Popular 3-Day Educational Itinerary: Middle School
Visit to Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown
Immersive History and Hands-On Learning for Students
Day 1: Arrival & Introduction to Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area
- Morning: Arrive in Williamsburg, check in at the hotel, and participate in a welcome orientation outlining the trip’s objectives.
- Mid-Morning: Guided tour of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area, with students exploring Duke of Gloucester Street and visiting sites such as the Governor’s Palace, the Capitol, the Magazine, and working trade shops. Costumed interpreters demonstrate colonial crafts and daily life. Students might participate in mock judicial proceedings at the Courthouse or learn about justice at the Public Galo.
- Lunch: Group lunch at an 18th-century-style tavern, sampling authentic colonial fare.
- Afternoon: Hands-on workshop—students try candle making, brick masonry, or printmaking alongside artisans, gaining practical skills and insights into the trades practiced centuries ago.
- Snack: Enjoy a colonial-era treat from a local bakery.
- Evening: Attend a historical program or reenactment, such as a mock trial, drum and fife performance, or lantern-lit ghost tour. Dinner at a family-friendly local restaurant wraps up the day.
Day 2: Jamestown Settlement Experience & Colonial Trades
- Breakfast: Early meal at the hotel to prepare for a full day of activities.
- Morning: Travel to Jamestown Settlement, where students step into the world of America’s earliest English settlers. Activities include:
- Exploring full-scale re-creations of three 1607 ships—the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. Students board the vessels, meet costumed interpreters, and help raise sails, tie knots, and learn basic navigation.
- Visiting the recreated Powhatan Indian village, where students participate in pottery making, cooking demonstrations, and learn how to grind corn with stone tools.
- Participating in a scavenger hunt through the James Fort replica, searching for clues about colonial life, defense strategies, and the challenges faced by settlers. Students can practice loading and firing (mock) muskets and try on armor.
- Joining an archaeological dig simulation, sifting through sand and soil to uncover replica artifacts and record their findings like real archaeologists.
- Snack: Morning snack break at Jamestown’s café or picnic area.
- Lunch: Picnic lunch on the Jamestown grounds or at the site café.
- Afternoon: Return to Colonial Williamsburg for rotations at the blacksmith, printer, apothecary, and cooper shops. Students engage with artisans and participate in interactive demonstrations devoted to 18th-century trades and daily routines.
- Snack: Afternoon snack at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center.
- Dinner: Group meal at Merchant’s Square or a colonial-themed restaurant, followed by a reflection session where students share insights from the day’s experiences.
Day 3: Revolutionary Ideas & Departure
- Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel and prepare for check-out.
- Morning: Participate in student-led debates or workshops on the Declaration of Independence, held in historic buildings like the Capitol or Raleigh Tavern. Students assume the roles of colonial figures, craft arguments, and discuss revolutionary ideas.
- Snack: Morning snack break at a local bakery or museum café.
- Midday: Visit the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, joining a guided tour and hands-on exhibits. Activities include handling period artifacts, witnessing artillery demonstrations, and exploring recreated army encampments.
- Lunch: Lunch at the museum’s café or picnic in the gardens.
- Afternoon: Closing reflection activity—students gather to share their most memorable moments and lessons learned before departing for home.
- Afternoon: Return to Colonial Williamsburg for rotations at the blacksmith, printer, apothecary, and cooper shops. Students engage with artisans and participate in interactive demonstrations devoted to 18th-century trades and daily routines.
Standard Code | Description | How Addressed in Itinerary |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.7 | Integrate information from several sources and engage in collaborative discussions on grade 6 topics and texts. | Students participate in hands-on workshops, guided tours, and group reflections, synthesizing information from interpreters, exhibits, and peer dialogue. |
NCSS D2.His.2.6-8 | Classify a series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity. | Visits to Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown allow students to compare colonial life, revolutionary ideas, and the evolution of American society. |
NCSS D2.His.5.6-8 | Explain how and why perspectives of people have changed over time. | Debates, role-play activities, and artifact analysis encourage students to consider multiple viewpoints from the colonial and revolutionary periods. |
VA SOL USI.4, USI.5 | Virginia Studies: Describing life in colonial Virginia and the causes/effects of the American Revolution. | Exploration of period settlements, trades, and revolutionary sites directly supports Virginia Studies learning objectives. |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.2 | Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information clearly. | Students reflect on their experiences and lessons learned in group discussions and written activities. |
Relevant National Educational Standards:
Standard Code | Description |
NCSS D2.His.2.6-8 | Classify series of historical events and developments as examples of change and/or continuity. |
NCSS D2.His.16.6-8 | Organize applicable evidence into a coherent argument about the past. |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2 | Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source. |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.1 | Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade-level topics. |
NCSS D2.His.14.6-8 | Explain multiple causes and effects of events and developments in the past. |
NCSS D2.Civ.4.6-8 | Explain the origins, functions, and structure of government with reference to the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.6.4 | Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details. |
NCSS D2.His.1.6-8 | Analyze connections among events and developments in broader historical contexts. |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7 | Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. |
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.10 | Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. |
NCSS D2.His.17.6-8 | Compare the central arguments in secondary works of history on related topics in multiple media. |
