The Women of the Jamestown Colony and the New England Colonies
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Objectives:

1. The student will identify the characteristics of Jamestown women and New England women in terms of: origin, reasons for coming to the colony, dress, attitudes towards religion, status in society, domestic role, and role outside of the home.
2. The student will compare and contrast the Jamestown and New England women in terms of the above categories in dramatic skits.
3. The students will act out a scenario (in quads) of the meeting between two Jamestown woman and two New England woman.

Relevance:

It is important for the students to understand that although the colonization and settlements of the New England and Jamestown area occurred almost simultaneously, the two groups that settled the regions were very different. They contrasted in terms of motivations for being there, attitudes toward work, dress, social status. The difference is evident in the women's role. The dramatic skit allows the students to be creative while critically evaluating the different roles of women: by being in one position and criticizing the other from their given position. The skit gives the students a chance to understand why today some cultures feel a certain way towards other cultures. Often, bigotry towards a foreign culture is based on a lack of understanding or appreciation for them.

Involvement of the Learner:

The teacher will ask the students if they have ever traveled outside of the country. The teacher will then ask the students if they noticed anything different about other cultures--did they find some strange? The teacher will then ask them what they think those people think of our culture. Wouldn't they think ours is strange? One possible answer might be: Muslim women in areas such as Iran, where their entire body must be covered in cloth. Our culture might find it odd, but at the same time, these women might find it appalling to expose ourselves as, for example, we do at the beach. The teacher will then explain to the class that they will be learning about the roles of women in the New England and Jamestown colonies in the seventeenth century, and how they were similar and different.

Organization:

The teacher will be responsible for leading a lecture-discussion on the lesson's content. An outline of information is provided. The teacher should make sure that he/she asks the class frequent thought-provoking questions, such as: "How do you think the women felt in these positions?" or "How is this aspect of New England women different from that of Jamestown women?" Also, the teacher should constantly check for understanding of the content, with questions such as: "What were the main reasons New England women came to America?" The teacher is also responsible for placing the students into drama groups, and monitoring their progress to ensure that everyone is on task, and that they are including all relevant information in their skits. The teacher should answer any questions the students have while they are in groups. The students will be responsible for listening attentively during the lecture, and discussing when questions are asked. Moreover, they will be responsible for participating in the development and execution of a dramatic scenario.

Central Questions:

How would you describe New England and Jamestown women in the areas of: dress, social status, motivations for settling in America, duties? How are they similar and how are they different? How do you think the women of each settlement would view the other's lifestyle and societal role if they were to meet?

Activity:

1. The teacher will give a brief overview of the lesson, and will explain the previously mentioned objectives, relevance, and involvement of the learner portions of the lesson plan. The teacher will then tell the students which central questions they should be able to answer by the end of the lesson (they should be written on the board).
2. The teacher will tell the students that they need to take notes on the lecture.
3. The teacher will lead the lecture-discussion, making sure to include checks for understanding and discussion questions. At this time, the students should be actively engaged in learning the material--attentive, answering questions, discussing, or asking their own questions.
4. The teacher will have the students break off into groups of four.
5. The teacher will assign each group a place to work, and will have the students go to their designated areas. He/She will tell the students that they have the rest of the class period to plan a skit on the meeting of four women: two from Jamestown and two from New England. The teacher should tell the students to be creative (careful not to be offensive), but they must include the aspects of these women that were discussed in lecture. For example, one New England woman could whisper to the other about the clothing of the Jamestown women. The teacher will tell the students that they will be graded on how well they include these aspects into their skits.
6. The teacher will walk around the room to ensure that everyone is on task, and that everyone understands what is expected of them.
7. The students should all be participating in developing a plot for the skit.
8. At the end of the class, the teacher will tell students that they will be performing their skits the following day. They will need to bring in any props that will enhance their performance.
9. The second day, the teacher will allow groups to come to the front of the room one at a time on a voluntary basis to act out their skits.
10. At this time, each student (if not participating) should be listening attentively to the content of the skit, while the teacher takes notes on how creative the group was, who participated, and what relevant content they included.

Closure:

After each group has a chance to perform, the teacher will ask the entire class the previously mentioned central questions. The students will answer them on a voluntary basis, but will take notes on the correct answers.

1. How would you describe New England and Jamestown women in the areas of: dress, social status, motivations for settling in America, duties?
2. How are they similar and how are they different?
3. How do you think the women of each settlement would view the other's lifestyle and societal role if they were to meet?

Sources: Builders of the Bay Colony, Social Life of Virginia, Economic and Social History of New England, Caleb Johnson's Mayflower Web Page found at http://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html.

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URL for this page: http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu.