Pocahontas - Colonial America

This lesson explores the life and legacy of Pocahontas, a Native American woman known for her role in promoting peace between her people and the English settlers in Jamestown, Virginia. Students will learn about her significant contributions, including saving Captain John Smith and marrying John Rolfe. Activities include video analysis, sorting timeline events, guided reading, and writing PEEKA paragraphs. The lesson concludes with a discussion on Pocahontas’s impact on Colonial America.

Lesson Content and Activities:

Introduction:
Discuss Pocahontas’s background and her significance in American history.
Introduce today’s keywords: Native American, Settlers, Peace.

Video Task:
Watch videos on Pocahontas.
Answer questions about who she was, when she lived, what she is most famous for, why these events happened, and where they took place.

Timeline Activity:
Sort the timeline cards into the correct chronological order:

Pocahontas is born to Chief Powhatan in what is now Virginia, USA.
Pocahontas saves Captain John Smith from execution.
Pocahontas is captured by English settlers and held for ransom.
Pocahontas marries John Rolfe, an English tobacco planter.
Pocahontas travels to England with her husband and son.
Pocahontas dies in England at around 21 years old.
Primary Source Analysis:
Read through extended writing on Pocahontas.
Answer the following questions:

What role did Pocahontas play in promoting peace between the Native Americans and the English settlers?
How did Pocahontas’s marriage to John Rolfe help strengthen relations between her people and the English?
What impact did Pocahontas’s visit to England have on English society and the Jamestown settlement?
Why is Pocahontas’s story still remembered and significant today?
Ranking Activity:
Discuss with a partner how to rank the significance of three key events: promoting peace, her marriage, and her visit to England.
Justify the rankings based on their historical impact.

Historian Analysis:
Read and compare the viewpoints of two historians on Pocahontas’s legacy.
Write a paragraph addressing how far the historians agree about her legacy using provided sentence starters.

Writing Task:
Write a PEEKA paragraph explaining Pocahontas’s most significant impact on Colonial America.
Use the PEEKA planning sheet for guidance.

Class Discussion:
Share and discuss the PEEKA paragraphs.
Reflect on Pocahontas’s legacy and her contributions to the early years of the Jamestown colony.

Recap Quiz:

When was Pocahontas born?
What was Pocahontas’s real name?
Who did Pocahontas save from execution?
Who did Pocahontas marry?
Where did Pocahontas die?
Resources:
Video links on Pocahontas
Timeline cards
Extended writing and questions
Historian viewpoints
PEEKA paragraph guidelines and planning sheet
Recap quiz questions