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K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Native Americans and Jamestown

Using primary sources, students will investigate the role of Native Americans in the successes and failures of Jamestown. Students will identify and analyze inaccurate portrayals of Pocahontas and Powhatan by comparing historical facts with literary fiction.

A lesson plan for grades 9 and 11–12 Social Studies

By Jennifer Ricks

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • compare and contrast life for Native Americans before and after Jamestown was colonized
  • identify problems encountered by the settlers of Jamestown
  • analyze primary sources and identify bias

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

90 minutes

Materials/resources

Technology resources

internet connectivity

Pre-activities

Introduce students, briefly, to the history of Jamestown.

Activities

  1. Read John Lawson’s biography and excerpts from his “A New Voyage to Carolina”. An excerpt is available in LEARN NC’s North Carolina: A Digital History. It may also be useful to search the entire book on the Documenting the American South website for passages about American Indians.
  2. Discuss with students Lawson’s attitude towards the Indians he encountered. How does he view them? What prejudices does he exhibit? Why did he write this book? Who was the intended audience?
  3. Have students compare and contrast the oil painting of Pocahontas, copied from an engraving made in 1616 by Simon van de Passe, with Disney’s version of the princess from the 1995 movie. Discuss where each image came from. (This Wikipedia article gives context for the engraver of the 17th-century image.)
  4. Have students read and respond to Chief Roy Crazy Horse’s “The Pocahontas Myth.”

    Assessment

    Students will respond to the Chief Crazy Horse article by writing a one-page essay. The well written essay will refute or deny his claims by providing supporting details.

North Carolina curriculum alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 11–12 — American Indian Studies

  • Goal 2: The learner will analyze the historical developments that characterize Native American life in the period prior to the Civil War.
    • Objective 2.01: Explain the effects of contact and conflict between American Indians and Europeans.
    • Objective 2.02: Assess the impact of exploration and colonization of the Americas by Spain, France, England, and other European powers.

Grade 9

  • Goal 2: Emerging Civilizations - The learner will analyze the development of early civilizations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
    • Objective 2.08: Evaluate the achievements of the major civilizations of the Americas during the pre-Columbian epoch including, but not limited to, the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayas.