Jamestown Press  
WebQuest


 Although there were other Europeans who had visited and even tried to establish colonies on the eastern coast of the New World, the British were the first to establish a permanent colony. They named their fort Jamestown.

What happened to the original Jamestown settlers? Was the New World all that they hoped it would be? Was anyone else living in the area at the time? What challenges did the settlers face? What was the fate of Jamestown? Inquiring minds want to know….

The Task

You and your group will take on the role of newspaper reporters to create a front page edition newspaper for the Jamestown Settlement. Each of you will research and write one article on a specific topic. Your final project will be a newspaper you create that includes all of your articles, along with pictures you create that go along with your articles. If your group has fewer than five people, you may omit the Interest Column. If some members of your group would like to write more than one article, they may ask the teacher for subject matter which has not been selected by anyone in the class, and add on to their group newspaper.

The Articles

Top News Story-Your job is to write a top news story article to be the featured story of your newspaper. This article should be about some event that had a great effect upon most of the people living in the Jamestown settlement. Ideas for this article include Travel to Virginia, The Tobacco Economy, The Virginia Company, The Starving Time, The House of Burgesses, Women in Jamestown, Indentured Servants, or Powhatan Indians. This story should grab the reader’s attention, making him or her want to read your newspaper. However, it must be based upon facts you uncover in your research. A picture that supports your article in some way, and is drawn by you, must be included with your article.

Who’s Who Feature-Your job is to write an article about one individual who was important to the Jamestown settlement. Your article may include who this person is, what they do for a living, why they came to the New World (if they were not born here), what, if any, plans they have for their future, and any other information you determine is important to who they are. Suggested individuals include Pocahontas, Captain John Smith, John Rolfe, and Powhatan. A picture that supports your article in some way, and is drawn by you, must be included with your article.

Editorial-Your job is to write an article based upon your opinion of some aspect of Jamestown. Editorials are articles on the writer’s opinion, not just factual news. They typically write about issues that affect many people. You must, however, support your opinion with facts. Look at the suggested articles for the Top News Story, but write an opinion piece. You must select a different topic than the article chosen for the Top News Story. Include an illustration, drawn by you, which supports your opinion.

Object of the Day- Your job is to write about a tool, piece of clothing, toy, or any interesting item that is part of the Jamestown culture. Archeological finds are a great starting place for this article. Tell what the item is, how it was used, and why it was important to the colonists. An illustration of the object, drawn by you, must be included with your article.

Interest Column- Food, fun or fashion in Jamestown. Your job is to write a story about either a food found only in the New World, what colonists did for fun, or fashions in Jamestown. Your article will explain all the details about the topic - where the items come from, how food is prepared, games played or fashions worn. A picture that supports your article in some way, and is drawn by you, must be included with your article.

 

Directions

      Before you begin research for your articles, you need an overview of the history of Jamestown. Fill out the “Discover Jamestown” worksheet  found here. Each person in your group should locate the answers for one part of the worksheet and then share the information with the rest of the group.

Find the answers on these site:    

Part 1:  http://look.net/gunstonelem/GunstonElemF/Jamestown.html

Part 2:  http://www.apva.org/ngex/location.html

Part 3: http://www.apva.org/ngex/jfort.html

Part 4: http://www.apva.org/ngex/town.html

Part 5: http://www.apva.org/ngex/people.html

  1. Now that you have a good background in Jamestown history, decide who will write which article.

  2. Re-read the guidelines for your article, and select a particular topic. Sign up with your teacher for the topic you decide on. Topics that must be covered and are not selected may be assigned. 
     Topics:
    The Virginia Company. Traveling to Jamestown Early Problems -The site Early Problems - The people The Powhatan People
    Chief Powhatan Pocahontas John Smith Lord De La Warr The Starving Time
    Tobacco John Rolfe New people come to Virginia - Women New people come to Virginia - Indentured Servants New people come to Virginia - Africans
    House of Burgesses Representatives Choose your own topic - needs teacher approval    

  3. Visit website links listed in Resources.  Write down important information, making sure to spell names correctly.
  4. Check out http://earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/past/index.html to see what old newspapers looked like. Be sure to click on each image, to enlarge each picture. Think about how you want your newspaper to look. The look of your newspaper is called the "Layout."
  5. Once you have gathered all your information, begin writing your article. Be sure to revise and edit with members of your group.
  6. When your article is completed, think of a unique title, or headline. The headline should grab the reader's attention, and make them want to read your article. It should also be in larger font or print than the rest of your article. Add your byline. This is the line that says “by (your name)” Proofread and edit again.
  7. Meet within your group to begin designing your newspaper. Create a rough draft of what it will look like, and where each article and picture will go.
  8. Using paper supplied by your teacher, begin working on your newspaper. Start with the name of your newspaper, then the articles. Add pictures last.
  9. Practice how you will present your newspaper to the class. Everyone in the group must help with the presentation.

