VS.2 Overview


Virginia: The Land and Its First Inhabitants

The student will demonstrate knowledge of the physical geography and native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

1. locating Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States;
   
   
2. locating and describing Virginia's Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;
   
   
3. locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, and Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp);
   
   
4. locating three American Indian language groups (the Algonquian, the Siouan, and the Iroquoian) on a map of Virginia;
   
   
5. describing how American Indians related to the climate and their environment to secure food, clothing, and shelter;
   
   
6. describing how archaeologists have recovered new material evidence through sites including Werowocomoco and Jamestown;
   
   
7. identifying and locating the current state-recognized tribes.
   
   

NOTE: The Virginia Board of Education adopted the revised 2008 History and Social Science Standards of Learning at the January 10, 2008, meeting. Full implementation of these documents is scheduled for the 2010-2011 school year, as outlined in Superintendent’s Memorandum Informational Number 49.

LITERATURE RESOURCES

Fradin, Dennis B.
From Sea to Shining Sea: Virginia. Chicago: Children's Press, 1993.
This richly illustrated book is an introduction to the history and geography of Virginia. The regions of Virginia are presented in great detail in this book.

Petty, Kate and Jennie Maizels.
The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book. Dutton, 2000.
This geography book pops up, spins, and reveals the world's secrets in all its three-dimensional glory. Geographic features of Virginia can be reviewed in this engaging book.

TEACHER BACKGROUND RESOURCES

WEB SITES

• http://www.vahistorical.org/storyofvirginia.htm
  The Virginia Historical Society created this Web site based on its long-term exhibition, The Story of Virginia: An American Experience. The site features ten easy-to-read, detailed chapters on Virginia history from prehistoric times to the present. Additional enhancements, such as 100 downloadable images of artifacts, photographs, paintings, and documents from the collections, Standards of Learning references, chapter outlines, and suggested classroom activities, make this a comprehensive Web site on Virginia history. The site is completely searchable and includes numerous links to other resources on the Web. The Story of Virginia-Online provides teachers, students, scholars, and history enthusiasts with a complete resource for projects, research, and classroom instruction.
  
  
• http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/index.html
  Mapping Virginia is the title of this site that provides many geographically diverse past and present maps of Virginia.