Colonial America to Civil War

The settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, by English colonists in 1607 was funded by a joint stock company, the Virginia Company. The "Starving Time" refers to the experience of the colonists in Jamestown during the winter of 1609-1610, when the number of colonists fell from approximately 500 to 60 due to crop failure, hostilities with local Indians, and general leadership failure. Representatives of the Virginia Company wrote about this time in A True Declaration of the Estate of the Colonie in Virginia in 1610, and another version of the starving time was written by John Smith in The Generall Historie of Virginia in 1624.

Weblink address (URL): 
U.S. History: Colonial America to Civil War
Home Page for the Lesson Plan

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 
  • Students will identify hardships faced by Jamestown colonists.
  • Students will locate Jamestown on a 17th-century map.
  • Students will analyze primary sources regarding the “Starving Time.”

 

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Applying
Extension suggestions: 

This lesson provides a great opportunity for creative extension ideas. For example:

  • Have students compare and contrast the different cultures at Jamestown. Or divide students into groups and have them answer questions in a role playing format.
  • Students can take a virtual tour of Jamestown. After students navigate through the site, have them divide into groups of 4 or 5 and pick a site (Indian village, English settlement, ship dock) and write a brief “day in the life” using prior knowledge and previous instructional content.
  • Students can evaluate the impact English colonists made upon American Indian tribes. Have students investigate the interactions between the English and American Indians during the seventeenth century in Virginia and surrounding areas. 

Helpful Hints

Materials:

  • Projector and screen for PowerPoint
  • Worksheet: John Smith “Starving Time” excerpt (3rd & 8th grades)
  • Worksheet: Virginia Company “Starving Time” excerpt (8th grade)
  • Index cards for exit ticket/investigative question