Jamestown: Religion in Society *designed for less advanced learners
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Background Information:

Objectives:

1. Students will identify the importance of religion in the Jamestown colony, in the areas of: government, colonists' attitudes, motivations for colonization.
2. Student will place information into columns, divided by the categories of: government, colonists' attitudes, motivations for colonization.
3. Students will identify how religion affected everyday life in Jamestown by answering central questions and by completing the worksheet, "The Voyage."

Materials: primary documents (excerpts from John Smith's work) and secondary sources, overhead projector, matrix sheet for reviewing primary source documents, transparency of matrix, markers, "The Voyage" worksheet

Relevance: This lesson introduces students to the subtle influences of religion in the Jamestown colony. Although not as prevalent in this society as in the Massachusetts Bay area, it is important to note the influence of religion in the rhetoric of the people, their actions, and in the government documents. It is relevant for the students today in that it illustrates the vast differences between the role of religion in today's government and Jamestown government, while similarities between the two societies are also evident.

Involvement of the Learners: The teacher will ask the students, "If you were moving to another country, what's the first thing you would bring?" The teacher listens to volunteered responses, and then tells the students that the first thing that the colonists brought to Jamestown was The Book of Common Prayers, and that the first building the original settlers built was a church out of spare ship parts. The teacher will then tell the students how important religion was in the lives of the Jamestown colonists, not that it was a major factor for attracting them to the colony, but that it was a constant, subtle presence in Jamestown society.

Organization: The teacher will be leading the discussion by presenting the material to the class. He/She will be responsible for asking questions that lead students in the correct direction, but which still allow them to critically think. Moreover, the teacher is responsible for encouraging the class to participate. The students will be responsible for reading the material, analyzing the documents, placing these documents into columns, and answering the questions at the end of the lesson.

Central Questions: How was the founding of Jamestown affected by religion? What religion were most of the colonists? How was religion a part of everyday life? What was religion's role in government? How did religion affect the way that people dressed?

Activity:

1. The teacher will explain the above-mentioned objectives, relevance, transition, and brief overview of the lesson plan. The central questions should already be written on the board. The teacher should read them to the class, and tell the students to keep them in mind throughout the lesson, because they will be going over them later.
2. The teacher will have the students create a matrix or chart (an example on an overhead would be helpful for them) that lists four columns, with the following titles at the top of each: Government, Attitudes, Motivations, Actions.
3. The teacher will tell the students to keep in mind the central questions on the board while analyzing the documents.
4. The teacher will ask for volunteers to read the documents.
5. After each document is read, the teacher will ask the students which category the document should fall under.
6. The teacher will then ask the students what that document says about religion in its particular category, making sure they include why they came to such a conclusion.
7. The teacher will write the answer in the appropriate column. He/She will tell the students to do the same.
8. These steps are repeated until each document has been read and placed into the columns.
9. Once the worksheet is complete, the teacher will ask the students to become a partner with someone sitting close-by.
10. Once the students are paired up, the teacher will ask the students to answer the questions on "The Voyage" worksheet. The teacher will tell them to use their knowledge from the lecture to answer the questions, and that they will have five minutes to answer the questions.
11. The teacher goes over "The Voyage" worksheet with the students, as he/she calls on different pairs to answer the questions. The teacher will remind the students that they need to explain why they give a particular answer.

Closure:

The teacher will call on volunteers to answer the central questions. The teacher will tell the students if the answer is correct or not. If it is incorrect, the teacher will give the correct answer. In either case, the teacher will tell the students to write down the correct answers.

Sources:Bridenbaugh, Colonial Churches, Colonial Virginia, Social Life of Virginia, Cradle of the Republic, The Religious Element, Pocahontas, from http://www.apva.org/history/pocahont.html.

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