Instructional Technology
Lesson Plan 2
The Lost Colony of Roanoke
DVD Presentation and Lesson Plan
Kathleen Rowe
Adjunct Lecturer
Basic Educational Skills
Problem:
Many of our students come into the college environment with limited academic
experience or cultural literacy. As a result, they find it difficult to understand simple
readings presented to them as springboards for critical thinking and competent writing.
Motivation and self-confidence may be low, and an instructor’s first challenge is to
engage their interest.
Objectives of this module are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
to engage student interest in a topic at hand
to help students realize what they can learn from visual presentations
to help students realize that short visual presentations may not contain as much
information as other media such as books and journal articles
to help students extrapolate the skills they’ve acquired in the classroom from
reading, analyzing, and writing to watching, analyzing, and writing
to help students apply critical thinking skills to visual media, with the same ability
they are learning to apply them to reading media
to encourage research for deeper, independent learning
to practice effective writing based on CAT-W test criteria
Strategy: Motivate students to learn through the stimulus of visual multimedia followed
by, and coupled with, additional research.
Today’s students are accustomed to, and respond to, visual multimedia. While they may
find it difficult to read information, or to imagine events they are reading about, they are
likely to turn to online visual sources of information, such as YouTube, for
understanding. To them, perhaps more than any other generation, “seeing is believing.”
However, inexperienced viewers tend to accept all visual presentations as factual and
complete or, conversely, as mere entertainment. While visuals may engage their interest,
the next step is to encourage research for deeper learning that can be applied to better
developed writing.
Tactic: Directing students to take notes, show them a 50-minute DVD/video on a
particular topic [Roanoke: The Lost Colony] to engage their interest; elicit
discussion of the topic; extract facts they learned from the presentation (Socratic
questioning); prompt them to narrow down focus of the overall topic to their own
relevant individual interests.
Tactic: After presentation and discussion (see Addendum Socratic “W” questions), assign
a short preliminary paper to summarize facts learned and to articulate sub-topics
narrowed down to individual interests for further research.
Tactic: Follow-up the multimedia presentation with a QCC library services session
(conducted by library personnel) on researching college databases.
Tactic: Assign a research paper based on the multimedia presentation and the additional
research done.
Preliminary assignment:
First, type up the notes you took during the video showing of “Roanoke: The Lost
Colony,” and on the discussions afterward in class. Write a 10-sentence summary of the
information—the key points—that you gained from the documentary. Then, in a separate
paragraph, discuss one main point, issue, or fact that you found interesting, and which
you would like to know more about. Explain why you would like to learn more. In a third
paragraph, explain how the people and events that you saw in Roanoke may be relevant
to your own life or interests today.
Research assignment:
Based on the DVD presentation of “Roanoke: The Lost Colony,” and on the research that
you conducted on a sub-topic (key point) of interest to you, write a five-paragraph essay
on “The Roanoke Experience.” In particular, plan the essay to make sure that:
a.
b.
c.
in the introduction, you create a summary that contains the key ideas or events
found in the Roanoke incident
identify one key idea (main topic) that you will discuss
explain the significance or importance of the key idea you’ve selected (thesis
statement)
d.
e.
provide supporting details to develop your ideas (evidence or examples drawn
from what you have read/researched, learned in school, and/or personally
experienced)
review and edit your essay so that it is grammatically correct, clear, and easy to
understand.
[This assignment is based on the requirements of the new CAT-W writing test.]
Suggested reading:
“Roanoke, The Abandoned Colony” by Karen Ordahl Kupperman
“The Lost Colony of Roanoke” by Jean Fritz and Hudson Talbott (a children’s book)
“The First Voyage Made to the Coasts of America…” (1584) by Arthur Barlowe
http://docsouth.unc.edu/nc/barlowe/barlowe.html
Miller, Lee, Roanoke: Solving the Mystery of the Lost Colony (2000), Penguin Books,
ISBN 01420.0228 3
White, Robert W., A Witness For Eleanor Dare (1992), Lexikos, ISBN 0938530518
See also: History Channel: http://www.history.com/videos/in-search-of-history-lostcolony-of-roanoke#in-search-of-history-lost-colony-of-roanoke
Notes:
Thomas Harriot, Trumpet of Roanoke
Source: http://www.nps.gov/fora/forteachers/thomas-harriot-trumpet-of-roanoke.htm
Explorer, navigational expert, mathematician, scientist and astronomer Thomas Harriot
was born in Oxford about 1560. In 1577 he entered St. Mary's Hall (a subsidiary of Oriel
College) and in 1580, shortly after he was graduated B.A., he joined the household of
Walter Ralegh. There he prepared Arcticon, a navigational text which has not survived.
He also encouraged Ralegh to follow in the footsteps of Sir Humphrey Gilbert in
exploring and colonizing the New World. After Gilbert's death in 1583, Ralegh, with
Harriot's help, prepared for an expedition to America. Although Ralegh hoped to
command the 1584 voyage, Queen Elizabeth would not permit him to do so. Harriot may
have gone on this voyage because there is some evidence that it was at this time that he
learned the Algonquian language.
