Virginia SOL 1.5.b

Social Studies1st Grade

The Standard

Explorers: John Smith and Christopher Newport

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify John Smith and Christopher Newport as English explorers connected to early Jamestown. They explain that Newport led ships to Virginia, while Smith explored and mapped the region.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students name both explorers and match each person to his role. They can tell one way the explorers’ work was alike and one way it was different.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think Smith and Newport had the same job or arrived on separate missions. They may also say the land was empty, overlooking the Indigenous peoples already living in Virginia.
How to Assess It: Give students two name cards and two role cards: led ships to Virginia and explored and mapped the region. Have them match each name to a role and explain one match aloud.

Lesson moves

Build a table map with yarn for water routes, then move paper ships to Jamestown and label Smith and Newport.
Have students answer the prompt, “How were Smith’s and Newport’s jobs alike and different?” with a labeled drawing.
Play a role-card relay where teams match Smith and Newport to pictures of ships, maps, waterways, and Jamestown.
Compare a modern Virginia map with Smith’s map, then locate the Chesapeake Bay, James River, and Jamestown area.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 1.5.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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