Lost Colony of Roanoke

Transcription

1 Lost Colony of Roanoke

2 Lesson Number: 3 Title: The Lost Colony of Roanoke Grade Level: 5 th Time: minutes Materials: Per Student: Roanoke: The Lost Colony short story Roanoke Theories worksheet Evidence for Roanoke Theories worksheet (if needed) Common Curriculum Goal(s): CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.1 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.3 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Anticipatory Set: Ask the students, do you think a person can just disappear? Is there someone who would know where this person is? Do you think a group of 120 people can disappear? Stated Objective and Purpose: Students will be able to learn about a group of people who did just disappear, at least according to the people who knew them, as well as all historians and detectives since the disappearance over 400 years ago. Your job today will be to be the detective and come up with an explanation for the disappearance of this group of people. First, we are going to read the story surrounding the disappearance of these people and write out important information from the text. Then, you will fill out a worksheet that provides evidence for the different explanations and determining what explanation you think is correct. Procedure: 1. Pass out to each student Roanoke: The Lost Colony short story. 2. Tell students their job is to try and solve the mystery of what happened to this group of colonists. Make sure you emphasize that students will need to underline evidence in the Roanoke: The Lost Colony short story as you read it aloud. 3. Read the story aloud. Stop at the end of each paragraph and ask students to summarize what you just read. 4. After reading the story, briefly ask students for possible explanations of what happened to the colonists.

3 5. Write out all possible clues so students can visually see what is important from the story. 6. Pass out the Roanoke Theories worksheet and tell students there are six main possible explanations, or theories, about what happened to the colonists. Tell them that other theories not listed are possible too, and to write down a theory with evidence if they come up with one. 7. Tell students they are to work individually to collect evidence for each theory from the text, write the evidence below each theory listed, and then circle the one theory they think is correct. They can also write in other possible theories with evidence if they think of any. 8. Let students know there is a worksheet with evidence for the theories available if they are having trouble. Make sure to emphasize that students need to try and work on the worksheet for at least 15 minutes before you will hand out the evidence sheet. 9. Ask students if they have any questions about their task (Check for their understanding). 10. Remind students they are to work individually, and when they have completed their worksheet to talk with someone else in their group who is also done and discuss the theory they circled. 11. Let students work while you circulate around the classroom to assess student work and answer questions (Guided Practice). 12. If students are having trouble finding evidence for the theories, give them clues to lead them in the right direction. If necessary, pass out the Evidence to theories worksheet. Adaptations for Students with Special Needs: Talented, Gifted, and/or Creative Learners: These students are encouraged to use higher level thinking during the brief discussion of possible Roanoke theories. These students are also given the opportunity to creatively come up with their own possible theories and provide evidence for these theories. English Language Learners: When explaining the activities, describing mysteries, or facilitation discussion, I will speak using plain language and gestures/visual cues. Each student will be provided a copy of the Roanoke Mystery text, which will help them follow along. The same will be done for the worksheet in which I will discuss what the directions are. This will allow the students to use both visual and auditory learning techniques. If these students have difficulty writing for the Roanoke Theories worksheet, I will work with them to better understand what is being asked. If necessary, I will give them the Evidence for Theories worksheet that will aid students in finding the evidences for the activity. Students with Learning Disabilities: I will explain activities and facilitate the discussion clearly and simply using plain language. Students will also have visual and auditory means of following the Roanoke Mystery text, by reading the text themselves or by listening to the class read-aloud and discussion. These students will be given the chance to ask questions and share their thoughts about mysteries during the lesson. If these students have difficulties with the worksheet, I will work with them to help them better understand what is being asked. If necessary, I will give them the Evidence for Theories worksheet that will aid students in finding evidences for the activity.

4 Closure: Remind students they need to turn in their worksheet if they have completed it and if they haven t, it will be assigned homework. Ask if any students came up with their own original theories to explain the Roanoke mystery. Have 2-3 students share their theories with the class. Lesson Assessment: During the class read-aloud and discussion of the Roanoke text, assess students based on their verbal responses. During their time completing the worksheet, assess students work when circulating around the room. Finally, assess students understanding by evaluating their Roanoke Theories worksheet. Multiple Intelligences Address in the Lesson: Verbal/linguistic; Logical/mathematical; Interpersonal

