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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- acid rain
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> John Smith and colonial times Riverworks Discovery: Wheel House Log Book
The Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, and James Rivers are some of the most important in the
Mid-Atlantic region. These historic rivers contribute to our nation’s economy, history, and culture. This information and activity packet provides content on watersheds, early exploration of the region, the history of water travel and trade, and more.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
boats, canoes and kayaks, development, air pollution and fossil fuels, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, litter, trash and recycling, Native American, restoration, transportation
Virginia's Natural Resource Education Guide: Virginia's Historic Resources
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Books and Publications
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American, renewable resource
We Have a Story to Tell Teaching Guide -- The Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region
This teaching guide is intended for use with students in grades 9-12. The guide identifies Native American ways of life before, during and after contact with Europeans. It focuses especially on how Powhatan, Nanticoke, and Piscataway peoples responded to the upheavals that began with the colonial period and includes activities that focus on critical contemporary issues that affect Native communities in the region.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
On The Trail Of Captain John Smith
This National Geographic interactive allows your students to follow John Smith as he helps establish the Jamestown colony, explores the Chesapeake Bay, and meets local Indians in this new kids game.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times
Captain John Smith's Map of the Chesapeake Bay Lesson
Students will learn how to interpret a primary sources, John Smith's map and excerpts from Smith's journal. They will then identify places on a map that show John Smith's routes and identify map elements. Keywords: John Smith, history, map
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Maryland
Keywords:
land use, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
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
Captain John Smith's Map
Download a pdf of Captain John Smith's map of the Chesapeake Bay.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Buildings: An Educational Module for Archaeology
Although the original structures at Jamestown are long gone, archaeologists examine many types of evidence to learn how they may have looked. Starting from a single post hole, can you recreate a building? You can apply for a grant to do some research, but your funds are limited! This online, interactive exercise is provided free to all students and educators.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Before the English Poster
This poster hows what Jamestowne was like before English settlement.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Artifacts: An Educational Module for Archaeology
Start with a careful virtual excavation of a unit from the historic Jamestowne archaeological site and see what you find. Once you have collected the artifacts, research and record them in the archaeology lab!
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
America in 1607: Jamestown and the Powhatan Interactive Website
Your students can explore the historic Jamestown fort and the Powhatan village of Werowocomoco through this interactive feature brought to you by National Geographic.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Adding it Up at James Fort Lesson
Jettons were tokens used by Jamestown's colonists for counting. This exercise challenges third and fourth grade students to understand and interpret the way the colonists used jettons. In this lesson, students will identify historic math strategies from the early James Fort period, use historic style counting sheets and artifacts to understand adding and calculations in early 17th century Jamestown, and apply critical thinking skills to organize and use information. Students will also calculate and record different sums based on historic counting methods and draw inferences and identify parallels with today’s numeric systems.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Virginia
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times
Discover the Chesapeake
This portion of the Chesapeake Bay Program's website is one of the best Chesapeake Bay-related informational resources around. It features Bay 101 video clips, a Bay FAQ, a Bay glossary and provides information on the Bay ecosystem, history, and watershed. The website also includes one of the most comprehensive Field Guides to the Chesapeake Bay, completely available online!
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Multimedia, Books and Publications
Level(s):
Early Learning, Elementary School, Middle School, High School
Keywords:
watershed, blue crab, development, biodiversity, culture and watermen, ecosystem and biomes, habitat and niche, John Smith and colonial times, restoration, water quality, wildlife, fish
A Changing Landscape Poster
This poster will show your students how Jamestown has changed over the years.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Posters and Maps
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
land use, John Smith and colonial times
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
PBS Death at Jamestown: What Really Happened? Lesson Plan
In this jigsaw lesson plan from PBS, students learn about four different, supported reasons behind the mysterious deaths that occurred in the early days of the colony of Jamestown. This 2-3 class period lesson for middle or high school students contains video clips, additional resources, class extensions, and information on correlation to national standards.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times
Waterways
As a result of this lesson, students develop a map that identifies waterways that have been important in the transportation of goods and people in the United States. Students will use color to show how the use of waterways has changed over time, and will diagram the methods of water travel through history.
Subject(s):
Language Arts, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Keywords:
boats, canoes and kayaks, culture and watermen, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, transportation
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
Baltimore and the War of 1812 Lesson
In this lesson students will identify the role of Baltimore and Fort McHenry in the War of 1812.
Subject(s):
Mathematics, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times
Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World
Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World ventures beyond the common myth about Pocahontas and provides a revealing look into the tragic yet heroic life of one of the world’s most famous princesses. Students will be able to describe the impact Pocahontas had on English and Native American relations during her lifetime.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
National Science Education
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
Chemistry of Iron and Charcoal Manuafacturing in Pennsylvania Lesson
In this lesson student identify the historical purpose of forests in Pennsylvania. They learn about the iron manufacturing process and write and explain the chemical formula of making charcoal.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Middle School, High School
Keywords:
forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American, renewable resource
The History of Maple Syrup Lesson
Students will explore how maple sugaring began and experience the ways the pioneers and Indians produced sugar.
Subject(s):
Science, Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities
Level(s):
Elementary School
Aligned with the following standard(s):
Pennsylvania
Keywords:
forest, John Smith and colonial times, Native American
The Middle, Chesapeake and Southern Colonies Lesson
This interactive lesson for AP US History features an multimedia presentation on colonial life in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Lessons and Activities, Multimedia
Level(s):
High School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times
Sea of Change: Sultana, the Tea Taxes and the Dawn of the American Revolution
The unit examines the world of pre-revolutionary America through the lens of the 1768 British Royal Navy tax collecting schooner Sultana. The unit can function as a stand alone curriculum as well as a pre-trip primer for students sailing on Sultana.
Subject(s):
Social Studies
Type(s):
Curriculum Guide
Level(s):
Elementary School, Middle School
Keywords:
John Smith and colonial times, Native American
