Introduction: Create a Jamestown Settlement Virtual Model

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in North America. It was founded in 1607 and served as the capital of the Virginia colony for over 80 years.

This Instructables Unit includes a rubric so you can provide your students with a menu of options on how they will create their own model of Jamestown (Bonus: Powhatan Village).

When will your students have time for this project? It pairs well with a 20-30 minute-a-day Teacher Read Aloud of Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone.

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Supplies

Student Access to Tinkercad via Autodesk

Recommended: Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone

Step 1: Step 1: Read!

Before beginning this project, you will need to do some background information on Jamestown, VA.

Generally, this part of history is taught in 5th grade. Incorporating a model-building activity is a great way to blend Teacher Read Alouds with student content creation. When you are ready for it, read a few chapters of Blood on the River by Elisa Carbone to your students.

Step 2: Step 2: Let Students Tinker

Schedule some time in the lab for students to experiment with Tinkercad. When your students log in to Tinkercad, they are able to complete a series of tutorials which will help them master the tools they will need to build their model. It's all trial and error! Sometimes a little struggle can be a good thing.

Step 3: Step 3: Present the Project Rubric

Provide students with options, based on what you're comfortable with. In this case, students were given "mini-lessons" on Tinkercad and Google Draw. The majority of students worked on Tinkercad for this project so they could sharpen their design skills as I read Blood on the River aloud to them for 20 minutes each day.

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Step 4: Step 4: Assess Student Work

Using the rubric, have students evaluate each others' work, or grade it all on your own! If you're able, have students set up a "museum walk" so that they can appreciate each other's work.