Blood on the River: Jamestown 1607

By: Elisa Carbone

Carbone, E. L. (2006). Blood on the river: James Town 1607. New York: Viking.

Reading Level: Lexile 820

James Town 1607, the real story of Captain Smith and Pocahontas and John Ratcliff, Colonial Life, Adventure, Trade with the Indians

Summary:
This book captures the life of the first colonists at James Town and at Point Comfort. The story is told  first hand by young Samuel Collier. Samuel shares with us his adventure to  Jamestown as he travels on the Susan Constant as well as life in Jamestown. It also shows how Samuel grows as a person and realizes that he cannot be alone. He learns to really appreciate the friendship and people he has met. Captain Smith plays a large role in this book by leading the new settlement as well as teaching Samuel that everyone needs to work as a team. Samuel and Captain Smith's experience with trade and interaction with the Indian tribes gives a vivid image of the life of Indians as well as their relationship with the European settlers.

Suggested Delivery: Each student in the class reads this book independently

Electronic Resources:
Jamestown Online Adventure

This resource is interactive. It asks questions as if you were a settler and gives you choices on where you would settle and what you would do in certain situations. Then it tells you the outcome of your survival. This can be used during this book. When this is used during the students can answer the questions as what they predict will happen to the settlers.

Kid Info

This resource can be used after the students have read the book in order to learn more about the village life and the life of the Powhatan Indians which are portrayed  in this book. It also has very detailed and realistic pictures. 

Key Vocabulary

This is a list of vocabulary which will nee to be addressed by the Teacher before reading the book for better understanding of the book.

New World

Pawn Shop

Massacred

Rigging

Hull

Wingapo

Compulsion

Duel

starvation

bargain

copper

hatchet

trade

sickness that the Europeans brought to the New World

necut, ningh, nuss

Reading Strategy for Before and After Reading

Create 3 KWL charts on the board about the settlers in Virginia, life on the Susan Constant, and what European brought to new world.

Writing Activity which focuses on Inferential Comprehension

Have the students write the letter to a character in the book. Having the students ask questions and infer information from the text as they write to a character.

Recommended by my 12 year old sister Erin