John Smith's 1616 letter to Queen Anne of England offers ELLs an opportunity to learn about a bit of early American history. The four-page packet includes the full text of the letter. In addition, the packet includes a worksheet that provides definitions for key academic vocabulary and asks pupils to find the word in the text and then demonstrate their understanding by adding their sentences using the words.

Concepts

john smith, jamestown, pocahontas, the powhatan indians, colonial america, academic language, written language, primary source analysis, primary sources

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Instructional Ideas

• Have learners locate Jamestown on a United States map
• Ask readers to formulate questions they may have about references made in the letter
• The activity would work best with advanced language learners

Classroom Considerations

• The included video is designed for instructors

Pros

• Includes an annotated copy of the paragraph from the letter with vocabulary definitions for instructors

Cons

• None

Common Core

RL.7.2 SL.7.1.a SL.7.1.b SL.7.1.c SL.7.1.d L.7.6