Reflection
I went to Jamestown Settlement on April 13, 2013 with a friend. I’m not originally from Virginia, so it’s the first time I’ve gone and taken a tour of the settlement. Before this, I’ve seen it afar from the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry but always drove right by on my way to other parts of the historic triangle. I was surprised to learn that the Jamestown Settlement is located adjacent from the actual landing site in Jamestown, which is owned by the government. Where I was visiting was owned by the Commonwealth of Virginia, and contains mostly replicas of Jamestown’s history. I was glad I came here instead of traveling farther down the road to the actual site because there’s little to look at and explore there except for a tall monument. Here, at the Jamestown Settlement, I was taken back in history and caught a glimpse into what life was like in colonial America.
The field trip fulfilled my educational purposes by addressing
all of the VA SOL’s listed on the brochure. At the settlement, the museum was
full of primary sources students could examine to learn about the cultures and
history of Jamestown. The informational tour guides were dressed up to play the
part of the outdoor area they were stationed. They made history come to life by
making it hands-on, interesting and telling it from the perspective of their
character. Here, students would have little to no trouble being able to make
connections between the past and present, as well as sequence the events in
Virginia’s history.
If there was something I could change about the trip, it would be
the amount of time students spent there. I feel like there was so much to see
and do that two and a half hours was not enough. I understand that this is an
elementary school trip, but if I were planning the trip, I would prefer for
students to be able to take the tour, and then break up into groups with
chaperones to explore the other areas. This way, students could get as much out
of the trip as possible. Some students may learn better about the site by free
exploration. Other than this, I loved how organized and informative the tour
guides were.
As far as unexpected discoveries, I was unaware that in front of
the visitor’s center, there was the Quadricentenial Plaza which contained a
unique plaque for each state in the United States. Here, each plaque told
visitors the history of their state, whether it was one of the original thirteen
colonies, and dates of exploration. I thought it was really neat to visit the
plaque of my home state, New Jersey, and thought this would also be fun for
students to do before or after the trip. After all, it is located right near the
bus parking area. I also discovered that there was a gift shop full of things I
really really wanted to buy for my future classroom. This place was full of
educational resources, but I resisted because I didn’t know the grade I would
teach in the future, so I didn’t want to gather supplies just yet even though I
was tempted. In the future though, if I were to go on a field trip here, I would
use some of these resources and books in my classroom to better educate
students about Jamestown. They were awesome!
My favorite part of the trip had to be the ships. The museum was
neat, and there was so much to look at, but I’ll be honest and say that without
a guide it got pretty boring. The Powhatan village was interesting, but I think
the ships were my favorite because they’re what’s so symbolic of Jamestown. I
also would always ride by them after taking the ferry, but never stopped to see
them up close. Our tour guide here was dressed like a ship captain back in the
1600’s, and he really knew his stuff! His telling of the voyage was so
descriptive that I felt like I could really see myself on one of the ships back
then, and then we went on board. I can’t imagine living back in those times.
Everything was pretty gross, and even if I didn’t know any better, I’d like to
think I wouldn’t be ok with those conditions. My least favorite part though was
the James Fort. I think this would have been great if they were doing
demonstrations like usual, but they weren’t at this time. Our tour guide was
also the most boring tour guide I’ve ever had, so this didn’t help. I only hope
he’s not one of the tour guides for student groups. This tour didn’t last very
long though, so it wasn’t so bad.
Now that I’ve gone on this field trip, I’m definitely sure it’s a great choice
for students to visit because of the amount of information and Virginia history
available to them in just one place. I feel as though students wouldn’t be bored
because it’s so hand-on, and they would want to come back with their families
because of the excitement. The site really works to ensure the best educational
experiences, has informative tour guides, and will meet the needs of all children
visiting. It really reinforces the curriculum and can make abstract information
concrete for students. Jamestown Settlement is one of those places where it
doesn’t matter the amount of times a person goes, there’s always something knew
to learn, see and explore. Because of this, I’m even more sure it’s a great choice
for a field trip. I know I’m looking forward to going again in the near future.