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Unit 0.5 Classwork: The Legend of Pocahontas

Last updated over 1 year ago
8 questions
Note from the author:
Content Objective: I will be able to explore historical misconceptions on the legend of Pocahontas.
Standard Objective: I will be able to cite the textual evidence that best supports a given claim or point.

Absent? Just want to review the notes? Click here for the slides.
Content Objective: I will be able to explore historical misconceptions on the legend of Pocahontas.
Standard Objective: I will be able to cite the textual evidence that best supports a given claim or point.

Absent? Just want to review the notes? Click here for the slides.

Warm Up: Please answer the following questions based on your personal experiences and ideas.

0

Have you ever seen the Disney movie “Pocahontas”?

0

There are many challenges to studying the history of Native Americans! Discuss and rank which ones might make it most difficult to understand what truly happened.

*Note: There are no right or wrong answers here! The purpose of this question is to discuss.

  1. Lack of Written Records
  2. Lack of Native American Perspectives
  3. Bias in Primary Sources
  4. Bias in Secondary Sources
0

Please rate how well you understood the Unit 0.4 Homework: True Story of Pocahontas reading on a scale from 1 to 4. If you have any questions, drop them in the "Show Your Work" area.

Building Knowledge Together: Last class, we learned about the English settlement of Jamestown, but Native Americans were here first! In history, we gather both primary and secondary sources to understand what actually happened as clearly as we can.

Required
1
Let's Start with Just the Facts: Jamestown was England's first permanent settlement in the “New” World. The settlement was founded in 1607 in the same region where Pocahontas by a _______ company called the Virginia Company. Chartered by King James I, the goal of the Virginia Company was to make profit for its investors, which it eventually did by planting and selling _______ . Eventually, the Virginia Company was dissolved in 1624 when Virginia became a royal colony of Great Britain, the first of the 13 British colonies.
Required
1
Today we will learn about a young woman known as Pocahontas. Her formal name was Amonute, and “Pocahontas” is actually a childhood nickname meaning “_______ ” or “mysterious.” While her actual birthdate is unknown, most historians agree that she was born between 1595-1597 into what the _______ Confederacy, a powerful alliance of about 30 Algonquian-speaking tribes around Chesapeake Bay. As Pocahontas grew up, she would have been taught women's work of planting and harvesting vegetables, which was separate from men's work of hunting and foraging for food. Both were _______ taxing and equally _______ as both types of work benefited all of Powhatan society.

Applying Knowledge: Let's review the homework and determine what actually happened between Pocahontas, John Smith, the Powhatan people, and the Jamestown colonists.

2

What is actually true about the scene from Disney's 1995 movie, Pocahontas? Use last night's reading to determine in your groups!

  • John Smith's life was not in danger so he did not need saving.
  • Pocahontas and John Smith had a special love and respect for one another.
  • Captain John Smith was an Englishman of high social status.
  • Pocahontas and her father had a special love and respect for one another.
  • Chief Powhatan tried to kill the love of his daughter's life: John Smith.
  • Captain John Smith was an adventurer who likely was looking to make a name for himself.
  • The Powhatan people were trying to destroy the English settlers.
  • The Powhatan people were trying to create an alliance with English settlers like John Smith.
  • Pocahontas was only 10 when John Smith arrived in Jamestown.
  • Factual
  • Mythical
1

Exit Ticket: Given the differences between the 1995 Disney version of Pocahontas and they primary source from Unit 0.4 Homework, how can we determine what actually happened?

In other words, how do historians validate primary sources and determine historical truth?

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Exit Ticket: Please rate how well you understood today's lesson on a scale from 1 to 4: