Colonial Life in Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, VA 23187
1-800-HISTORY

Instructional Unit:
Children will explore the 173-acre outdoor history museum with interpreters for Colonial Williamsburg's historical foundation. They will participate in a thematic study visit designed to provide a framework for discovery and observation.

Curriculum Unit:
Grade 4
Social Studies

Objectives:
1. The children will be able to see how the colonial people in Virginia lived.
2. The children will be able to participate in hands-on activities in the craft areas in the shops.
3. The children will be able to discuss the similarities of colonial times in all areas with living today.

Pre-Visit Activities:
1. Introduce Williamsburg into social studies unit while studying Virginia history. Use videotape of Williamsburg-Story of a Patriot .
2. Children will read, study, write reports about crafts and life during colonial times-visit library, have speaker, etc.
3. Children will present reports and discuss.

On-Site Activities:
Children see Colonial Williamsburg, doing many hands-on activities.

Follow-Up Activities:
1. Prepare activity book to be used on the bus on the way home.
2. Children write in journals as if they lived in Williamsburg during the colonial period.
3. Children dress in costumes and talk about a craft.
4. Children create murals of shop windows of colonial village.
5. Children write thank you letters to the guides as a language arts lesson.

Appendices: none

Bibliography: none

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