4th Grade
Virginia Studies Curriculum
Dinwiddie County Public Schools provides each
student the opportunity to become a productive citizen,
engaging the entire community in the educational
needs of our children.
1
Revised: 8-7-16
NINE WEEKS
TOPIC
SOL #
DOE PG #
Correlation
1
Virginia: The Land
VS.1, VS.2
1-6
2
Virginia: First Inhabitants /
Colonization 1607 – 1619 of Jamestown
VS.1, VS.2, VS.3
Colonization and Conflict:
1620 – Movement of Capital to Williamsburg
VS.1, VS.3, VS.4
3
4
Conflict & American Revolution
Ongoing
Cross-Curriculum
(English & Virginia Studies Skills)
2
7-14
15-21
VS.1, VS.4,
VS.5
22-24
*See Below
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
Nine Weeks: 1st
SOL: VS.1, VS.2a The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the
native peoples, past and present, of Virginia
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships
among land forms and water features.
Locations of places can be described in relative
terms.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Terms to Know:
Relative location – shows connections between
two places such as “next to”, “near”, or
“bordering”.
Absolute location – exact location of a place.
Latitude – lines that run east and west of equator.
Longitude – lines that run north and south of
prime meridian.
Equator – imaginary line that runs halfway
between the north and south poles.
Hemisphere – “half of a sphere”. The earth can
be divided into 4 hemispheres.
There are some terms and definitions included that
are not on the resource guide, but students need to
be exposed to them as a reference from previous
years.
Locate the bordering bodies of water of Virginia:
 Atlantic Ocean
 Chesapeake Bay
Locate the following states bordering Virginia:
 Maryland
 West Virginia
 Kentucky
 Tennessee
 North Carolina
3
1. Use Horizon Virginia textbook and Teacher Resource
Package – Chapter 1 Lesson 1, pages A3, A12-13, A16-17
(A = Atlas pages at the beginning of the textbook).
2. Use the Nystrom materials: wall and desk maps, globe,
etc.
3. Use The Virginia Adventure textbook and Teacher’s
Resource Package - Chapter 1 to cross-reference
information.
4. Students may construct a 3-D landform map of Virginia.
5. Create a travel brochure on one Virginia Region (see
attached lesson).
6. Use An Atlas of Virginia booklet.
7. Activity Book pages 6 - 8.


