For most of their early education, students are taught about the pilgrims at Plymouth. This often leads to a misconception that Plymouth was the first permanent settlement in North America. So, when students are introduced to Jamestown in upper elementary, they can get confused about which came first and the differences between the two settlements. Teaching students to differentiate between the two early settlements can be a fun Virginia Studies lesson for November.
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Getting Started
Whether reading a picture book about Halloween in Virginia or researching holiday traditions in Virginia, finding ways to incorporate the seasons and holidays into a Virginia Studies lesson is always fun.
Having students compare and contrast Jamestown and Plymouth can be a meaningful and engaging way to spend the days leading up to Thanksgiving break.
I like to have certain centers and activities that are all about Jamestown and other centers and activities that are all about Plymouth. You can do all of the centers in one day or split them up over a few days.
Ways to Teach About Jamestown
I have another blog post where I share all of my favorite Jamestown activities and lessons. But, here are a few quick and easy activities to use with your Virginia Studies Lesson for November.
By November, the Jamestown SOL has usually already been taught. So, these centers allow students to review and reinforce what they have already learned.
- Books: There are a lot of great books that teach about Jamestown. My favorite chapter book is A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla. My favorite picture book is You Wouldn’t Want to Be an American Colonist by Jacqueline Morley.
- Virtual Field Trip: Take a virtual field trip to Jamestown using the Jamestown Rediscovery website. The website allows students to explore a digital collection of artifacts that have been discovered at Jamestown.
- Escape Room: Escape rooms are always a fun way to keep students engaged. In my Jamestown Escape Room, students travel back in time to learn about Jamestown. When their time machine malfunctions, the only way to return home is to complete seven challenges and puzzles.
Ways to teach about Plymouth
Students have been learning about the pilgrims as part of their Thanksgiving celebrations since kindergarten. Even though they are already familiar with the pilgrims at Plymouth, encourage them to focus on the similarities and differences to/from the colonists at Jamestown as part of this Virginia Studies lesson.
- Movie: Kids of all ages love a movie day before a major break. The Mayflower Voyagers uses Charlie Brown characters to cover all the important points in under 30 minutes. With a quick Google search, you can usually find a free version online or you find it on the same DVD as A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
- Virtual Field Trip: The Visit Plimoth website offers a variety of videos for teachers to use as a virtual field trip. The website also provides interactive games for students.
- Board Game: Having students create their own board games is a fun way to review what they have learned. Assign students to groups. Each group will design a game with the objective of safely getting the pilgrims from England to Plymouth.
Compare Jamestown and Plymouth
After students have spent time researching Jamestown and Plymouth individually, bring it all together by having them compare and contrast the two colonies.
I have a worksheet that helps students compare the colonies and a Jamestown versus Plymouth writing activity in my Jamestown Unit Plans.
You could also have students compare and contrast the early colonies by making a poster or a slideshow presentation.
More Virginia Studies Ideas and Resources
This fun Virginia Studies lesson for November is not the only Virginia Studies lesson on my blog.
If you teach Virginia Studies, my website is for you! You can find all of my Virginia Studies blog posts compiled HERE. These blogs share the games, activities, and lessons that helped my students earn some of the highest Virginia Studies scores in the state.
I also have a variety of lesson plans and teaching resources aligned to the Virginia Studies SOLs in my shop. Some of the Virginia Studies resources you can find there include:
