7th Grade American History Fall Semester
Jamestown Essay Project
Overview: Over the course of the year, we have followed the establishment and
development of the English colonies in North America. After failures at Sagadohoc and
Roanoke, and “starving times” in others, by the mid 1700s, the thirteen English colonies
were thriving.
Objectives:
 To analyze the challenges faced by the Jamestown colony and the reasons why
the colony was able to survive and thrive

Points: This paper counts as a test. A letter grade will be given.
Late Penalty: ten percent will be deducted per day late
Assignment:
What challenges did the Jamestown colony face, leading it to lose seventy percent or
more of the colonists and what factors led it to not only survive, but thrive?
Choose at least two challenges that threatened the survival of the colony. Include at least
two reasons why the colony suceeded and write a three page paper on how these
events/factors contributed to its success. The goal is to prove your thesis statement (The
British lost the American Revolution due to the disadvantages of fighting at a distance,
inferior leadership, and strategic mistakes, including Yorktown.) with specific details.
You will be working on the essay in class and at home. Specific assignments and
deadlines will be given along the way.
Colony
 Virginia (beginning with the Jamestown settlement)
o Over time the colony grew from just Jamestown to the Virginia colony
Deliverables:
1. Outline with introduction, including a thesis statement
2. Rough draft of essay
3. Final draft of essay with Works Cited page and rough draft (with comments)
attached
Final Essay Requirements:
 Title page with name, class (History 7.1, 7.2, 7.3), Mr. Hughes, date, and title of
your essay
 three pages, double spaced (no header or footer)
 12 point font, Times New Roman
 Introduction, Four or more body paragraphs, and conclusion

Separate Works Cited page in proper MLA format (does not count as one of your
three pages)
 Rough draft with my comments clipped to final essay
 Sources:
o 2 book sources including your textbook
o 2 online sources (ABC-CLIO, Britannica Annals of American History,
and InfoTrac) found on the Stanwich library web page
 Quotes:
o At least five, from at least three different sources
o May be direct (what someone said) or from a secondary source
Resources:
 Your textbook, books provided in class
 National Geographic: Beyond the Movie: The New World: Nightmare in
Jamestown
 ABC-CLIO, World Book, Encyclopedia Britannica
 Various articles given to you by your teacher
 Pre-approved and unblocked websites – list will be provided by teacher
In-Essay Citations and Works Cited
Within your essay, you will need to cite all outside work using the MLA format.
In addition, you will be required to have a separate Works Cited page in MLA format for
your essay to show what outside information you included. Examples and formats will
provided.. If you have ANY questions at all you should contact your history teacher
 Email address:
o Mr. Hughes – chughes@stanwichschool.org
Note Cards:
 4 Source Cards in MLA format (one for each of the two books, one for each of the
two online articles)
 2 Information Cards from each source
o Include letter of source (A, B, C, etc.), number (#1, #2), and subject
(Leadership)
 Above number of cards are the minimum. Thoughtful use of note cards will go a
long way towards writing a well-written and coherent essay.
Class work:
In order to do well on this essay, it is imperative that you make effective use of class
time. Essay work is to be done in class and at home. Please make an effort to see me
with any questions during class or study hall. Disruptive behavior will result in a lower
grade.
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES
History 7.1
Thursday, October 31st
Class work:
Introduction to project, expectations, and format
Outline, notes, resources
Work on outline/notes
Homework: Take notes on 3.1 related to the challenges faced by Jamestown and
reasons for its success
Homework:
Finish notes
Friday, November 1
Class work:
Introduction to outline, Work Cited, in-essay citations
Work on outline
Homework:
Outline with introduction and thesis statement due Tuesday
Tuesday, November 5th
Class work:
Feedback on outline and introduction
Introduction to rough draft
Homework:
Work on rough draft, adding specific details
Rough draft due:
Thursday (beginning of class)
Wednesday, November 6th
Class work:
Homework:
Work on rough draft, adding specific details
Introduction to conclusion, transitions
Rough draft due Thursday
Thursday, November 7th
Class work:
Feedback on rough draft, work on rough draft
Work on Works Cited
Homework:
Final essay with Work Cited due Tuesday, November 12th
Friday, November 8th
Class work:
Work on final essay, incorporate edits from rough draft
Homework:
Final essay due Tuesday, November 12th
Tuesday, November 12th
*Final essay due with rough draft with my edits stapled to the back of it
Work Cited is the last page
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES
History 7.2
Wednesday, October 30th
Class work:
Introduction to project, expectations, and format
Outline, notes, resources
Work on outline/notes
Homework: Take notes on 3.1 related to the challenges faced by Jamestown and
reasons for its success
Homework:
Finish notes
Thursday, October 31st
Class work:
Introduction to outline, Work Cited, in-essay citations
Work on outline
Homework:
November 4th
Outline with introduction and thesis statement due end of class Monday,
Friday, November 1st
Class work:
Feedback on outline and introduction
Introduction to rough draft
Homework:
Work on rough draft, adding specific details
Rough draft due:
Thursday, November 7th (beginning of class)
Monday, November 4th
Class work:
Homework:
Work on rough draft, adding specific details
Introduction to conclusion, transitions