Technology Correlations
Use Publisher to publish the travel brochure of a
Virginia region
www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/index.html
Printable, outline maps
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
Nine Weeks: 1st
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
SOL: VS.1, VS.2b, VS.2c
b.) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and
Appalachian Plateau
c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River,
York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp);
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Geographic regions have distinctive
characteristics.
Key Terms/Knowledge
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Terms to Know:
Horizons Virginia textbook pages 24-35, 51, A14-19
Region – made up of places that are alike in
some way.
Skills Transparencies 1 – 1A and 1 – 1B.
Virginia can be divided into five geographic
regions.
Landform – the shapes that make up the
Earth’s surface.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain
relationships among landforms and water
features.
Valley – long, low areas between hills or
mountains.
Peninsula – a piece of land bordered by
water on three sides.
Elevation – the height of a place above sea
level.
GEOSKILLS CD-ROM
Activity Book page 9.
Virginia SOL Coach Unit 2 Chapters
5&6
“Sing to Know” Virginia Studies CD
Time for Kids (Sir Walter Raleigh, Chesapeake Bay,
and On the Great Wagon Road)
Technology Correlations
Harbor – a safe place where ships can
dock.
Fall Line – the natural border between the
Coastal Plain (Tidewater) and Piedmont
regions, where waterfalls prevent further
4
Revised: 8-7-16
travel on the river.
There are 5 geographic regions in Virginia.
1. Coastal Plain (Tidewater)
- Flat land
- Located near Atlantic Ocean &
Chesapeake Bay (includes Eastern
Shore)
- East of the Fall Line
2. Piedmont (land of the foot of mountains)
- Rolling hills
- West of the Fall Line
3. Blue Ridge Mountains
- Old, rounded mountains
- Part of Appalachian mountain system
- Located between the Piedmont and
Valley & Ridge regions
- Source of many rivers
4. Valley and Ridge
- Includes the Great Valley of Virginia
and
other valleys separated by ridges (Blue
Ridge Mountains & Valley and Ridge
Regions are part of the Appalachian
mountain system.)
- Located west of Blue Ridge Mountains.
5. Appalachian Plateau (Plateau: Area of
elevated land that is flat on top)
- Located in Southwest Virginia
- Only a small part of the plateau is
located in Virginia.
5
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.2c
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
Nine Weeks: 1st
c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River,
York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp)
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Know that many early Virginia cities developed along
the Fall Line, the natural border between the Tidewater
and Piedmont regions where the land rises sharply and
where the waterfalls prevent further travel on the river.
Key Terms/Knowledge
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Lake Drummond
– Located in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region
Horizons Virginia textbook Chapter 1 Lesson
2
– Shallow natural lake surrounded by the Dismal
Swamp
Activity Book pages 10-11
Locate the four major rivers that flow into the
Chesapeake Bay that are separated by peninsulas.
• Dismal Swamp
Skill Transparency 1-2
Identify that the Chesapeake Bay separates the Eastern
Shore from the mainland of Virginia.
– Located in the Coastal Plain (Tidewater) region
–Variety of wildlife
George Washington explored and surveyed the
Dismal Swamp.
Identify the following water features important to
the early history of Virginia:
o Atlantic Ocean
- Provided transportation links
between Virginia and other places
(e.g. Europe, Africa, Caribbean)
Chesapeake Bay
o Chesapeake Bay
- Provided a safe harbor
- Was source of food & transportation
6
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.2c
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Know that each river was a source of food and
provided a pathway for exploration and settlement
of Virginia.
Identify that the Eastern Shore is a peninsula
bordered by the Chesapeake Bay to the west and
the Atlantic Ocean to the east.
Key Terms/Knowledge
Important water features (continued)
o James River
- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
- Richmond and Jamestown located
along the James River
o York River
- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
- Yorktown located along the York
River
o Potomac River
- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
- Alexandria located along the
Potomac River
o Rappahannock River
- Flows into the Chesapeake Bay
- Fredericksburg located on the
Rappahannock River
7
Nine Weeks: 1st
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Horizons Virginia pages A16- 19
Harcourt: Virginia’s Land and Early People
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.2d
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
Nine Weeks: 1st
d.) locating three American Indian language groups (the Algonquian, the Siouan, and the Iroquoian) on a map of Virginia
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Key Terms/Knowledge
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Terms to Know:
Compare and contrast historical events.
Artifact – objects made by people from the
past.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain
relationships among landforms, water features,
and historical events.
Know that American Indians (native peoples)
were the first people who lived in Virginia.
Know that American Indians (native peoples)
lived in all areas of the state.
Identify that there were three major language
groups in Virginia.
i.e. pottery, weapons, musical
instruments, tools, arrowheads,
etc.
Know that Christopher Columbus called the
people he found in the lands he explored
“Indians” because he thought he was in the Indies
(near China).
Know that artifacts such as arrowheads, pottery,
and other tools that have been found tell a lot
about the people who lived in Virginia.
8
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Use graphic organizers from Scott Foresman
Reading Series and reading comprehension
skills that accompany each story as
appropriate. (See attached samples.)
Horizons Virginia Chapter 1 Lesson 4
The Virginia Adventure Chapter 2 and
Teacher Resource Package – pertinent
activities.
Skill Transparency 1-3
Activity Book page 14
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.2e
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
Nine Weeks: 2nd
e.) describing how American Indians related to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Key Terms/Knowledge
Terms to Know:
Analyze and interpret maps.
Describe how Virginia’s American Indians related
to and worked with the climate and their
environment to meet their basic needs.
Virginia Indian cultures have changed over time.
Climate – the weather of an area over a long period of
time.
Vegetation – the plants of an area or region.
Identify the following 3 major language groups:
o Algonquian languages were spoken primarily in
the Tidewater region; the Powhatans were part of
this group.
o Siouan languages were spoken primarily in the
Piedmont region: the Monacan were part of this
group.
o Iroquoian languages were spoken in
Southwestern Virginia and in Southern Virginia
near what is today North Carolina; the Cherokee
were a part of this group.
o
Know that the climate in Virginia is relatively mild
