Jamestown and Plymouth


US History European Colonization Jamestown
Students learn about key events in the history of Jamestown: the Starving Time, the rise of tobacco plantations, and Bacon's Rebellion. They sequence events and consider the settlement's impact on the environment.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for Jamestown and Plymouth:

Preview - Scene 1
Exploros Learnign Experience Scene Navigation


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Overview

In this experience, students explore how the goals and people of Jamestown and Plymouth shaped each colony’s development. First, they examine historical passenger lists to observe who journeyed to each colony. Next, they investigate what life was like in Jamestown and Plymouth using article summaries. Then, they compare the two colonies to identify how differences in purpose and settlers influenced their outcomes. Finally, the elaborate activity invites students to examine the impact of the colony of Jamestown on the environment.

Estimated Duration: 45–60 minutes

Objectives:

  • Describe the causes of English colonization and explain the significance of the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies.
  • Compare the experiences of early English colonies using evidence from historical texts and sources.


Before Jamestown and Plymouth became permanent English settlements, ships crossed the Atlantic carrying people with different hopes, goals, and challenges. Each name on a passenger list holds a clue about who these settlers were and what they might have expected in the New World. In this experience, you'll begin by looking closely at real historical records to start uncovering the bigger story behind these early journeys.

Objectives:

  • Describe the causes of English colonization and explain the significance of the Jamestown and Plymouth colonies.
  • Compare the experiences of early English colonies using evidence from historical texts and sources.


Painting of Captain John Smith and settlers arriving by boat at the Jamestown shoreline, with others waiting and working on land.

Captain John Smith lands at Jamestown with fellow settlers in 1607.


A simple list of names can sometimes reveal a lot about a bigger story. What kinds of things might you notice or wonder about when looking at a list of people from the past?

Post your answer

Instructional Approach

The premise of this experience is student-driven discovery through primary sources. Students are not expected to know everything at the start, and this scene is not about correcting every misconception. Instead, it opens the door for exploration, letting students begin to draw inferences from the historical passenger lists they examine.

Scene 1 invites students to notice patterns, raise questions, and make early guesses about who settled in Jamestown and Plymouth and why. Consider highlighting thoughtful observations or posing open-ended questions to push student thinking forward. Rather than over-explaining or giving answers too early, allow ideas to unfold across the experience. As students work through later scenes, they will revisit and refine their thinking with more evidence in hand. The learning deepens as they make those connections themselves.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

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