G rolier Online Feature Showcase Jamestown Te a c h e r s Guide O p e n i n g This year scholars, teachers, and students of history will join in commemorating the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America. One may pose the question Why is there this renewed interest in Jamestown? What happened there that was of such great significance? During this lesson, students will explore the social, political, and economic aspects of Jamestown, study the effects of the interactions of three cultures Native American, European, and African and evaluate their impact on our nation. O b j e c t i v e s Students will: Answer comprehension questions Conduct research on the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers and develop a cause-and-effect chart Create a depiction of Pocahontas Write several journal entries from the perspective of an African slave brought to Jamestown Create a commemorative of Jamestown Vo c a b u l a r y. baptize: to give a name to, as in Christening. Example: The baby was baptized about six months following its birth. cash crop: a crop (as cotton or tobacco) produced for quick sale. Example: Tobacco was the cash crop that led to Jamestown s economic success. chiefdom: a political region or organization headed by a chief. Example: His chiefdom included all of the tribes in the northeast. commemorate: to honor a person or event. Example: A monument was built to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the battle. confederacy: a group of individuals or organizations that unite for mutual support or common action. Example: About 30 Indian tribes belonged to the Powhatan Confederacy. drought: a period of prolonged dryness that causes extensive damage. Example: The lack of rainfall caused a drought that ruined all the crops. F E ATURE SHOWCASE TEACHER S GUIDE 1
famine: an extreme scarcity of food. Example: Many people died as a result of the famine. indentured servant: a person who signs a contract to work for another person for a specific amount of time. Example: In exchange for food and shelter, the indentured servant worked for his master for seven years. institutionalize: to incorporate into a structured and often highly formalized system. Example: It wasn t long before slavery became institutionalized in the colonies. legacy: anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor. Example: The ancient Greeks left a legacy of a highly civilized and democratic society. legislature: an organized body with the authority to make laws. Example: Members of the legislature passed a law to allow 18-year-olds to vote. mutiny: the act of rebelling against a ship s captain. Example: A mutiny broke out when the captain reduced the crew s food rations. mingle: to come into contact. Example: Whenever he went to a party, he liked to mingle and meet new people. ransom: compensation paid or demanded for the release of someone or something from captivity. Example: The king was held for ransom by his captives. venture: a risky undertaking, such as a business deal. Example: Lack of money and resources caused the venture to fail. Warm-up Discussion Questions & Activities Use these discussion questions and activities before students view the Jamestown showcase. Ask students what they know about Jamestown, Virginia. Explain to students that Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, was founded in 1607 exactly four hundred years ago. They are revisiting it as a commemoration along with other students, teachers, and scholars across the country. Ask them why they think people are commemorating Jamestown. Have students brainstorm the social, political, and economic legacies of Jamestown. Comprehension Check Students may answer all or some of these questions either during or after viewing the Jamestown showcase. 1. Who was assigned the task of founding colonies in the New World? 2. What was one of the main reasons that the English wanted to settle in a new land? 3. Who was the first leader of the Jamestown settlers? 4. Who was Lord De La Warr? 5. What spurred Jamestown s growth? F E ATURE SHOWCASE TEACHER S GUIDE 2
6. Who was responsible for Jamestown becoming a boomtown? 7. How did the concept of private property ownership come about? 8. What was the House of Burgesses? 9. What was the status of the first blacks to arrive in Jamestown from Africa? 10. Why were women sent to Jamestown in increasingly large numbers? 11. What led to Jamestown s decline? 12. What was Opechancanough s attitude toward the English settlers? 13. By 1676, why were many people leaving Jamestown? 14. What was significant about John Punch? 15. What law regarding slavery did the Virginia legislature pass in 1662? 16. What was a bride ship? 17. How did women contribute to Jamestown s success? 18. What role did Pocahontas play in the relationship between the Jamestown settlers and the Powhatan Indians? 19. What event led to the Peace of Pocahontas? 