with distinct seasons – spring, summer, fall, and winter
– resulting in a variety of vegetation.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Use “Geographic Regions of VA Map” to
color and label where the 3 major language
groups settled in VA. Include a map key.
Horizons Virginia Chapter 1 Lessons 3 and 5
Activity Book pages 12 and 15
SOL Coach Unit III Chapter 7
Harcourt: The Eastern Woodlands
Know that forests, which have a variety of trees, cover
most of the land. Virginia’s Indians are referred to as
Eastern Woodland Indians.
9
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.2e, VS.2f
Topic: Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants
Nine Weeks: 2nd
f.) describing how archaeologists have recovered new material evidence at sites including Werowocomoco and Jamestown
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among
landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and historical
events.
Archaeology is another way that helps us people understand the
past.
Key
Terms/Knowledge
Describe the American Indians environmental
connections. Explain how the kinds of food
they ate, the clothing they wore, and the
shelters they had depended upon the seasons.
Use the following information as a guide:
Foods changed with the seasons.
- In winter, they hunted birds and animals and
lived on stored foods from the previous fall.
- In spring, they hunted and fished and picked
berries.
- In summer, they grew crops (beans,
corn, squash).
- In fall, they harvested crops and hunted for
foods to preserve and keep for the winter.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Technology Correlations
www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/woodland2.html
A third grade project on the Iroquois and Cherokee
www.u.arizona.edu/ic/kmartin/school/iroqh.htm I
nformation on the Iroquois
www.nativeculture.com/lisamitten/nation.html
An index to information on individual native nations,
many sites being maintained by the nations
themselves.
Use Word to create a Native American study chart.
Use HyperStudio to create an
informational stack about one of the nations.
Harcourt: The Eastern Woodlands pages 12-13
Recent archaeological digs have recovered new material
evidence about Werowocomoco and historic Jamestown
Animal skins (deerskin) were used for
clothing.
Shelter was made from materials around them.
Virginia’s Land and Early People pages 14-15
( See Teacher Reference websites)
Identify and interpret artifacts to understand events in history.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations
Interpret ideas and events from different historical perspectives.
Pronunciation Guide:
Werowocomoco - weh-ro-wo-COM-o-co
Native peoples of the past farmed, hunted, &
fished. They made homes using natural
resources. They used animal skins for
clothing in the winter.
Today, most native peoples live like other
Americans. Their cultures have changed over
time.
http://powhatan.wm.edu
http://powhatan.wm.edu/history/englishsettlement.htm
The pronunciation guide of this word will not be assessed on the
test.
Archaeologists study all kinds of material
evidence left from people of the past..
10
Revised: 8-7-16
Werowocomoco was a large Indian town used
by Indian leaders for several hundred years
before the English settlers came. It was the
headquarters of the leader, Powhatan, in 1607.
Jamestown became the first permanent
English settlement in North America.
Archaeologists have discovered the site of the
original fort. The recovered artifacts give
archaeologists clues about the interactions of
English, Africans, and Indians in early
Virginia.
11
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.2g
Topic: State-Recognized Tribes:
Nine Weeks: 2nd
g.) describe the lives of American Indians in Virginia today
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Key Terms/Knowledge
Instructional
Activities/Resources
American Indians, who trace their family
history back to before 1607, continue to live in
all parts of Virginia today.
Harcourt – Virginia’s Land and Early People
– pages 12-13
The names of the current state-recognized tribes:
American Indian people have lived in Virginia for thousands
of years.
Describe the lives of American Indians in
Virginia today.
Today, eight American Indian tribes in Virginia are
recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among
landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and
historical events.
Pronunciation Guide:
Chickahominy - CHICK-a-HOM-a-nee
Eastern Chickahominy
Mattaponi - mat-ta-po-NYE
Nansemond - NAN-sa-mund
Pamunkey - pa-MUN-kee
Rappahannock - RAP-a-HAN-nock
Upper Mattaponi
Monacan - MON-a-cun
The Eastern Woodlands – pages 4-5
The current state-recognized tribes are located
in the following regions:
www.bedford.k12.va.us/fms/lessons/
indians.html
Coastal Plain (Tidewater) Region
o Chickahominy Tribe
o Eastern Chickahominy Tribe
o Mattaponi Tribe
o Nansemond Tribe
o Pamunkey Tribe
o Rappahannock Tribe
o Upper Mattaponi Tribe
Piedmont Region
o Monacan Tribe
The pronunciation guide of these words will not be assessed
on the test.
12
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3a
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 2nd
a.) Explain the reasons for English colonization
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Know that some European countries, including
England, were in competition to increase their
wealth and power by expanding their empires to
America.
Key Terms/Knowledge
Terms to Know:
Colony – a settlement that is run by a distant country.
Settlement – a small village in a new colony.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
1. Use a map or globe to locate European
countries.
Raw materials – materials used to make something
else.
i.e. – cotton, trees, tobacco, etc.
2. Use the Horizons Virginia textbook
Chapter 2 Lesson 1.
Manufactured goods – to make something from raw
materials.
i.e. – clothes, furniture, etc.
3. Use the text The Virginia Adventure and
Teacher’s Resource Package – Chapter 3
Explain that the first permanent English settlement in
America was Jamestown, founded in 1607 as an
economic venture.
Explain the following reasons for English colonization
in America:
 England wanted to establish an American colony
to increase her wealth and power.
 England hoped to find silver and gold in America.
 An American settlement would furnish raw
materials that could not be grown or obtained in
England, while opening new markets for trade.
13
4. Use the Nystrom materials: wall and desk
maps, globe, etc.
Activity Book pages 18 – 19
Transparency 1-8
“Sing to Know” Virginia Studies CD
“Take a Field Trip Video” Unit 1 (Visit
Jamestown) refer to textbook pages 86-87
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3b
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 2nd
b.) describe the economic and geographic influences on the decision to settle at Jamestown
Key Questions/Concepts/Skills
Compare and contrast historical events.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain historical events.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key terms/Knowledge
Know the following facts about Jamestown:
 Jamestown was primarily an economic venture.
 The stockholders of the Virginia Company of
London financed the settlement of Jamestown.
 Jamestown became the first permanent English
settlement in North America in 1607.
Use graphic organizers from Scott Foresman Reading
Series and reading comprehension skills that accompany
each story as appropriate. (See attached examples.)