Article Resources

General Jamestown Information- Good for all Writers

Virtual Tour of Jamestown http://www.apva.org/tour/tour.html

The Virginia Company http://www.apva.org/history/vaco.html

Founding of Jamestown http://www.apva.org/history/timeline.html

Settlers’ Occupations http://www.apva.org/history/list.html

General history of Jamestown http://odur.let.rug.nl/%7Eusa/H/1994/ch1_p6.htm

 

Tobacco, Economics, Politics

More history, includes tobacco and politics http://www.tobacco.org/History/Jamestown.html

Growth/Economics http://www.apva.org/finding/growth.html

History- economics, politics http://members.aol.com/sapps/Archive/English.html

Tobacco http://www.virginiaplaces.org/vacities/jamestowncap.html

 

Powhatan

Powhatan & Settlers http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/HowthePowhatansHelpedtheSettlersSurvive.pdf

Trade http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/JamestownTradeBetweenSettlersandIndians.pdf

Trade between English and Algonquin Powhatan http://www.apva.org/exhibit/trade.html

 

Indentured Servants

Laws about Indentured Servants http://www.iath.virginia.edu/vcdh/jamestown/indlink.html

African Indentured Servants http://www.nps.gov/colo/Jthanout/AFRICANS.html

 

Women in Jamestown

Women arrive in Jamestown http://chumby.dlib.vt.edu/melissa/posters/WomenArriveinJamestown.pdf

Women in Jamestown http://www.nps.gov/colo/Jthanout/Women.html

Women in Jamestown http://www.rootsweb.com/~txtssdac/women_colonists.htm

 

The Starving Time

The Starving Time http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/2c.asp

Starving Time http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h533.html

 

House of Burgesses

The House of Burgesses http://www.beyondbooks.com/ush72/2f.asp

More House of Burgesses http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/wwww/us/houseofburgessesdef.htm

House of Burgesses http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1151.html

The House of Burgesses http://en2.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Burgesses

Who’s Who Information

Captain John Smith http://www.apva.org/history/jsmith.html

Captain John Smith http://www.jamestowne.org/history/johns.htm

Pocahontas http://www.apva.org/history/pocahont.html

Pocahontas http://www.apva.org/ngex/poca.html

Pocahontas Chronology http://www.inna.net/pocahontas/chron.htm

Pocahontas http://www.co.henrico.va.us/manager/pokeypix.htm

John Rolfe http://www.apva.org/history/jrolfe.html

John Rolfe http://www.iath.virginia.edu/vcdh/jamestown/jrolfe.html

Chief Powhatan http://powhatan.org/chief_powhatan.html

Powhatan http://www.nps.gov/colo/Jthanout/Indianlife.html  

Lord De La Warr http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Thomas-West,-Lord-de-la-Warr

Archaeology

Artifacts at Jamestown http://www.apva.org/ngex/things.html

More Artifacts http://www.apva.org/exhibit/date.html

Armor http://www.apva.org/exhibit/armor.html

General Interest Articles

Jamestown Food http://www.apva.org/exhibit/eats.html

Food Timeline http://www.gti.net/mocolib1/kid/food.html

Jamestown Fashion http://www.jamestowne.org/Fashion.htm

Seasonal Foods http://www.charlottemuseum.org/learn/education/inclass/pdfs/grade4-foods.pdf

Recipes http://www.history.org/Almanack/life/food/foodhdr.cfm

Interesting Facts about food http://hastings.ci.lexington.ma.us/Colonial/Life/Food/Kitchen.trivia.html

Colonial Foods http://lincoln.midcoast.com/~wps/3ripley9899/food.htm

Toys http://www.ctstateu.edu/noahweb/games.html

Clothing http://www.history.org/History/clothing/

 

The Writer’s Creed:

Who * What * When * Where * Why * How

 

Have you enjoyed learning about Jamestown?  Spread the News…

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Website created by:
Julia Brittain Arth
2003