September 29th, 2016

AIM: How did geography and interactions with natives play a

role in the development of the Jamestown colony?

Skill objective: How do we write a claim based on

evidence from a given text?

Do Now: Make a factual statement about the

achievements of the Jamestown settlers who first
came to the New World.

mple (do not write): The Jamestown settlers were

successful in building a fort with the resources they
had around them.
 Group Activity!

Directions: Today, we will be working on a group activity. Each group

will receive three informational sources which talk about the challenges
faced by the Jamestown Settlers. Read each document carefully.
When you have finished reading, your group will discuss, and then work
together to answer the questions which go along with the document.

There are three readings in this activity:

1. Challenge #1: Starvation in Jamestown

2. Challenge #2: War with the Native Americans

3. Challenge #3: Sickness and Disease

Group Roles
1. (1) Discussion leader- Responsible for leading the discussion
with your group.

Ask Questions like:

a) What is your idea for a claim?
b) How can we combine ideas to make a group claim?
c) Does anyone have anything they would like to add?

2. (1) Time keeper- Responsible for making sure the group stays
on schedule!

3. (2) Summarization leaders- Responsible for summarizing the

text after everyone reads.
 Model
An excerpt from Historical Information on Jamestown.

The discovery of tobacco helped save the colony economically

because no gold was found and no water route to the pacific was
discovered. The demand for Virginia tobacco grew and eventually
more settlers poured into Jamestown. With the initial success of
tobacco, more jobs were created and the flow of supplies between
England and America became a regular occurrence. As a result,
Jamestown became the first permanent colony in America.

Your Claim: Using the highlighted evidence, what is one claim you
can make based on the reading about success in Jamestown?

Group Claim: Based on group discussion, what is one

claim your group can make about success in
Jamestown?
 *Challenge #1: Starvation in Jamestown*

Now all of us at Jamestown are beginning to feel that sharp pain of

hunger, which no man [can] truly describe but has been through the horror
of it. A world of misery ensued . . . After having eaten horses and other
beasts, we were glad to eat animals, like dogs, cats, rats, and mice.
Eventually, when all else was eaten, we tried to eat boots and shoes. And
when those were spent and devoured, some people needed to search the
woods to feed upon snakes and to dig the earth for wild and unknown roots.
And now famine was beginning to look ghastly and pale in every face and we
were willing to do anything to survive.

Vocabulary:
Devoured: To eat something very quickly. Usually because of hunger.
Famine: Extreme lack of food.

Your Claim: Using the highlighted evidence, what is one claim you can
make based on the reading about starvation in Jamestown?

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GROUP CLAIM: Based on group discussion, what claim can your group
make about starvation in Jamestown?
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Questions:

1. What was one drastic (extreme) thing the settlers had to do in order
to survive with no food?
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2. Challenge Question (only if you have time): Explain what you think
the author meant when he said A world of misery ensued?
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 Challenge #2: War with the Native Americans

Your Claim: Using the picture and the caption, what is one claim you can
make based on the painting showing violence between the settlers and the
Native Americans?
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GROUP CLAIM: based on group discussion, what claim can your group make
violence between the settlers and Native Americans?
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Questions:

1. What can you infer is one possible reaction the settlers had when
their men were killed by the natives?
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2. Challenge Question (only if you have time): How might the settlers
have benefitted from having the Native Americans as allies (friends) rather
than enemies?
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 Challenge #3: Sickness and Disease

This new land (Jamestown) was home to germs, bacteria and diseases
that the settlers had never encountered before. The Jamestown settlers
built their settlement in a swampy location that lacked clean, healthy
water. The water they drank was contaminated with animal waste. Some
colonists brought diseases, such as dysentery and typhoid, with them to
Jamestown. Settlers lacked basic hygiene, so these diseases continued to
spread and devastate the population. Settlers had to cope with wet, cold
weather. This may have caused diseases such as pneumonia and scurvy to
run rampant.

Vocabulary:
Contaminated: To make something unsafe by exposure to a poisonous
substance.
Hygiene: Living conditions which keep people healthy and prevent disease.
(example: showering)

Your Claim: Using the highlighted evidence, what is one claim you can
make based on the text about sickness and disease in Jamestown?

_________________________________________________
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GROUP CLAIM: Based on group discussion, what claim can your group
make about sickness and disease in Jamestown?
_________________________________________________
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Questions:

1. What is one poor choice the settlers made when they first decided to
settle in this location?
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2. Challenge Question (only if you have time): Describe a location

which might have been a better area for the Jamestown colonists to settle.
What geographic features might this location have?
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 Wrap Up!

Considering the challenges faced by the Jamestown

Settlers, identify 1 thing that you think could have
been done differently to help improve the way they
lived?

Wrap Up!

How did the role of discussion leader help to make the

group run more smoothly?

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