Virginia SOL VS.3.c

Social Studies4th Grade1607 through the American Revolution

The Standard

describing the importance of the Virginia Company of London Charter (April 10, 1606) in establishing the Jamestown colony

Virginia Standards of Learning for History and Social Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain that King James I gave the Virginia Company of London legal permission to start a colony in North America. They connect that permission to the founding of Jamestown.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can identify who issued the charter, who received it, and what it allowed. They can explain how the charter led to settlers being sent to Jamestown.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the charter was a map, ship, or set of travel directions. They may also think Jamestown already existed when the charter was issued or that the document built the settlement by itself.
How to Assess It: Use this exit ticket: “The 1606 charter mattered because…” Include who issued it, who received it, and what it allowed.

Lesson moves

Give groups issuer, recipient, permission, and result cards, then have them arrange and connect the cards with arrows.
Ask students to write: “Could the Virginia Company legally start Jamestown without the king’s charter? Explain your answer.”
Play a sorting game with fact cards labeled “Charter,” “Jamestown Settlement,” or “Both,” then review disputed choices.
Compare the charter with a school club authorization, noting how each gives a group permission to act for a stated purpose.

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