Rough draft due Thursday, November 7th (end of class)
Tuesday, November 5th
Class work:
Feedback on rough draft, work on rough draft
Work on Works Cited
Homework:
Final essay with Work Cited due Monday, November 11th
Friday, November 8th
Class work:
Work on final essay, incorporate edits from rough draft
Homework:
Final essay due Monday, November 11th
Monday, November 11th
*Final essay due with rough draft with my edits stapled to the back of it
Work Cited is the last page
SCHEDULE OF ASSIGNMENTS AND DUE DATES
History 7.3
Wednesday, October 30th
Class work:
Introduction to project, expectations, and format
Outline, notes, resources
Work on outline/notes
Homework: Take notes on 3.1 related to the challenges faced by Jamestown and
reasons for its success
Homework:
Finish notes
Thursday, October 31st
Class work:
Introduction to outline, Work Cited, in-essay citations
Work on outline
Homework:
Outline with introduction and thesis statement due Tuesday
Monday, November 4th
Class work:
Feedback on outline and introduction
Introduction to rough draft
Homework:
Work on rough draft, adding specific details
Rough draft due:
Thursday (beginning of class)
Tuesday, November 5th
Class work:
Homework:
Work on rough draft, adding specific details
Introduction to conclusion, transitions
Rough draft due Thursday (end of class)
Wednesday, November 8th
Class work:
Feedback on rough draft, work on rough draft
Work on Works Cited
Homework:
Final essay with Work Cited due Tuesday, November 12th
Thursday, November 9th
Class work:
Work on final essay, incorporate edits from rough draft
Homework:
Final essay due Tuesday, November 12th
Monday, November 11th
*Final essay due with rough draft with my edits stapled to the back of it
Work Cited is the last page
RUBRIC FOR ESSAY
Categories
A
B
C
F
Revision
Essay shows
thorough and
thoughtful revision
from outline and
rough draft based
on teacher and
peer feedback.
Essay
incorporates most
feedback from
outline and rough
draft based on
teacher and peer
feedback.
Essay shows
preparation, and
clear separation
from paragraph to
paragraph, but
does not always
flow from section
to section
Essay demonstrates little
revision from outline and
rough draft based on teacher
and peer feedback.
Essay lacks
revision from
outline and rough
draft based on
teacher and peer
feedback.
Organization
Argument
Detail and
Supporting
Evidence
Introductions
and Conclusion
Essay has a clear
flow from start to
finish, topic and
transition
sentences
Student is able to
defend thesis
statement, with
specific details in
support of
argument
Student refers to
required number
of factors, and
uses appropriate
factors to support
thesis statement
Introduction is
clear, providing
insight into the
essay using the
“funnel”
technique,” and
includes a wellwritten thesis
statement
Conclusion is well
written
Student defends
thesis statement in
most areas, and
provides
satisfactory detail
Student refers to
required number
of factors, but
does not always
use them
appropriately to
defend thesis
statement (use of
factors is
confusing)
Introduction is
clear, and includes
adequate insight
into the paper. The
thesis statement is
properly placed, but
is awkward
Conclusion is too
long, and includes
details that should
have been included
in a body paragraph
Essay shows some preparation,
but paragraphs do not always
relate back to thesis statement,
and there is a lack of decent
topic sentences
Student refers to thesis
statement from time to time, but
argument is weak, and there is
a lack of detail
Essay shows little
to no preparation
Student does not
have a thesis
statement, and no
argument is made
Student uses less than the
required amount of factors, and
paper is lacking sufficient
detail
Student uses less
than the required
amount of factors,
and paper has very
little detail, and is
very difficult to
follow
Introduction is too short, and
does not provide enough detail.
Introduction is
lacking any insight
into the paper, or
has not been
written
Conclusion is too short, and
does not seem to “wrap up”
the essay
Student uses a
variety of sentence
structures
appropriately and
confidently; no
spelling errors
found
Student varies
sentence
structure, but
makes occasional
grammatical
errors; very few
spelling errors
found
Student’s writing is repetitive,
unclear, or has many
grammatical errors; multiple
spelling errors found
Essay Citations
& Works Cited
Student properly
cites all outside
sources within
essay and on
Works Cited page
in MLA format
Student cites
nearly all sources
within essay and
on Works Cited
page in MLA
format
Student does not
sufficiently cite sources within
essay and on Works Cited
page; MLA format not used
Numerous
omissions of in
essay citations and
on Works Cited
page; improperly
formatted
references used
Classwork/
Effort
Student
consistently takes
advantage of class
time to work
diligently on
essay; asks
questions and
seeks assistance in
and out of class.
Also, student
works consistently
and effectively at
home to meet
deadlines and
produce best
possible work.
Student makes
good use of time
to work on essay;
seeks some
assistance in and
out of class. Also,
student typically
makes effective
use of time at
home to make
progress on the
essay to produce
good work.
Student makes poor
use of class time to work on
essay; rarely seeks assistance
in or out of class. Also, student
does little quality work on
essay at home.
Student
consistently
disrupts class or
does not engage
with the work athand, thus making
little progress.
Little or no work is
done at home and
student does not
seek or is receptive
to help from the
teacher.
Grammar,
Sentence
Structure, and
Spelling
Revision
Organization,
Introduction, Conclusion
Content
Grammar & Spelling
Citations & Works Cited
Classwork/Effort
TOTAL
Points Possible
20
20
40
10
10
10
110
Points Assigned
Grammatical
errors make the
paper hard to
understand;
numerous spelling
mistakes found