Describe the economic and geographic influences
on the decision to settle at Jamestown.

Describe how location and physical characteristics
influenced the decision to settle at Jamestown.
Know that when the settlers arrived in 1607, Jamestown
was located on a narrow peninsula bordered on three sides
by the James River. Today, Jamestown in located on an
island in the James River.
Technology Correlations
www.apva.org/ju.html The Jamestown
Rediscovery archaeological project homepage
for children.
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/socialstudie
s/projects/jvc/wwwsites/html The Jamestown
Virtual Colony which links to websites relevant
to the Jamestown colony
http://wapiti.pvs.k12.nm.us/~Computer/james
tow.htm “All Aboard for Jamestown” A
webquest where students live in Jamestown.
Harcourt: Virginia’s Early History Jamestown
14
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3b-c
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 2nd
c.) describe the importance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London in establishing the Jamestown settlement
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Key Terms/Knowledge
Terms to Know:
Horizons Virginia textbook pages 55, Chapter 2
Lesson 2, 86-87
Charter – a written statement that gives a
group or an individual certain rights.
Activity Book page 20
Compare and contrast historical events.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships
among landforms, water features, climatic
characteristics, and historical events.
Understand that the King of England had the power
to grant charters allowing settlement in North
America.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Explain the reasons for the selection of the
Jamestown site. Use the following information
as a guide:
 The location could be easily defended from
attack by sea (Spanish).
 The water along the shore was deep enough
for ships to dock.
 They believed they had a good supply of
fresh water.
Transparency 1-9
SOL Coach Unit 3 Chapter 8
Technology Correlations
 www.pen.k12.va.us/VDOE/Instructio
n/AmericanDoc99.pdf A site
maintained by the Virginia DOE with
the text of the Virginia Charters.
Location and physical characteristics influenced the
decision to settle at Jamestown.
15
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3cd
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 2nd
d.) identify the importance of the General Assembly (1619) as the first representative legislative body in English America
Key Questions/Concepts/Skills
Identify and interpret artifacts and primary and
secondary source documents to understand events in
history.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Make connections between past and present.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Know that as Jamestown grew, the system of
government evolved.
Identify that Jamestown became a more diverse
colony by 1620.
Key Terms/Knowledge
Instructional
Activities/Resources
1. Create a time line beginning with the 1500’s and
Terms to Know:
ending with 1781.
Primary source – first hand information from
people who actually observed the event.
Secondary source – a description of an event not
directly observed.
Identify the importance of the Virginia charters:
 The King of England granted charters to the
Virginia Company of London.
 Establish a settlement in North America.
 Extend English rights to the settlers
16
2. Students may create a time line of their life. (See
attached copy of lesson plan.)
3. Read – Alouds – Use the Dear Americas series books.
4. Horizons Virginia textbook pages 72-73, 82-83.
5. ACTIVITY BOOK pages 21 and 24.
6. Skills Transparency 1-5
Technology Correlations
 www.beaconlearning.org/thompjl/Sources2/p
ages/Sourcespage00.htm Students compare
primary and secondary sources
 Use Timeliner to make a timeline of historical
events of 1500 – 1781.
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3d,
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Identify that the Virginia House of Burgesses
was the first elected legislative body in
America gibing settlers the opportunity to
control their own government.
Identify that the Virginia House of Burgesses
became the General Assembly of Virginia,
which continues to this day.
Identify and interpret artifacts and primary
and secondary documents to understand
events in history.
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Know that in 1619 the governor of Virginia called a
meeting of the General Assembly. The assembly was
a system of government that included two
representatives (called “burgesses”) from each of the
divisions of Virginia along with, the governor’s
council, and the governor. They met as one
legislative body. (At this time, only certain free adult
men had a right to take part.) By the 1640’s the
burgesses became a separate legislative body, called
the House of Burgesses. They met separately from
the Governor’s Council as one of the two legislative
bodies of the General Assembly.
The current Virginia General Assembly
dates from the establishment of the
burgesses at Jamestown in 1619.
17
Nine Weeks: 2nd
Use Horizons Virginia Teacher’s Manual page 71 “Complete a
Graphic Organizer” activity to make a flow chart (T23).
Use the Branches of Government poster included in The VA
Adventure Teacher’s Resource Package.
Use Chapter 11 of The Virginia Adventure titled Government for
Virginia pages 202-219.