During the winter of 1584-1585 Ralegh and Harriot made preparations for a colonizing
effort. On 9 April 1585, commanded by Sir Richard Grenville, the expedition sailed from
Plymouth. Unable to go himself, Ralegh named Harriot as his representative, charged
with assessing the area's economic potential and describing the natives. John White was
to make maps and to prepare drawings of the new land and its inhabitants. During the
voyage Harriot made a number of observations. He tested dead reckoning against
celestial navigation, noted the variation of the compass, and must have observed the
eclipse of the sun on 19 April. Harriot also gathered plants as samples of the richness to
be obtained by colonization. Once in America Harriot and White began their task of
making a permanent record of the people and products of the new world. They noted
commercially profitable plants and mineral resources. Harriot may have been in the
group that explored the Chowan and Roanoke rivers and he may have spent part of the
winter of 1585-1586 on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. His scientific knowledge
impressed the Indians who learned to trust him.
Addendum
Instructor’s Socratic “W” Questions and Notes for Fact Review and Discussion
[Work in progress]
Q.
What hits you in the face about this
documentary? Knocks your socks off?
Blows you away?
Have students write their opinions on
blackboard.
Q.
(After reviewing notes) What would you Let students share their ideas on
like to learn more about? The island?
blackboard.
The people? Events?
1.
What was Roanoke?
An island where English tried to settle.
2.
Where was it?
Off the coast of Virginia (North
Carolina) behind outer banks.
Barrier island: a long, narrow sand
island that is parallel to the mainland
and serves to protect the coast from
erosion. Barrier islands typically have
dunes along the exposed outer side,
zones of vegetation in the interior, and
swampy areas along the inner lagoon.
3.
What was it like? What was there?
Lots of game, fish, plants
4.
Who were some of the people involved
in the attempt to colonize the American
continent?
Queen Elizabeth I
Sir Walter Raleigh
John White, an artist, made governor
Indians
Lone Indians: Manteo and Wanchees
2nd visit: Grenville, a privateer
Thomas Harriot, a scientist (see below)
Lane, a military commander
5.
How did they manage to get the trip
arranged and financed?
6.
Where did information about Roanoke
come from?
Writings of Arthur Barlow on first
voyage to Roanoke in 1584.
Thomas Harriot circa 1587.
7.
What was the “Golden Age” Barlow
referred to?
See: http://www.wisegeek.com/
what-is-a-golden-age.htm
See also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_
savage
seeking wealth
ports in distant lands to fight Spain
8.
Why did the English go to America?
9.
What are “Sea Dogs?”
10.
Second visit: Grenville, a privateer.
(What is a privateer?)
How many saw, “Pirates of the
Caribbean?” Who became a privateer?
Jack Sparrow? Will Turner?
11.
Lane, a military commander, built a fort
in a hurry. No farmers.
12.
When they got desperate for food, what
did they have to do?
13.
What were some of the problems that
sending military men created?
14.
Third visit: 1587. Who were some of
the leaders of trips?
Sir Francis Drake came and went.
Grenville returned; left 15 men behind.
1587 Raleigh sent ships, men, women,
children under John White. White
brought his pregnant daughter Ellanor,
and son-in-law, Ananias Dare, a tiler
and bricklayer.
Fernandez was the captain on this trip.
15.
How many families came with White?
Twenty. Some were wealthy; guild
English adventurers or pirates at the
time of Elizabeth I of England. They
were active from 1560 to 1605. Sir
Francis Drake; Walter Raleigh
Will Turner was offered Letters of
Marque in exchange for Jack Sparrow’s
unique compass.
Kill their own dogs to eat.
memberships
16.
What was guild membership?
17.
Who was White?
See above
18.
What possessed these people to make
such a trip?
Promise of 500 acres of land. Possible
riches.
19.
Who was Monteo?
Indian who lived on Croatan Island;
tried to arrange a meeting with White.
Went to England with White.
20.
Who was Virginia Dare?
First English child born in America on
August 18, 1587.
21.
What child was born before her?
Icelandic/Norwegian child: Snorri, the
son of Thorfinn Karlsefni and his wife,
Gudrid Thorbjarnadottir, is thought to be
the first European baby born in North
America, AD 1007, Newfoundland.
Read more:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history
-archaeology/vikings.html
22.
1590
White tossed by the weather and search
for Spanish galleons.
23.
What was found by White?
chests hidden and buried in the woods:
books. “Croatoan” carved in trees.
24.
Did anyone ever search for the lost
colonists?
20 years after, England had made no
attempt to find them.
25.
1607
Jamestown settled.
26.
xxxxx
William Strokey told to search among
Chesapeake Indians.
Strange native tribes--houses, English
names, blond hair, blue eyes--a myth?