Format
1. The program begins by looking at the first attempts to colonize Virginia, including the "Lost" colony of Roanoke, and the landing at Jamestown in 1607.
2. The program includes an introduction to the economic and government structure of colonial Virginia.
3. The program will look at the creation of a tobacco culture, with an emphasis on the growing system of slavery.
4. The educator will share and discuss the primary sources and replica artifacts associated with the colonial era in Virginia.
5. The audience will examine specific individuals and situations to promote an understanding of the experiences of famous and everyday Virginians, and those who lived in Virginia, during the colonial era.
Objectives
The participant will:
-identify the attempts of European countries to colonize the New World;
-discuss the development of a representative government and the rise of a tobacco culture;
-examine the changing labor systems, including indentured servitude and slavery;
-be able to identify between primary and secondary sources
Standards Alignment
National Standards
Our programs are aligned with both national standards and Virginia Standards of Learning. While our programs can be tailored to suit learners of any age, they are initially designed for students in upper elementary and secondary schools.
Topic 3: The History of the United States: Democratic Principles and Values and the Peoples from Many Cultures Who Contributed to Its Cultural, Economic and Political Heritage
Standard 4 : How Democratic Values Came to Be, and How They Have Been Exemplified by People, Events, and Symbols
COLONIZATION AND SETTLEMENT (1585-1763)
Standard 1: Why the Americas attracted Europeans, why they brought enslaved Africans to their colonies, and how Europeans struggled for control of North America and the Caribbean
Standard 2: How political, religious, and social institutions emerged in the English colonies
Standard 3: How the values and institutions of European economic life took root in the colonies, and how slavery reshaped European and African life in the Americas
Common Core
Grade Two
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.3 : Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.4 : Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.6 : Identify the main purpose of a text, including what the author wants to answer, explain, or describe.
Grade Three
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1 : Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.3 : Describe the relationships between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.7 : Use information gained from illustrations and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (eg, where, when, why, and how key events occur).
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.9 : Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
Grade Four
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3 : Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text , including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.4 : Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words or phrases in a text relevant to a grade 4 topic or subject area.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.6 : Compare and contrast a firsthand and secondhand account of the same event or topic; describe the differences in focus and information provided.
Grade Five
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.3 : Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.4 : Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.6 : Analyze multiple accounts of the same event or topic, noting important similarities and differences in the point of view they represent.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7 : Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
Grade Six-Eight
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.1 : Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.2 : Determine the central ideas or information of primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.3 : Identify key steps in a text's description of a process related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.7 : Integrate visual information (eg., photographs or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6-8.9 : Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Grade Nine-Ten
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.1 : Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, attending to such features as the date and origin of the information.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.3 : Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text; determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.9-10.9 : Compare and contrast treatments of the same topic in several primary and secondary sources.
Grade Eleven-Twelve
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4 : Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including analyzing how an author uses and refines the meaning of a key term over the course of a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7 : Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media in order to address a question or solve a problem.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.9 : Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
State Standards
Our HistoryConnects programs are aligned with both national standards and Virginia Standards of Learning. While our programs can be tailored to suit learners of any age, they are initially designed for students in upper elementary and secondary schools.
2015 Virginia Standards: Virginia Studies
VS.3 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by
a) explaining the reasons for English colonization.
b) describing how geography influenced the decision to settle at Jamestown.
c) identifying the importance of the charters of the Virginia Company of London in establishing the Jamestown settlement.
d) identifying the importance of the General Assembly (1619) as the first representative legislative body in English America.
e) identifying the importance of the arrival of Africans and English women to the Jamestown settlement.
f) describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival.
g) describing the interactions between the English settlers and the native peoples, including the contributions of Powhatan to VS.4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of life in the Virginia colony by
a) explaining the importance of agriculture and its influence on the institution of slavery.
b) describing how the culture of colonial Virginia reflected the origins of European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, Africans, and American Indians.
c) explaining the reasons for the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg to Richmond.
d) describing how money, barter, and credit were used.
e) describing everyday life in colonial Virginia.
2023 Virginia Standards: Virginia Studies
Skills VS The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by
a. analyzing and interpreting information sources including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams;
b. applying geographic skills to identify and understand geographic features and connections;
c. developing questions, enhancing curiosity, and engaging in critical thinking and analysis;
d. using evidence to construct timelines, classify events, and distinguish fact from opinion;
e. comparing and contrasting people, places, and events;
f. identifying cause-and-effect relationships to clarify and explain content;
g. using economic decision-making models to make informed economic decisions and to explain the incentives and consequences of a specific choice;
h. practicing civility, respect, hard work, honesty, trustworthiness, and responsible citizenship skills; and
i. developing products that reflect an understanding of content.