Technology Correlations
http://earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/index.html
Explore the world of Early American through the media
of the day (newspapers, maps, magazines and writings).
www.cesa10.k12.wi.us/Investigate-America/colonial
An overview of various aspects of colonial life.
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3e,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
e.) identify the impact of the arrival of Africans and English women to the Jamestown settlement
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Terms to Know:
Make connections between past and present.
Sequence events in Virginia history.
Indentured servant – a person who worked for
another person for a period of time in order to pay
back a debt.
Identify that the arrival of Africans made it possible
to expand the tobacco economy.
Slave – a person who is “owned” by another person
and forced to work for someone else without pay.
Compare and contrast historical events.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships
among landforms, water features, climatic
characteristics, and historical events.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Know that the arrival of women in 1620 made it
possible for more additional settlers to establish
families and a permanent settlement at Jamestown.
Portuguese sailors captured African men and women
from what is present-day Angola. The status of
these early African men and women as either
servants or slaves in Virginia is unknown.
Time Line – continue to expand classroom timeline to
include key events from 1607-1619.
Horizons Virginia pages 64-65,Chapter 2 Lesson 3
Activity Book pages 22 – 23
Transparency 1-10
The Virginia Adventure - Chapter 4


Technology Correlations
www.kidinfo.com/American_History/Coloniz
aiton_S_Colonies.html A comprehensive site
about the Southern colonies
www.jacksonesd.k12.or.us/k12projects/jimpe
rry/colony.html#slavery Links to sites about
slavery and the slave trade.
Know that Africans arrived in Jamestown
against their will in 1619.
18
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3f,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
f.) Describe the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Know that the English settlers found life in
Jamestown harder than they had expected.
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Describe the hardships faced by the settlers
using the following information as a guide:
 The site they chose to live on was marshy
and lacked safe drinking water.
 The settlers lacked some skills necessary
to provide for themselves.
 Many settlers died of starvation and
disease.
Describe how the arrival of supply ships, the
forced work program and strong leadership of
Captain John Smith, and the emphasis of
agriculture that resulted in the survival of the
colony.
19
Use graphic organizer from Scott -Foresman
Reading series to help illustrate examples of
cause and effect relationships that took place
during the first explorations to Jamestown.

Technology Correlations
www.eastbuc.k12.ia.us/00_01/CA/home.htm
“Life in Colonial America” A web
project on colonial America by middle
school students in Iowa
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3g,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
g.) Describe the interactions between the English settlers and the native peoples, including the role of the Powhatan in the survival of
the settlers
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Know that the native peoples and the English settlers at
Jamestown established trading relationships and for a
while had positive interactions.
Compare and contrast historical event.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Recognize that Captain John Smith initiated trading
relationships with the native peoples.
Describe how the native peoples traded mainly food
with the English in exchange for tools, pots, and
copper for jewelry.
Describe how the native people contributed to the
survival of the Jamestown settlers in several ways
using the following information as a guide:
 Pocahontas, daughter of Powhatan, served as a
contact between the native peoples and the
English.
 Pocahontas began a friendship with the colonists
that helped them survive.
 The native peoples showed the settlers how to
plant corn and tobacco.
Overtime, the native peoples realized the
English settlement would continue to grow. The
native peoples came to see the settlers as
invaders who would take over their land



