportunities for Assessment

1. Homework: Have students fill in the other entries every day for one week in their lives.  
2. Class Share (20 minutes): At the end of the week, have students share one of their entries. Each student can share one day’s entry (or one of their category entries depending on class size.) 
3. Closing Reflection Questions (10 minutes): 
   • Why is it important to document these events for ourselves?
   • What about for others?
   • Why is it important to record different kinds of events?
   • What might students 300 years from now learn about you if they read your diary?

Slides and Worksheets

Slides Presentation (Canva) (PDF)

Lined Diary Worksheet (PDF) (Doc)