TEACHER’S GUIDE
TEACHER’S GUIDE
• John Smith imposed discipline on the settlers by telling them that “he
who shall not share in the work shall not share in the food.” Discuss
what this means and why he says it. Debate whether you agree or disagree with this philosophy.
2. Hatch, Jr., Charles E. The First Seventeen Years — Virginia 1607–1624.
University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville,VA; 1957.
3. Billings,Warren M. Jamestown and the Founding of the Nation.
Thomas Publications, Gettysburg, PA; 1991.
Follow-up Activities
Suggested Student Resources
• Investigate the history of Pocahontas, John Smith and John Rolfe.
• Learn about the “Starving Time” in Jamestown and the abandonment of
the settlement (1609 – 1610).
• Find out more about the living conditions in Jamestown and the role
tobacco played in saving the settlement.
• Discover more about the water supply problems in Jamestown and comparing it with the way water is now supplied in our communities.What
are the problems of today, and how are they resolved?
• Make soup using as many of the Powhatan ingredients as possible:
corn, beans, squash, turkey and venison. Discuss the difference
between this and the cold, salted meat, moldy bread, pickled fish,
cheese and biscuits of the sailors.
• Learn more about glassblowing. Find out how the right combination of
sand, hot ash, soda ash and lime leads to the creation of this resilient
substance. Find out how color is added to glass.What other ways are
used to shape glass?
1. Fradin, Dennis B. The Virginia Colony. Children’s Press,
Chicago, IL; 1986.
2. Yoder, Carolyn P., ed. Jamestown. Cobblestone Publishing, Inc.,
Peterborough, NH; 1994.
3. Kay,Alan N. Jamestown Journey. Thomas Publications, Gettysburg, PA;
1992.
4. Knight, James E. Jamestown: New World Adventure.
Troll Associates, Mahwah, NJ; 1998.
TEACHER’S GUIDE
JAMESTOWN
Grades 3–7
Suggested Internet Resources
Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our Web site at
www.libraryvideo.com.
http://www.historyisfun.org/
The Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center web page features information about the re-creation of James Fort and the Powhatan
Indian Village.
http://www.apva.org/
Called Jamestown Rediscovery, this is the home page of The Association
for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, which offers an extensive
history of Jamestown, a time line of events, important sites (such as the
glass house) and information about the archaeological work being done
on the original site of Jamestown.
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/vaindians.htm
Part of the Internet School Library Media Center web site, this page
offers information on the history of early Virginia Indians, Internet links,
and an extensive bibliography.
TEACHER’S GUIDE CONSULTANT
Michael Zuckerman
Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania
COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES
• Jamestown
• Plimoth Plantation
• St. Augustine
• The Dutch & New Amsterdam
• The French & Colonial Quebec
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
• William Penn & Pennsylvania
• The Spanish & Colonial Santa Fe
• Roger Williams & Rhode Island
• Settling the New World
800-843-3620
Suggested Teacher Resources
1. Hume, Ivor Noel. The Virginia Adventure: Roanoke to
James Towne:An Archaeological and Historical Odyssey.
Alfred A. Knopf, New York; 1994.
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Teacher’s Guide and Program Copyright 1998 by Schlessinger Media,
a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
Produced and directed by Summer Productions • Executive Producer,Andrew Schlessinger
All rights reserved
K6621
12/03
his guide is a supplement designed for teachers to
use when presenting Colonial Life for Children:
Jamestown. The guide provides you with a summary
of the program, pre-viewing and follow-up questions,
activities, vocabulary and resources.
Before Viewing: Give students an overview of the
program. Use the program summary to help provide
this introduction. Select pre-viewing discussion questions, activities and vocabulary to provide a focus for
students when they view the program.
After Viewing: Review the program and vocabulary
and discuss what students learned. Use follow-up
questions and activities, and encourage students to
research the topic further with the Internet and print
resources provided.
T
Historical Background
In December 1606, a group of about 100 men and four boys set sail from
England on three ships.They were instructed by King James I to find gold,
locate a route to the South Seas and rediscover the lost colony of Roanoke.
Instead, the Susan Constant, the Godspeed and the Discovery landed in
Jamestown in May 1607, where their passengers began establishing the first
permanent English settlement in the New World. The early years of the
colony were marked by disease, a lack of food, problems with water and
occasional hostilities with Indians.Too many of the settlers were gentlemen
who were not used to the harsh demands of the land and the need for labor
from everyone. Starvation and dissension were rampant.Tobacco became
the answer to the economic woes of the colonists. Indentured Africans
were forced into slavery.Yet the colony and its legacies prevailed, laying the
foundation for representative government in the United States.The first representative assembly met in Jamestown in 1619, and Jamestown continued
to serve as the capital of Virginia until 1699, when Williamsburg became the
capital.
Video Program Summary
A boy named Greg is seated at his computer completing a research paper
about Jamestown.Whisked from his Internet explorations to a face-to-face
encounter with a colonial interpreter, Greg learns about this tale of “adventure, disaster and incredible courage.” During his visit to the Jamestown
Settlement Museum, Greg goes aboard the Susan Constant and observes
the challenging living conditions, learns about the food and discovers some
of the ways in which the 53 men aboard attempted to entertain themselves.