Technology Correlations
http://cims.chesapeakebay.net/info/js
mith.cfrm A biography of John Smith
with links to more information
www.geocities.com/Broadway/1001/po
ca.html#aa3 “The Real Pocahontas”
Information about Pocahontas with links
to sites about John Smith, the Powhatan,
and more.
http://web.uccs.edu/istory/index/colon
ial.html#nativeam Links to
information on native American contact
with settlers.
Powhatan, chief of many tribes, provided leadership
to his people and taught the settlers survival
skills.
20
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.4a,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
a.) Explain the importance of agriculture and its influence on the institution of slavery
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Know that the success of tobacco as a cash crop
transformed life in the Virginia colony and
encouraged slavery.
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Draw conclusions between past and present.
Key
Terms/Knowledge
Terms to Know:
Cash crop – a crop that is grown to sell
for money rather than for use by the
growers.
Explain that the economy of the
Virginia colony depended on
agriculture as a primary source of
wealth.
Explain that tobacco became the most
profitable agricultural product.
Tobacco was sold in England as a cash
crop.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Horizons Virginia Thinking Organizers pages T11 and
T17.


Technology Correlations
http://etext.lib.viginia.edu/users/brock Links
to information about the colonial economy.
www.geocities.com/gibsonny5 An index of
sites about Colonial America.

Harcourt: Everyday Life in Colonial Virginia
Explain how the successful planting of
tobacco depended on a steady and
inexpensive source of labor.
 African men, women, and children
were brought to the colony against
their will to work as slaves on the
plantations.
 The Virginia colony became
dependent on slave labor, and the
dependence lasted a long time.
21
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.4b,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
b.) Describe how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of American Indians, European (English, Scots-Irish, German)
immigrants, and Africans
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Make connections between past and present.
Sequence events in Virginia history.
Describe how the cultural of Colonial Virginia
reflected beliefs, customs, and architecture of
Europeans, Americans, and American Indians
living in those areas.
Understand that although a colony of England,
Virginia developed a unique culture different
from that of England.
Describe how the cultural of Colonial Virginia
reflected beliefs, customs, and architecture of
people using the following information as a
guide:
Whenever people settle an area, they change
the culture and landscape to reflect the beliefs,
customs, and architecture.
Examples of architecture that reflect different
cultures include:
 Barns
 Homes
 Places of worship (e.g. churches)
Horizons Virginia Thinking Organizers pages T14 and
T23.

Technology Correlations
www.timepage.org/spl/13colony.html#virginia
Information and links on the establishment of the
Virginia colony.
Know the following place names that reflect
culture:
 English – Richmond
American Indian– Roanoke
22
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.4,
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Terms to Know:
Describe how migration and living in new areas caused
people to adapt old customs to their new environment.
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Compare and contrast historical events.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Technology Correlations
Migration – to move from place to place.
Describe where various cultural groups settled using
the following information as a guide:
 English and other Europeans settled primarily in
coastal plain (Tidewater) and Piedmont regions.
 Germans and Scots-Irish settled primarily in the
Shenandoah Valley, which was along the
migration route.
 Africans were settled primarily in the coastal
plain (Tidewater) and Piedmont regions, where
tobacco agriculture required a great deal of
labor.
 American Indians (First Americans) were
primarily in the Tidewater and Piedmont regions
and the Appalachian Plateau, where their
traditional homelands were located.

http://collaboratory.nunet.net/nssd/112/oakte
rrace/imc/colonies.html A comprehensive
website with links to information to the
settlement of British subjects in America, the
development of the colonies, and the beginnings
of the Revolutionary War/
Prior to the arrival of the settlers, American Indians
lived throughout Virginia. After the settlers arrived,
most were forced inland.
23
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.4c,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 3rd
c.) Explain the reasons for the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg
Will be moved to VS.5d for the 2017 implementation of the Virginia Standards of Learning
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships
among landforms, water features, and historical events.
Explain how a variety of factors explain the reasons for
the location of a capital.
Determine cause and effect relationship.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Key Terms/Knowledge
Describe the variety of factors that explain the
reasons why the capital the move from Jamestown
to Williamsburg:



Drinking water was contaminated by seepage of
salt water.
Unhealthy living conditions caused diseases.
Fire destroyed wooden and brick buildings at
Jamestown.
Play “Who Has” Activity.

