Jamestown
Lesson 2: The Site of the Jamestown Colony
Time Estimated: 1 days
Objectives
Students will:
- Understand that the Jamestown fort was located on a peninsula on the James River
- Understand the three reasons why the colonists chose that site
Materials
- Excerpts from George Percy's Letter from the Personal Narratives from the Virtual Jamestown Project, 1575-1705
- Excerpts from John Smith’s A True Relation of Such Occurances from the Personal Narratives from the Virtual Jamestown Project, 1575-1705
- Drawing Paper
- Overhead projector
- Poster paper
- Coloring/Drawing utensils
- Model of the Jamestown Fort at http://www.virtualjamestown.org/mapz.html
- A current map of Virginia
Strategies
- Hook: Ask students: "Where was the Jamestown Colony located?"
- Have students make suggestions as to where they think the colony was located. Then, show them on the map of Virginia the location on the James River where Jamestown was located.
- Put up the three quotes on the overhead projector. Tell the students that each quote tells one reason for choosing the Jamestown location. Read the quotes and brainstorm with the class what they think the three reasons were. (Defense, moorage, water).
- After identifying the three reasons, record them on a poster for the whole class.
- Each student gets a sheet of drawing paper. Using Percy's description of the fort, they need to draw what they think the fort looked like. Be sure to read the quote first, and have students tell what they think it looked like.
- Closing: Show the model of the Jamestown fort and have the students compare their drawings to the known fort.
Differentiation
Students should have the option of creating a three-dimensional model of the Jamestown fort. This should include information on why the fort was designed in a triangular shape and the three reasons for choosing the Jamestown site.