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HMH Social Studies.VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP.

The Jamestown Colony

Image. A man dressed in armor holds a weapon and stands in front of four old buildings.

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Virtual Field Trip Background Information.

Build Background.

The Jamestown Colony.

On this virtual field trip, you will visit the original site of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia to learn about its early history and see what archaeologists there have been discovering.

Jamestown, Virginia, was the first permanent English settlement in North America. It was founded in 1607. During its first few years, the colony almost failed. Life was difficult, and many colonists died from sickness, hunger, and conflicts with the native Powhatan. Eventually, though, Jamestown grew and prospered as the center of England’s colonization efforts in Virginia.

Know Before You Go.

  • Jamestown was named �after King James I of �England.
  • All of Jamestown’s �original settlers were �men.
  • Jamestown was the first �place in North America �where English settlers lived and interacted �with Native nations.
  • Jamestown was the first place in the English colonies where enslavers brought captive Africans.

Image. A map shows Jamestown’s location along the James River near the Atlantic Ocean.

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The Jamestown Colony

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The Jamestown Colony Timeline

Build Background.

Timeline.

December 20, 1606.

The first colonists sail from London, headed for North America.

April 26, 1607.

The expedition arrives in what is now Virginia.

May 14, 1607.

The colonists select �the location for their settlement.

16091610.

The colonists struggle to survive due to food shortages, disease, and conflicts.

1610.

Colonist John Rolfe begins growing tobacco.

August 1619

The first enslaved Africans are brought to Virginia.

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The Jamestown Colony

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You Choose the Activity.

Build Background.

A blue circle with a white checkmark in the center of it. Drag this object to an empty circle below.

What to See and Do.

What would you like to see and do on your trip? �Drag the check mark to the experience that interests you most.

Image. A statue of a man stands atop a stone pedestal.

Empty white circle that relates to the first activity. You can drag the heart circle here.

Stand next to the site of James Fort, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

Image. The inside of an old ship is dimly lit.

Empty white circle that relates to the second activity. You can drag the heart circle here.

Go inside a replica of the Susan Constant, one of the ships on the first voyage to the Jamestown Colony.

Image. Several old sailing ships are sitting at a dock.

Empty white circle that relates to the third activity. You can drag the heart circle here.

See replicas of the three ships that arrived in America.

Image. A field of green grass is next to a body of water, with trees in the distance.

Empty white circle that relates to the fourth activity. You can drag the heart circle here.

Explore the site on the James River where the colonists chose to locate their fort.

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The Jamestown Colony

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True or False activity.

Engage Your Brain.

True or False.

Which of these statements about the Jamestown Colony are true? Which are false? Drag each number to the box you think is correct. Then discuss the results as a class.

A blue circle with the number 1 on it.

The site of the original fort at Jamestown was eventually abandoned, and for many years after that, its exact location was unknown.

A purple circle with the number 2 on it.

Archaeologists have found at least 2 million artifacts at Jamestown so far.

A pink circle with the number 3 on it.

The first colonists at Jamestown were instructed to locate their fort on the coast so it could be easily found.

TRUE.

An empty box. Drag the numbered circles into here that relate to statements that are fact.

FALSE.

An empty box. Drag the numbered circles into here that relate to statements that are fiction.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Discussion Questions.

Make the Connection.

Discuss these questions with a partner.

  • Where is Jamestown, and when was it founded?
  • Why is Jamestown important in American history?
  • What do you think Jamestown was like in its earliest years?

Use what you know to write down your thoughts about this question.

What have archaeologists learned about early Jamestown?

What do you know?

An empty text field box. Type your response to the first question here.

What would you like to know more about?

An empty text field box. Type your response to the second question here.

What questions do you have?

An empty text field box. Type your response to the third question here.

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The Jamestown Colony

?

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Explore James Fort.

Image. A statue of a man stands atop a stone pedestal.

Explore.

Stand next to the site of James Fort, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

First Impressions.

Take a look around. Write down the first words and phrases that come to mind.

An empty text field box. Type your impressions here.

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Explore inside the Susan Constant.

Images. The inside of an old ship is dimly lit, and there is a man onboard.

Explore.

Go inside a replica of the Susan Constant, one of the ships on the first voyage to the Jamestown Colony.

Make a List.

Make a list of words and phrases that you can use to describe this scene to someone else.

