Classroom Outreach
If you can’t visit one of our museums, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation can bring one of our inquiry-based educational programs to your classroom.
Programs allow students to examine reproduction artifacts and primary sources that stimulate learning through historical analysis and critical thinking.
Outreach programs support the Virginia Standards of Learning, and you can supplement classroom lessons with a variety of teaching resources in our Learning Center. Programs are designed for an average class size and last one hour. A minimum of three classes are required to book an outreach program.
We are booking outreach programs and field trips with the understanding that situations at your school or our museums may be impacted by COVID-19 cases across the state and country. If a cancellation is needed, we can either reschedule or work to provide your classroom with a virtual program.
Average price is $2.50 per student.
To book an outreach program, contact Reservations at group.reservations@jyf.virginia.gov, call (757) 253-4939 or (888) 868-7593 toll-free.
Free, donor-funded opportunities are available for Virginia Title I schools. Limited funding is available and teachers are encouraged to secure their session now. To see if your school qualifies, contacts group.reservations@jyf.virginia.gov.
Donor-funded programming made available through a generous donation from the Charles S. & Millicent P. Brown Family Foundation, the Huston Foundation and Mrs. Carolyn T. Condon.
Classroom outreach programs are only available in Virginia. If you’re outside Virginia or visitors are not allowed in your school this year, you can still experience our inquiry-based programs through our Distance Learning offerings.
Powhatan Indians – An Eastern Woodlands People: Explore the lives and society of the Powhatan Indians, an Eastern Woodlands people inhabiting Virginia’s coastal plain long before 1607. Using inquiry methods and reproduction artifacts, explore the Powhatan Indian culture, including roles of different members of its society, government structure and how the Powhatan Indians used natural resources to produce tools, clothing, houses and food.
Designed to meet Virginia SOLs: 2.1, 2.3a, 2.7a, 2.9, 2.10, VS.1; VS.2; VS.3g; VS.4b; USI.1; USI.3b,c; USI.4b.
Jamestown – Early Virginia: Students are carried on a dynamic, inquiry-based exploration of the three cultures that converged at Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America. Using reproduction artifacts and primary sources, students compare and contrast the cultures of the Powhatan (an Eastern Woodlands people), West Central Africans and English who lived in early America during the beginning of the 17th century. Using this knowledge, students can answer why the English traveled across the Atlantic to an unfamiliar land and discover how the convergence of three distinct cultures at Jamestown influenced the start of America.
Designed to meet Virginia SOLs: VS.1; VS.2; VS.3; VS.4; USI.1; USI.2d, USI.3; USI.4, USI.5.
American Revolution – A Movement to Freedom: What was life like for those who fought in the American Revolution? What were the perspectives of the different people living in the colonies at that time – Virginia farm families, artisans, enslaved people and American Indians to name a few? Through inquiry-based exploration of artifacts and primary source documents, students gain a better understanding of the American Revolution and the important roles individuals and groups played in winning independence from England.
Designed to meet Virginia SOLs: VS.1; VS.4, VS.5; USI.1; USI.5; USI.6.
Virginia Then – People, Places and Things: How has Virginia changed over time? In this interactive exploration of early Virginia history, students compare and contrast the beginnings of English colonization at Jamestown through the American Revolution and compare what they learn with the Virginia of today. Special emphasis is placed on natural surroundings, food, shelter and clothing. Students also learn about important people in Virginia’s history, including Powhatan, Pocahontas, Christopher Newport and George Washington.
Designed specifically for grades 1 and 2 to meet Virginia SOLs: 1.1; 1.2; 1.3a,b,c; 1.5a,b; 1.6; 2.1; 2.2.
