Where in the World
is Jamestowne?
Name: Linda Mills
Grade Level: Fifth Grade
Subject Area: Social Studies
Essential Questions
Big Idea – What big idea (or essential question) do you want students to
explore through this activity?
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How did historians/archaeologists know about Jamestowne or early
settlements?
Why was Jamestown established?
Where was Jamestowne located?
Overall Idea of Unit
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Explore map (1612) of early Jamestown by jigsaw (Example 1)
Share book on Jamestown (Captain John Smith’s Big and Beautiful Bay by
Rebecca C. Jones. Illus. by Linda Shute. Schiffer, 2011.)
Compare later maps of Jamestown including present day maps
Use this site to show original fort
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/jamestown/jamestown-standalone
Indiana Standards
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S.S. 5.1.4 Ways of life before and after the arrival of
Europeans to 1610
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S.S. 5.1.19 Chronological Thinking, Historical
Comprehension, Analysis and Interpretation.
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Locate and compare the origins, physical structure and social
structure of early British settlements.
Use primary and secondary sources to examine a historical account
about an issue of the time
S.S. 5.3.4 Places and Regions:
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Locate Native American Indian and colonial settlements on maps
and suggest reasons for the locations of these places.
Background Knowledge
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Students will have
studied explorers
(i.e.Cartier,
Columbus, Magellan,
etc)
Now comes…….the
settlements in North
America
Engagement
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Explore 1612 map of
early Jamestowne
created by John
Smith (jigsaw) (i.e.this
map was used for 300
years)
Compare later maps
of Jamestowne
Book Connection
This book will be used to
engage the students and to
illustrate how the map they
will be working with was used
for 300 years.
Overview of book:

account of John Smith’s exploration
of the Chesapeake Bay in 1609
Discusses:
 Exploration of Chesapeake Bay
 Frustrations of men
 Encounters with Powhatan Indians
Publication: Schiffer, 2011
Critical Thinking
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Observe details on
maps
Reflect (infer) and
question
Compare maps
New vocabulary:
cartographer,
archaeologist
Primary Source Analysis Tool
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Students will use this form.
Questions and Prompts
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How do maps/places
change over time?
How do
archaeologists
discover information
from clues?
Why did the Virginia
Company settle at
Jamestowne?
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Resources
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Colonial American overview to use on Jamestown
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/timeline/colonial/indians
/
Use the National Geographic site to show how the discovery of Jamestowne is being done today.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/jamestown/jamestown-standalone
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National Park Service site http://www.nps.gov/jame/index.htm
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Beyond a reasonable doubt http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=60
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Earliest map of Jamestown by Robert Tindall Eyewitness at Jamestowne fort
http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=61
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Interactive map of the site today. What have we found? http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=4 (Try
using this site some more with the interactivity of the map of the fort.)
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West Bulwark http://apva.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=353
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Church tower at Jamestowne http://www.historicjamestowne.org/images/church_01.jpg
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Picture from Library of Congress of old church at Jamestowne
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/thc1995013020/PP/ Bigger picture
http://www.loc.gov/pictures/resource/thc.5a47932/
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Original Jamestown Records of Virginia Company
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/jefferson_papers/mtjessay2.html
Map Lesson
Day 1
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Each child gets a piece of the map
Using the analyzing map tool, have
students write their observations of the
map. They need to write ONLY what
they see at this time. Observation
skills need to be explained and
emphasized to students (this is a new
skill). 5 minutes
Divide students into 7 groups, 4
students to a group
Put students together in their groups.
Have students share what they have
observed. Then have them write
questions or inferences that they may
have about the map after sharing time.
Assessment
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Where is Jamestowne
located?
Why was Jamestowne
located in this particular
place?
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Use exit cards to have
students tell the answers to
these two questions
Assess map analyzing tool
sheet that students completed
**Suggest to teachers a guided
reading lesson with
information on Bill Kelso
What Did Jamestowne Look
Like?
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
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Jamestowne in 1607
looked much different
than it did today.
These are artists
renderings based on
primary sources.
What Does Jamestowne Look
Like Today?
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Bill Kelso discovered in
1994 that Jamestown
was still there and not in
the river. This website will
explain this further.
http://www.apva.org/rediscovery/page.
php?page_id=1
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It also includes videos of
the archaeological dig.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Jamesto
wnRediscovery
Bill Kelso
My connection with him is
that I met him at the
Jamestowne dig. I need
to share that with the
students.
Interactive Site to Use
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Use the National
Geographic site
to show how the
discovery of
Jamestowne is
being done today.
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/jamestown/jamestown-standalone
Additional Book Connection
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Discusses the settlers
of Jamestown,
Virginia, including
John Smith, and the
difficult early years in
the colony.
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Athenaeum, 2001
John Smith
To extend this lesson
more:
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Compare pictures of
John Smith
Read excerpts of
John Smith’s diary
Look at the Disney
portrait of John Smith
Excerpts from Smith’s Diary
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The next day searching them for fresh
water, we could find none, the defect
whereof forced us to follow the next
Easterne Channell, which brought us to
the river of Wighcocomoco (Pocomoke).
The people at first with great fury
seemed to assault us, yet at last with
songs and daunces and much mirth
became very tractable, but searching
their habitations for water, we could fill
but three barricoes, & that such puddle,
that never till then we ever knew the want
of good water. We digged and searched
in many places, but before two daies
were expired, we would have refused two
barricoes of gold for one of that puddle
water of Wighcocomoco.
Additionally activities and
thoughts
Use a good map of present day
Virginia to show the students
although used the set of atlases that
I own and used an atlas per each
two students to examine a map of
present day Virginia. This will also
cover atlas skills.
I had to decide to work with students
in the library or in the classroom
teaming with a classroom teacher. I
liked it best when I teamed up with
a classroom teacher.