Technology Correlations
www.jacksonesd.k12.or.us/k12projects/jimper
ry/colony.html#williamsburg Links to sites
about Colonial Williamsburg
Compare and contrast historical events.
Describe the reasons why the capital moved from
Williamsburg to Richmond:



Population was moving westward.
Richmond was a more central location.
Moving to Richmond increased the distance
from attack by the British.
24
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.4d,
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 4th
d.) Describe how money, barter, and credit were used
Key Questions/Concepts/Skills
Key Terms/Knowledge
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Terms to Know:
Make connections between past and present.
Sequence events in Virginia history.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships among
landforms, water features, climatic characteristics, and
historical events.
Describe how money was not commonly used in early
agricultural societies.
Make connections between past and present.
Money – a medium of exchange (currency, which
includes coins and paper bills)
Barter – trading/exchanging of goods and services
without the use of money.
SOL Coach Unit 3 Chapter 9
Technology Correlations
 www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/colonial/def
ault.htm#colonialeconomy Links to
information on aspects of the colonial economy.
Credit – buying a good or service now and paying for it
later.
Debt – a good or service owed to another.
Saving – money put away to save or to spend at a later
time.
Understand that few people had paper money and coins to
use to buy goods and services.
Know that barter was commonly used instead of money.
Recognize that tobacco was used as money. A tobacco
farmer could use his tobacco to pay for goods and
services.
Understand that farmers and other consumers could also
buy goods and services on credit and pay their debts
when their crops were harvested and sold.
Colonial Virginia had no banks.
25
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.4e,
Topic: Everyday Life in Colonial Virginia:
Nine Weeks: 4th
e.) Describe everyday life in colonial Virginia
Key Questions/Concepts/Skills
Resources were used in colonial Virginia to produce
the goods and services that people needed.
Everyday life was different for whites, enslaved
African Americans, and free African Americans in
colonial Virginia.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Make connections between past and present.
Sequence events in Virginia history.
Key Terms/Knowledge
People living in colonial Virginia depended on natural,
human, and capital resources to produce the goods and
services they needed.
Food:
• Food choices were limited
• Meals were made of local produce and meats
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Harcourt: Virginia’s Early History
Housing:
• Most people lived in one-room homes with dirt floors
• Some people (farmers) lived in large houses
Clothing:
• Households made their own clothes
• Most clothing was made of cotton, wool, and leather
Most white Virginians made their living from the land as
small farmers. A few owned large farms (plantations).
Most enslaved African Americans worked tobacco, crops,
and livestock. Enslaved African Americans had no rights.
Many free African Americans owned their own business
and property, but were denied most rights.
26
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.5a
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 4th
a.) Identify the reasons why the colonies went to war with Great Britain, as expressed in the Declaration of Independence
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Key Terms/Knowledge
Understand that conflicts developed between the colonies Identify, using the following information as a guide,
and Great Britain over how the colonies should be
the reasons why colonists and the British Parliament
governed.
disagreed over how the colonies should be
governed:
Understand that the Declaration of Independence gave
reasons for independence and ideas for self-government.
Identify and interpret artifacts and primary and
secondary source document to understand events in
history.
England became Great Britain in the Early 1700’s.


