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Pocahontas Revealed
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Viewing Ideas
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Before Watching
Ask students to work in groups to make a time
line of major events from the initial discovery of America by Paleo-Indians up
until 1607 when the Jamestown Colony was founded. Who were the main inhabitants
of America when Jamestown was settled? In this program, scientists are discovering a
new perspective on an historic event. Organize students into groups and have
each group choose an event in U.S. history to investigate from different
perspectives. (Some events students may want to explore are the Boston Tea
Party, the Battle of the Alamo, the Battle of Gettysburg, or the desegregation
of Little Rock Central High.) Ask each group to present its findings.
After Watching
Many of the James Fort colonists died and the
community was on the verge of collapse when John Smith came back to the
settlement after his month in captivity. What were the prime reasons for their
vulnerability? If students had to set up a colony in a new frontier, what would
they need to consider? What kind of organizational structure would they set up
to improve the chances that the colony might thrive and be profitable?
Ask students how confident they are
in the revised story of Pocahontas based on what they have learned from the
program. Have students explain their level of confidence in this interpretation
of what happened in the early 1600s. How important is the author in an
historical account? How can science help shed light on historical events? What
are the potential pitfalls in scientific explanations of historical events?
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