VS.3 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the causes and effects of events associated with the first permanent English settlement in North America by
a. explaining the reasons for English colonization;
b. describing the economic and geographic influences on the decision to settle at Jamestown;
c. describing the importance of the Virginia Company of London Charter (April 10, 1606) in establishing the Jamestown colony;
d. describing the interactions between the English colonists and the Indigenous people, including the role of the Powhatan in the survival of the colonists;
e. describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival including, but not limited to trade with the Powhatan, the leadership of Captain John Smith, land ownership, and the successful commercial cultivation of tobacco;
f. analyzing the impact of the arrival of Africans and women to the Jamestown settlement; and
g. identifying the significance of establishing the General Assembly (1619), the first representative legislative body in English America.
VS.4 The student will apply history and social science skills to understand life in the Virginia colony by
a. explaining the importance and influence of agriculture;
b. examining how colonial Virginia reflected the culture of Virginia’s Indigenous People, European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, and Africans;
c. distinguishing between indentured servants and enslaved people, including how European countries traded for, transported, and sold Africans to be enslaved in British North America beginning in the 17th century;
d. describing the laws that established race-based enslavement;
e. explaining the reasons for the relocation of Virginia’s capital from Jamestown to Williamsburg; and
f. describing ways people exchanged goods and services in colonial Virginia
2023 United States History to 1865
Skills USIThe student will apply history and social science skills to the content by
a. synthesizing evidence from information sources including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams to understand events in United States history;
b. applying geographic skills to determine patterns and trends of people, places, or events;
c. developing questions, enhancing curiosity, and engaging in critical thinking and analysis;
d. integrating evidence to construct and analyze timelines, classify events, and distinguish fact from opinion;
e. comparing and contrasting historical, cultural, economic, and political perspectives;
f. determining and explaining cause-and-effect relationships;
g. using economic decision-making models to make a decision and explain the incentives and consequences of a specific choice;
h. engaging and communicating as a civil and informed individual with persons with different perspectives; and
i. developing products that reflect an understanding of content.
USI.3 The student will apply history and social science skills to explain European exploration and colonization in North America by
a. describing the motivations for, obstacles to, and accomplishments of the Dutch, English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish explorations; and
b. describing cultural and economic interactions between Indigenous people and Europeans that led to cooperation and conflict.
USI.4cd The student will apply history and social science skills to understand how the Western Hemisphere impacted West Africa by
c. explaining the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its impact on the African coast and the Western Hemisphere; and
d. identifying the cultural connections, conflicts, and common values of enslaved people in the Western Hemisphere, as well as challenges and hardships endured by enslaved people brought to colonial America.
USI.5
The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the social, political, religious, economic, and geographic factors that shaped colonial America by
a. describing the characteristics and differences among the New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Southern colonies;
b. explaining Virginia’s importance as one of the most populous and wealthiest colonies;
c. comparing life from the perspectives of various groups including, but not limited to large landowners, farmers, artisans, clergy, merchants, women, indentured servants, and enslaved and free Blacks;
d. explaining the specialization and interdependence of the regions; and
e. explaining the changing political and economic relationships between the colonies and Great Britain including, but not limited to representative government and self-rule in the colonies.
2023 Virginia and United States History
Skills VUS The student will apply history and social science skills to the content by
a. selecting and synthesizing evidence from information sources including, but not limited to artifacts, primary and secondary sources, charts, graphs, and diagrams, to question and understand information about events in Virginia and United States history;
b. applying geographic skills to determine and/or predict patterns and trends of people, places, and events;
c. questioning and using inquiry to construct arguments, using evidence from multiple sources;
d. investigating and analyzing evidence from multiple sources to construct arguments and draw conclusions;
e. comparing and contrasting historical, cultural, economic, and political perspectives;
f. determining cause and effect to analyze connections;
g. using economic decision-making models to analyze and explain the incentives for and consequences of a specific choice;
h. engaging and communicating as an informed individual with different perspectives;
i. developing products that reflect an understanding of research and content to make real-life connections; and
j. contextualizing corroborating and evaluating sources for credibility, propaganda, and bias to determine patterns and trends in Virginia and United States history.
VUS.3The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the development of African American culture in America and the impact of the institution of slavery by
a. describing the diverse cultures, languages, skills, and perspectives of Africans who were captured there and enslaved in the Americas;
b. describing the Middle Passage, the Transatlantic Slave Trade, chattel slavery, indentured servitude, and forced labor;
c. describing the slave trade in the U.S., Virginia, and Richmond;
d. analyzing the growth of the colonial economy that maximized profits through the use of indentured servitude and race-based enslavement of Africans; and
e. examining the cultures of enslaved Africans and identifying the various ways they persisted towards freedom.
VUS.4The student will apply history and social science skills to analyze the cooperation and conflict between the Indigenous people and the new settlers by
a. describing the competition among the English, French, Spanish, Dutch, and Indigenous people for control of North America;
b. describing the cooperation that existed at times between the colonists and Indigenous people during the 1600s and 1700s including, but not limited to agriculture, the fur trade, military alliances, treaties, and cultural interchanges;
c. describing the significance of Bacon’s Rebellion;
d. explaining the conflicts before the Revolutionary War; and
e. describing the violent conflicts among the Indigenous nations, including the competing claims for control of lands