20. Why did Pocahontas travel to England with her son? Activities: European Settlers and Native Americans: Have students use Grolier Online and other media such as videos, text, and personal accounts to explain the complex relationships between Native Americans and European settlers. Divide the class into small groups. Have students use what they have read to complete a cause-and-effect chart showing what the result of each action had on the relationship between Native Americans and Europeans. Use bulletin board paper to make a class chart that could also be hung in the hallway. Encourage students to think about the effects of Indian slavery, trading, and relationships between specific people. Inquiry Extension: Tell students that the native population is very small now. What actions taken by European settlers could have caused this drop in the Native American population? Four Faces of Pocahontas: There are many different stories and interpretations about Pocahontas as well as different depictions of her. Based on students readings and any additional research, ask students which depiction they believe to be the closest to the real Pocahontas appearance and why they selected the one they did. Have students create their own depictions of Pocahontas and display them in the classroom. Inquiry Extension: Remind students that Pocahontas played a significant role in the history of Jamestown. Ask students to elaborate on this, e.g. she was a mediator in the relationship between the settlers and the Powhatan Indians. Then ask students how they think Jamestown would have been different had Pocahontas not existed. From Africa to Jamestown: Remind students that the first blacks from Africa were brought to Jamestown in 1619 as kidnapped slaves. Although the earliest to arrive were considered indentured servants by the colonists, those who followed became slaves and had almost no rights. If they tried to escape and were caught, they were punished. Although some slaves were fortunate to be servants and others earned their F E ATURE SHOWCASE TEACHER S GUIDE 3
freedom, most were not so lucky. Have students work on their own and write several journal entries about the Africans arrival in Jamestown and their new lives as indentured servants or slaves. Have students share their journals with the class. Inquiry Extension: As a class, discuss the history of slavery and its impact on our country. Ask students how life for African Americans might be different had slavery not become institutionalized. Commemorating Jamestown: Remind students that 2007 is the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. Have them brainstorm ideas to commemorate the anniversary. Divide students into pairs or small groups to develop their own commemorative. It could be a stamp or a poster of a particular individual or event, a poem, a lyric, a painting, a PowerPoint presentation with background music, a poster with individuals and excerpts of their personal accounts, etc. Display commemoratives in the classroom. Inquiry Extension: After students have completed their commemoratives, bring the class together as a group. Ask why they think it s important to commemorate Jamestown. What are its most significant legacies and how have they impacted our nation as it stands today? Adaptations: Provide students with the vocabulary a few days prior to the lesson. Use large index cards to write relevant vocabulary words and post them in the classroom. Use photos or illustrations to accompany the new vocabulary words. Allow students to answer the comprehension questions orally. Direct Spanish-speaking students to La Nueva Eyciclopedia Cumbre, at Grolier Online. Links and Key Words: Student research can be conducted at Grolier Online: http://go-kids.grolier.com or http://go-passport.grolier.com/. Following is a list of some of the key words that students can use to guide their inquiry: Jamestown, Virginia, colony, Virginia Company of London, New World, King James I, Powhatan, John Smith, John Rolfe, Pocahontas, Lord De La Warr, slavery, Opechancanough, House of Burgesses, Sir Thomas Dale, Samuel Argall, Algonkians, Matoaka, Governor George Yeardley, indentured service. National Curriculum Standards National History Standards Standard 1: Why the Americas attracted Europeans, why they brought enslaved Africans to their colonies, and how Europeans struggled for control of North America and the Caribbean. Standard 2: How political, religious, and social institutions emerged in the English colonies. Standard 3: How the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies and how slavery reshaped European and African life in America. National Language Arts Standards Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes. F E ATURE SHOWCASE TEACHER S GUIDE 4
Standard 7: Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience. Standard 8: Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge. Standard 12: Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information). National Fine Arts Standards Standard 8.1: Students select media, techniques, and processes; analyze what makes them effective or not effective in communicating ideas; and reflect upon the effectiveness of their choices. Students intentionally take advantage of the qualities and characteristics of art media, techniques, and processes to enhance communication of their experiences and ideas. Standard 8.6: Students compare the characteristics of works in two or more art forms that share similar subject matter, historical periods, or cultural context. Students describe ways in which the principles and subject matter of other disciplines taught in the school are interrelated with the visual arts. F E ATURE SHOWCASE TEACHER S GUIDE 5