Teaching Resources
Teaching environmental issues in your classroom is a critical component of providing your students a Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. Discover a wealth Chesapeake Bay related books, multimedia, curriculum guides, individual lesson plans and online data sources.
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> Middle School > John Smith and colonial times Captain John Smith 400 Project: Curriculum Guide
In conjunction with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Maryland Geographic Alliance, the Sultana Project has developed a curriculum unit based around the history of John Smith's 1608 voyage and the world of the early 17th century Chesapeake. The Captain John Smith Curriculum Unit consists of eight separate lesson plans designed for 4th and 5th grade students. The unit is aligned with goals and outcomes from the Maryland State Department of Education's voluntary state curriculum.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
population growth, land use, development, ecosystem and biomes, forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, renewable resource, water quality, wildlife
Native Americans of the Chesapeake Bay Lesson: Using Primary and Secondary Sources
This is a great resource. Students will interpret primary and secondary sources to gather information about the American Indian tribes present in the Chesapeake Bay region in the 16th and 17th centuries. They will then identify basic elements in American Indian culture at point of first contact in the Chesapeake region such as clothing, agricultural practices, architecture, cooking techniques and diet.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Wetlands Reading List Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12
The Wetlands Reading List is an annotated list of printed material that will supplement lesson plans and provide students with suggestions for independent reading on wetlands. This is a great resource to help you find the wetlands book you are looking for!
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Books and Publications
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
pollution, wetland, watershed, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, restoration, wildlife
Captain John Smith's Chesapeake Bay Lesson
Students will compare and contrast the Chesapeake bay of today verses the Chesapeake bay of John Smith's day. They will read excerpts from Smith's description of his exploration of the Bay and its rivers and analyze Smith's map of the Chesapeake.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
land use, watershed, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times
Jamestown in the Media: Distinguishing Fact from Opinion Lesson
Newspaper articles are a mix of fact and opinion. The articles written about the recent archaeological findings at Historic Jamestowne are no different. Students participating in this exercise will use their reading comprehension and critical thinking skills to separate fact from opinion.
Subject(s):
Language Arts
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times
Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Henry Spelman was an English teenager who was among the first settlers at Jamestown. He lived with the local Indians for several years and gives us a unique perspective in this auto-biographical excerpt. This exercise will test students' reading comprehension and writing skills.
Subject(s):
Language Arts
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Beyond Jamestown: Virginia Indians Yesterday and Today Teacher Guide
This teacher guide explores Virginia Indian history from the Indian perspective and shows that Virginia Indian cultures are vibrant and thriving. Activities include pottery making, corn husk dolls and three sister gardening.
Subject(s):
Art, Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Colonial Chesapeake Map
Sultana Projects' 20" x 30" educational poster, Sultana on the Colonial Chesapeake, details the schooner Sultana's exploits on the Chesapeake Bay between 1769 and 1771. These posters are available to classroom teachers free of charge. To obtain a copy, contact Chris Cerino at 410-778-5954 or ccerino@sultanaprojects.org.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times
Colonial History Unit - Sea of Change
Sultana's Colonial History classroom unit, entitled "Sea of Change: Sultana, the Tea Taxes and the Dawn of the American Revolution," is targeted towards 4-6th grade students. The unit examines the world of pre-revolutionary America through the lens of the 1768 British Royal Navy tax collecting schooner Sultana.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
boats, canoes and kayaks, land use, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
The Chesapeake Bay in Captain John Smith's Time Lesson
Students will analyze primary sources in order to assess the presence of various animals and the quality of the Chesapeake Bay habitats in the 1600s. Then compare the Chesapeake Bay of the 1600s with that of today.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
culture and watermen, habitat and niche, John Smith and colonial times
Captain John Smith's Shallop Curriculum Guide
This curriculum guide contains lessons that teach students about Captain John Smith's Shallop. Students will learn the part of a shallop, give examples of how shallops were used by the colonists and compare Captain John Smith's shallop to an Indian dugout canoe. This resource contains four teacher transparencies and four student handouts.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Science
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide, Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School
Keywords:
culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