An empty text field box. Type your list here.

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Explore replica ships.

Images. Several old sailing ships are sitting at a dock.

Explore.

See replicas of the three ships that arrived in America.

Fast Facts.

Write down three facts you learned about the Jamestown Colony.

First Fact.

An empty field box. Type your response to the first question here.

Second Fact.

An empty field box. Type your response to the second question here.

Third Fact.

An empty field box. Type your response to the third question here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Explore the James River site.

Image. A field of green grass is next to a body of water, with trees in the distance.

Explore.

Explore the site on the James River where the colonists chose to locate their fort.

Turn and Talk.

With a partner, discuss how this site looks. Use this space to record your thoughts.

An empty text field box. Type your thoughts here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Explore a Powhatan village.

Image. A man sits on the ground on top of an animal skin blanket. Behind him, three brown huts sit in a group, surrounded by trees.

Explore.

Visit a re-created Powhatan village near Jamestown.

Write a Social Media Post.

Write a social media post that includes one fact about the Powhatan people.

An empty text field box. Type your social media post here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Explore the James Fort.

Images. A man dressed in armor holds a weapon and stands in front of four old buildings. A black cannon sits nearby.

Explore.

Go inside the re-created James Fort to see what it looked like.

Field Notes.

How would you describe the re-created James Fort to someone else? What stood out to you most in this scene?

An empty text field box. Type your diary entry here.

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Explore the Armory.

Image. A room with knives, shields, and weapons on display.

Image. A man kneeling to light a fire inside a building.

Explore.

Visit the armory, where early colonists stored their weapons.

First Impressions.

Take a look around. Write down the first words and phrases that come to mind.

An empty field box. Type your impressions here.

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Explore a storehouse.

Images. A man stands in the middle of an old room. Barrels, wooden boxes, and other objects are stored in the room.

Explore.

Explore a storehouse, where the colonists kept their supplies.

Write a Journal Entry.

Write a journal entry that might have been kept by a colonist in this scene.

An empty text field box. Type your journal entry here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Explore an archaeological site.

Image. A woman stands in a square pit that’s been dug into the ground. A man standing next to the pit looks through a device on top of a tripod that’s pointed toward the woman in the pit.

Explore.

See what archaeologists have learned about Jamestown’s early history.

Picture It.

Sketch an image from the archaeological site.

An empty text field box. Type a description or sketch your image here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Excavate a settlement cellar.

Image. A man stands in a dirt pit and uses a small tool to scrape away some of the dirt on the wall.

Explore.

Explore a cellar excavation, where archaeologists continue to dig into the past.

Make a List.

Make a list of words and phrases that you can use to describe this scene to someone else.

An empty text field box. Type your list here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Discuss With a Partner.

Reflect and Discuss.

With a partner, pick one or two of the questions below to talk about. Take note of your key points. 

What is one thing you learned about the Jamestown Colony?

An empty text field box. Type your response to the first question here.

Did you learn anything that surprised you? If so, what?

An empty text field box. Type your response to the second question here.

What aspects of the Jamestown Colony would you like to learn more about? Why?

An empty text field box. Type your response to the third question here.

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The Jamestown Colony

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Optional activities.

Choices.

Pick one activity to complete.

Create a Postcard.

Send a postcard to a friend to share something from your trip.

  • Review what you learned about the Jamestown Colony. Choose one or two things that you want to share.
  • Create a postcard showing what you learned.
  • Include a relevant image.

Use the Postcard template on the next two slides to complete this activity.

Analyze an Artifact.

Research and explore artifacts found at Jamestown.

  • Go online to find artifacts found in the Jamestown Rediscovery collection.
  • Select one artifact and read what it is and how and when it was used.
  • Write a short paragraph summarizing what you learned.

Share your findings with the class.

Design a Fort.

If you were going to design a fort, what would it look like?

  • Go online and find a diagram of the original fort at Jamestown.
  • Note its main features, such as palisade walls and triangular shape.
  • Design a similar fort of your own.

You can design your fort on paper or digitally as an image file.

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Postcard Back Graphic Organizer.

An empty field box. Type your postcard message here.

An empty field box. Type your recipient information here.

An empty image box. Drag or paste image here.

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Postcard front graphic organizer.

An empty image box. Drag or paste image here.

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The Jamestown Colony

©Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company