Day 2: Introduction to Eighteenth-Century Virginia
Supporting Questions:
• How do we know what we know about people who lived in the past?
• How was Williamsburg a center of government, commerce, and culture?
• How did the diversity of the Virginia populace both contribute to success and lead to conflict?
7:00 a.m. Breakfast, drop-in Williamsburg Woodlands
8:00 a.m. Travel by Bus to Bruton Heights Education Complex
8:30 a.m. Discovering the Past Bruton Heights School 117
Archaeology is the study of people and cultures of the past through the objects they left behind. Participate in the simulated dig of an eighteenth century site to see what you and your students can learn through archaeology.
9:30 a.m. Teacher Collaboration Lodge Conference Center
You know your students best! Work with other teachers to identify ways to use the Institute materials, content, and strategies in your classroom.
10:30 a.m. Break and Walk to Historic Area
11:00 a.m. Overview of Eighteenth-Century Virginia Demographics and Government Walking Tour
Williamsburg was both a community and the eighteenth-century capital city. How is the eighteenth-century government system reflected in the structure of the United States government?
• Explain the reasons Williamsburg became the capitol city and its cultural significance in the eighteenth century.
• Identify the diverse demographic character of Virginia’s PreRevolutionary society
• Demonstrate how primary sources were used to restore, reconstruct, and interpret Williamsburg.
• Explore differences and similarities between local government then and now.
| 11:45 a.m. American Indian Experience American Indian Encampment |
12:45 p.m. Lunch Lodge Conference Center
1:15 p.m. Self-Guided Exploration Time Historic Area
3:30 p.m. Think Like a Historian Lodge Conference Center
Eighteenth-century Williamsburg was a complex community of approximately two thousand people. We know a lot about some of these individuals and very little about others. In this lesson, practice how historians use primary sources to discover information about people of the past and draw conclusions about their lives.
4:30 p.m. Meet a Person of the Past: Nanny Jones Lodge Conference Center
Meet an enslaved Virginian who lived in eighteenth-century Williamsburg. Discuss what life and work was like in the capital city and how it compared to that of the enslaved living in rural areas.
5:45 p.m. Break
6:00 p.m. Banquet Dinner Service Lodge Conference Center