5 Roanoke: The Lost Colony One of America's oldest mysteries began over 400 years ago and still challenges historians and archaeologists today. In England's attempt to establish its first settlement, English colonists settled in Roanoke Island and then disappeared, creating the unsolved mystery of the "Lost Colony. In 1587, years before the Plymouth and Jamestown colonies, England sent a large group of English people to attempt to set up the first English colony in the wild and strange land of America. England had tried to establish a colony in America two years before this, but the colonists ran out of food and returned to Britain. This second colony landed in August 1587 on Roanoke, an island off the coast of North Carolina that has lots of thick wetlands, tall.oak trees, and wildlife. When the colonists arrived on Roanoke, they found the broken-down fort that the first group of colonists had left two years earlier. They decided to set up their belongings and supplies near the fort in Roanoke instead of travel north to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia as planned. The colony was made up of about 120 people--90 men, 17 women, and 9 children. The governor was John White, an artist who had been one of the colonists in Britain's first attempt to set up a colony in America. Another important colonist in the group was Eleanor Dare, who was pregnant when she arrived on Roanoke and had her baby during her first month on the colony. Eleanor's baby girl, Virginia Dare, became the first English person born in America. After the colonists had spent a couple months in Roanoke, John White decided to go back to England for more supplies such as food and weapons. He intended to return to Roanoke Island right away, but war between England and Spain delayed him. When White finally returned to Roanoke three years later in 1590, he discovered that the colony was gone. The colony area had a high fence called a palisade built around it, but all the houses, ships, and people were gone. There were no signs of life anywhere. The only clues left were the cryptic words "Croatian" carved on one of the palisade posts and the letters "C-R-O" carved into a nearby tree. The words could have been a reference to a tribe of friendly Indians who lived south of Roanoke Island on Croatian Island (now called Hatteras Island). There was no carving of a cross or message of distress that White had asked the settlers to use in the event of forced departure from Roanoke Island. John White planned on going to Croatian Island to see if the colonists had moved there with the Croatians', but a great storm damaged some equipment on his ship and he was forced to return to England. No modem detectives have found any evidence on Croatian Island that shows that the colonists were there. No search parties were sent from England to look for the colonists, so the colonists were never found. The mystery remains. What do you think happened to the colonists?

6 Roanoke: The Lost Colony Theories Directions: There are at least six possible solutions that could be correct. Under each theory listed below, write supporting evidence from the Roanoke text. Then, circle the theory that you think is correct. THEORY: The Natives killed the colonists on Roanoke Island. THEORY: The colonists were all killed on Roanoke Island by disease. THEORY: Their town was washed away by a hurricane and the people drowned. THEORY: The colonists were taken hostage by the Spanish. THEORY: The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live with the Natives. THEORY: The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live in some other place.

7 Roanoke: The Lost Colony Your Own Theory Directions: Write your own theory of what happened to the people of Roanoke. Use the lines below to write your answer.

8 Evidence for Roanoke Theories The Natives killed the colonists on Roanoke Island. When John White got back to Roanoke Island in 1590 he did not find any bones or bodies or any signs of fighting. Bones last a long time. If the Natives had killed the colonists, there would probably have been some remains or other signs of violence. We can guess that the colonists were not killed on Roanoke Island. The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live in some other place. Remember that John White's group was supposed to build their town near the Chesapeake Bay, not on Roanoke Island. It is possible that they left Roanoke and went to the Bay, using the wood from their houses to build a boat. That might explain why the people, their houses, and their equipment were all gone when White got back. Is there any evidence? Almost twenty years later a different group of English did sail to the Chesapeake and start a settlement. It was called Jamestown and one of its' leaders was Captain John Smith. The Native king of the area, Powhatan (remember Pocahontas? He was her father) told Captain Smith that the Roanoke colonists had been in his land! He claimed that he had killed them all to discourage other English from coming to the New World and taking the Natives' land. Was this story true? Captain Smith believed it and some historians today think it happened but again. there is no proof. The colonists were all killed on Roanoke Island by disease. When the English first came to Virginia they brought with them diseases, such as flu and smallpox, that were new to the Indians. They had no immunity against them and many died very quickly. Letters written by the colonists tell us that the English remained healthy. And remember, no bones or bodies or graves were found. We can guess that the colonists did not all die of disease. Their town was washed away by a hurricane and the people drowned. When John White got back to the Island he found that the houses were gone but a high fence, called a palisade, had been built around the town area. If a hurricane had blown away the house and drowned the people, would the fence still be standing? Probably not. We can guess that it wasn't a hurricane. The colonists were taken hostage by the Spanish. San Augustine was a colony Spain had in the New World. This colony is located on the eastern coast of what is now known as the state of Florida, USA. Spanish soldiers who were living there in 1588 heard reports that England had established a new colony in the New World. This new English colony was located north somewhere near Chesapeake Bay. The Spanish may have sent their ships up the coast to take the colonists hostage. The Spanish may have caught the colonists as they were on their ships, going to live somewhere else. This may be the reason that English settlers boats were missing when John White returned in 1590 to Roanoke. The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live with the Natives. The word 'Croatian' carved on a fence post has puzzled historians for a long time. We know that Croatian meant two things: the name of a group of friendly Indians, and the name of the island where they lived. The ocean has made changes in the shape of the Outer Banks over the years and not all of the islands look the same as they did when the colonists were there. The land, which was then called Croatian,.is now part of the island we call Hatteras, so don't get confused when you look at a map. When John White returned to find his colonists gone from Roanoke he thought they might have gone to Croatia because the word was carved on the fence post. John White was never able to go to Croatian to find out and modern searchers have not yet found anything on Hatteras Island (Croatian) that shows that the colonists were there. We just don't know why the colonists carved that ward.

9 Roanoke: The Lost Colony Theories Directions: There are at least six possible solutions that could be correct. Under each theory listed below, write supporting evidence from the Roanoke text. Then, circle the theory that you think is correct. THEORY: The Natives killed the colonists on Roanoke Island. THEORY: The colonists were all killed on Roanoke Island by disease. THEORY: Their town was washed away by a hurricane and the people drowned. THEORY: The colonists were taken hostage by the Spanish. THEORY: The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live with the Natives. THEORY: The colonists left Roanoke Island and went to live in some other place.

10 Roanoke: The Lost Colony Your Own Theory Directions: Write your own theory of what happened to the people of Roanoke. Use the lines below to write your answer. Answers will vary.

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