Colonial Virginia Teacher Pass
Not just another tourist stop.
Ah, Virginia: unintentionally supporting presidential assassination since 1865. Ever since it was founded, Virginia has had a long, confusing, contradictory history. It's up to you to untie the tangled ties that bind this state together, without everything unraveling at your feet.
Our main recommendation: don't stage a cockfight in class. We have a few other activities that would be more educational.
In this guide you will find
- information on why Colonial Williamsburg is now a prime tourist destination.
- assignments to help students to analyze the historical documents of runaway slaves, William Byrd, Samuel Davies, and many others.
- essay questions exploring the sometimes baffling opposing political and racial views of the state's founding citizens.
Unlike Virginia's motto, ours is clear: we speak student. Let us join the conversation with your class.
What's Inside Shmoop's History Teaching Guides
Shmoop is a labor of love from folks who love to teach. Our teaching guides will help you supplement in-classroom learning with fun, engaging, and relatable learning materials that bring history to life.
Inside each guide you'll find quizzes, activity ideas, discussion questions, and more—all written by experts and designed to save you time. Here are the deets on what you get with your teaching guide:
- 3-5 Common Core-aligned activities (including quotation, image, and document analysis) to complete in class with your students, with detailed instructions for you and your students.
- Discussion and essay questions for all levels of students.
- Reading quizzes to be sure students are looking at the material through various lenses.
- Resources to help make the topic feel more relevant to your 21st-century students.
- A note from Shmoop’s teachers to you, telling you what to expect from teaching the topic and how you can overcome the hurdles.