Chesapeake Colonies

Consider the perspective of settlers in the Chesapeake Colonies in this creative worksheet! The Chesapeake Colonies contained parts of the present-day Chesapeake Bay area, including what is now Virginia and Massachusetts. But what did it take to get people there? Students will be asked to imagine they are a settler in the Chesapeake Colonies who is trying to convince a friend in the Middle Colonies to move to Chesapeake. They'll write a letter with their strongest arguments, thinking about what factors drew people to Chesapeake.

This worksheet is a perfect creative social studies exercise for fifth graders! Students will draw on general skills such as constructing an argument and supporting their opinion with examples. They'll also use their knowledge of Colonial America to think of historically accurate reasons to move to Chesapeake. 

Check out more resources on Colonial America here: Reading a Timeline: Early Colonial America and Imagine Being There: The Wampanoag Meet the Pilgrims.