Virginia SOL VS.3.a

Social Studies4th Grade1607 through the American Revolution

The Standard

explaining the reasons for English colonization

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain why England wanted colonies in North America. They connect the search for gold, raw materials, new markets, wealth, and national power.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students name several motives and explain how each could benefit England. They distinguish England’s economic goals from later reasons settlers came, such as religious freedom.
Common Misconceptions: Students may say religious freedom was the main reason Jamestown was founded. They may also confuse English goals with Spanish exploration or treat raw materials and markets as the same thing.
How to Assess It: Ask students to complete: “England founded colonies because...” Require two reasons and an explanation of how each helped England.

Lesson moves

Give groups cards showing gold, timber, crops, English goods, and maps, then sort them by how each could increase England’s wealth or power.
Write a response to: “Why would England spend money and risk lives to build a colony across the Atlantic?”
Play a motive matching game where students pair gold, raw materials, and markets with the benefit each offered England.
Compare colonization to a business opening a new location for supplies and customers, then identify where the comparison works and where it fails.

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