The interpreter helps Greg understand the harsh conditions these businessmen found upon arrival, their concerns about the Spanish, the lack of
skilled craftsmen and their dissension about governance.When the two visit
the Jamestown Rediscovery Site at Jamestown Island, Greg is intrigued by a
skeleton. He listens closely as an archaeologist explains all the clues and
information revealed by the find.
Returning to the settlement, Greg and the interpreter investigate survival
issues.The most problematic was the drinking water, which Greg learns was
contaminated by swamp water and seepage from the brackish Jamestown
River.This situation created a susceptibility to disease, which, along with food
supply problems, plagued the colonists.
There was also the additional challenge of the Powhatan Indians, whose
houses are seen in a re-created village. Greg discovers how the Indians
made canoes, prepared meals, gardened and attempted to trade with the
English. Their interactions with Captain John Smith, and the roles of
Pocahontas and John Rolfe, are all part of Greg's education. A visit to the
Old Glass House reveals one of the many attempts to create profitable businesses in the New World.When he is introduced to John Rolfe's discovery
of tobacco, Greg finds out that, despite King James' distaste for the “golden
weed,”tobacco became the crop that saved the settlement.Yet it also led to
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the increase in indentured servants and the beginning of slavery. After all
these negatives, Greg asks his guide whether there is anything to be proud
of about Jamestown. Representative government is the answer, giving Greg
some insights about Jamestown's contribution to government in the United
States today.
Vocabulary
The following words are included for teacher reference or to be used with
students. They are listed in the order they appear in the video.
Jamestown Settlement — the first permanent English settlement in
America, founded in 1607.
Susan Constant — one of the three English ships sailing for Jamestown.
The others were Godspeed and Discovery.
boatswain — pronounced bosun, this seaman takes care of
equipment and maintains the hull.
dissension — arguments and quarreling; discord.
archaeological excavation — the process of uncovering the remains of
earlier communities, cultures or civilizations.
brackish — slightly salty.
Powhatans — the Native American nation inhabiting the Jamestown area
when the settlers arrived; the thirty-two tribes were named for their leader,
whom the English called Powhatan.
cypress — a tree in the evergreen family; it has small, overlapping leaves.
dysentery — a serious disease affecting the digestive tract.
typhoid fever — a communicable disease characterized by severe intestinal distress.
indentured servant — a person who agrees to be bound to another
person for a certain period of time in exchange for travel and living
expenses.
representative government — a system based on elected members who
vote on behalf of those who elected them.
heritage — something passed on to future generations, (e.g., traditions).
Pre-viewing Discussion
• Locate Jamestown on a map of the United States and on a map of Virginia.
Discuss possible reasons for establishing its location in 1607, and note
possible benefits and drawbacks of the site.
• Use a world map to estimate the distance between Jamestown and
England. Discuss some of the challenges faced by the sailors of the early
17th century. Consider what such a voyage may have been like, hypothesizing about the quarters, food and activities.
• Discuss what the members of the Virginia Company may have found when
they arrived in Jamestown. Consider what conditions would have made
establishing a new settlement difficult or easy. Compile your ideas in order
to compare them with the video.
3
Active Viewing Suggestions
• Have students watch the video with some of the focus questions in
mind. Encourage them to contribute their own questions about
Jamestown, and use these to establish your purpose for viewing.
• Invite part of the class to consider the role of English men in settling
Jamestown, while another group considers the role of English women.
Assign a third group to observe the Powhatan men and a fourth, the
Powhatan women.They can either jot down key words as they watch
or meet briefly after the video to prepare a list to share with the class.
Focus Questions
1. When and why did the men and boys of the Virginia Company set sail
for Jamestown? Why weren’t there any women aboard the first
voyage to Jamestown on the Susan Constant?
2. What was life in Jamestown like in 1610, as shown in the
re-creation of the fort?
3. What other countries were also interested in establishing settlements
in the New World?
4. How did the 53 sailors on the Susan Constant live, eat and amuse
themselves during the voyage?
5. What were some of the problems at the new settlement of
Jamestown?
6. How have archaeologists helped solve some of the mysteries and
answer some of the questions about the settlement?
7. What was the role of the Powhatans in the Jamestown Settlement,
and how were their lives different from the English?
8. What part did glass play in the settlement?
9. What does the video show about the lives of Pocahontas, John Smith
and John Rolfe, and the parts they played in settling Jamestown?
10. How did indentured servants contribute to the settlement of
Jamestown? What is the connection between this status and slavery?
11. What is an important contribution of the Jamestown settlers to the
government of the United States of today?
Follow-up Discussion
• Discuss and clarify the roles of men and women in Jamestown.
• Food, water and shelter are essential to life. Discuss these basic needs
and how the settlers struggled to provide them.What did they do to
grow food, develop a water supply and build homes?
• Create a Venn diagram to compare the life of the settlers with the life
of the Powhatans. Discuss the items each had available for trade,
including knives, axes and firearms.
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