Parliament believed it had legal authority in the
colonies, while the colonists believed their local
assemblies had legal authority.
Parliament believed it had the right to tax the
colonies, while the colonists believed they
should not be taxed since they had no
representation in Parliament.
Understand that the Declaration of Independence,
written by Thomas Jefferson, states that authority to
govern belongs to the people rather than to kings
and that all people are created equal and have rights
to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
27
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Horizons Virginia pages 91 – 99 and Chapter 3 Lessons
1-3
Activity Book page 27-31
Transparencies 2-2 through 2-4
The Virginia Adventure - Chapter 5
Review with the students the reasons and causes for the
French and Indian War which led to the American
Revolution.
Determine cause and effect relationships
(T11).
Time for Kids (A Place for Presidents, The Restoration of
Williamsburg, and Building the Reaper)
Technology Correlations
 www.multied.com/revolt/causes.html
“Revolutionary War: Birth of a Nation”
 www.kidinfo.com/American_History/America
n_Revolution.html A wealth of Revolutionary
War information.
 http://web.uccs.edu/history/index/colonial.ht
ml#revolution Links to information on the
Revolutionary War
 www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/colonial/def
ault.htm Resources on colonial life and the
Revolutionary War.
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3, VS.4, VS.5
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Nine Weeks: 4th
b.) Identify the various roles of American Indians, whites, enslaved African Americans, and free African Americans in the Revolutionary War
era including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, the Marquis de Lafayette, and James Lafayette
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Key Terms/Knowledge
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Terms to Know:
Compare and contrast historical events.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Sequence events in Virginia history.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Understand that Virginians made significant contributions
during the Revolutionary War era.
Whites enslaved African Americans, free African
Americans and American Indians all had various roles
during the American Revolution.
Patriot – a person who wanted the colonies to be free of
the rule of England; someone who loves his or her
country.
Horizons Virginia Chapter 3 Lesson 4.
Loyalist – a person in the 13 colonies who was faithful to
the King of England.
Transparency 2-5 and 2-6
Identify the varied roles of whites, enslaved
Africans, free African Americans, and American
Indians in the Revolutionary War era:
 Virginia patriots served in the Continental
Army and fought for independence, leading
to the British surrender at Yorktown.
 Some Virginians were neutral and did not
take sides while other Virginians remained
loyal to Great Britain.
 James Lafayette, an enslaved African
American from Virginia, served in the
Continental Army and successfully
requested freedom after the war.
 Women took on more responsibility to
support the war effort.
Activity Book pages 33-36
Act out the surrender at Yorktown.
Technology Correlations
 www.history.org/History/teaching/revolution/
a1.html An interactive site where students
become a slave and have to choose between
Patriots and Loyalists.
 www.ushistory.org/valleyforge/served/lafayet
e.html A biography of Lafayette
 www.kidsconnect.com/AmericanRevolution/R
evHome.html Links to many Revolutionary
War resources
 http://userpages.aug.com/captbarb/femvets.ht
ml Women soldiers in the Revolutionary War.
Harcourt: Daughters of the Revolution
Some free African Americans fought for
independence in the American Revolution.
Many American Indians fought alongside both
the Virginia patriots and the British.
28
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.1, VS.3, VS.4, VS.5
Key
Questions/Concepts/Skills
Identify and interpret artifacts and primary and
secondary source documents to understand events in
history.
Interpret ideas and events from different historical
perspectives.
Identify that the last major battle of the Revolutionary
War was fought at Yorktown, Virginia.
Understand that the American victory at Yorktown
resulted in the surrender of the English army, bringing an
end to the war.
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships
between water features and historical events.
Topic: Colonization and Conflict:
1607 through the American Revolution
Key Terms/Knowledge
Describe the contributions of Virginians during the
Revolutionary War era using the following
information as a guide:
 George Washington provided military
leadership by serving as commander-in-chief of
the Continental Army.
 Thomas Jefferson provided political leadership
by expressing the reasons for colonial
independence from Great Britain in the
Declaration of Independence.
 Patrick Henry inspired patriots from other
colonies when he spoke out against taxation
without representation by saying, “…give me
liberty or give me death.”
 the Marquis de Lafayette was a French
man who helped George Washington
train troops during the Revolutionary
War
29
Nine Weeks: 4th
Instructional
Activities/Resources
Use a map to illustrate the victory at Yorktown
explaining to students how Cornwallis’s army was
surrounded and how water helped to trap him by allowing
ships to attack by water while troops attacked on land.
Time for Kids Reader Marquis de Lafayette
SOL Coach Unit 4 Chapter 10
Technology Correlations
 http://web.uccs.edu/~history/index/colonial.ht
ml#biographies Links to biographies of
Jefferson and Washington
 http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/henryliberty.html The text of Patrick Henry’s speech
 http://gis.gcsny.org/pages/levels/fourth/johnst
on/johnstoncauses.html A 4th Grade project
about the Revolutionary War
 http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/revolution/re
volution.htm “The American Revolution for
Kids”
Revised: 8-7-16
Virginia Studies
SOL: VS.5c,
Topic: Role of Virginia in American Revolution:
Nine Weeks: 4th
c.) Identify the importance of the American victory at Yorktown
Key Questions/Concepts/Skills
*The
Battle of Great Bridge was the first land battle
fought in Virginia during the American Revolution.
*The actions of Jack Jouett prevented the capture of
key members of the Virginia General Assembly.
The last major battle of the Revolutionary War was
fought at Yorktown, Virginia.
Determine cause and effect relationships.
Key Terms/Knowledge
*The Battle of Great Bridge was the first land
battle of the American Revolution fought in
Virginia. The American victory forced the
British colonial governor to flee the City of
Norfolk.
Instructional
Activities/Resources
http://www.americanrevolution.org/jouett.html
www.jouetthouse.org/page2.html
*Jack Jouett rode on horseback through the
backwoods of Virginia to Charlottesville to
warn Thomas Jefferson, then governor of
Virginia, that the British were coming to arrest
him and members of the General Assembly.
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
Sequence events in Virginia history.
The American victory at Yorktown resulted in
the surrender of the British army, which led to
an end to the war
Analyze and interpret maps to explain relationships
between water features and historical events.
*Highlighted information will be taught for 2016-2017 school year.
30
Revised: 8-7-16