Program: Meet Joan Peirce

The program is about an hour in length and is divided into two parts.

Part One:

A first person living history performance by Peggy Pickett portraying Mistress Joan Peirce.  During the performance students will have the opportunity to ask questions of Mistress Peirce on various aspects of life in the colony of Virginia.

Approximate time: 30 minutes

Part Two:

Question and Answer session. Ms Pickett will step out of character and answer questions about Jamestown and life in the colonies in more detail.

Approximate time: 30 minutes

Pre-program materials: Fact sheet on conditions in early 17^th century London for orphans, homeless and poor children (so students will be able to compare life expectations in London with those in the colony of Virginia).

Audience: 4^th to 8^th grade students.  Size of audience for the program is one class (20-30 students).  We feel it is important to have a small audience to enable more students to interact with Mistress Peirce and to ask questions afterward.

 Behavioral Objectives:

1.      Students will demonstrate their understanding of the first permanent English settlement in North America by recognizing:

·         The reasons for English colonization

·         The hardships faced by the settlers at Jamestown

·         The relationship between the English and the Virginia Indians

·         The contributions of women, indentured servants and Africans to the colony.

·         The importance of tobacco in the success of the colony and the problems created by the tremendous need for land and labor to grow it.

·         The significance of the creation of the General Assembly.

·         The changes that took place in the colony that contributed to its success.

2.      Students will evaluate the information gained by listening to Mistress Peirce and asking relevant questions to answer the following:

·         Do you think Virginia in 1629 was a good place to live?  Why or why not?

·         Would you have been willing to go as an indentured servant? Why or why not?

Standards of Performance:

Students will be expected to gather information by listening to Mistress Peirce and asking questions; to organize that information; to apply their understanding of the living conditions in Virginia to what they themselves would be comfortable with; to identify the pros and cons of living in the colony; to evaluate this information in order to answer the questions in the second Behavioral Objective.

For more information or to book the program, please contact us:

 Joan@picketteducationalresources.com