Colonial Williamsburg

Teachers can adapt the following ideas to suit their classrooms.

• Before you leave, have students make a list of the pictures they want to take.
  
• Have students bring the list, checking the photos off as they are taken.
  
• Have students record the photos they take on a separate sheet of paper, taking notes that will remind them of the importance of the picture.
• For example: Photo #1 - tar and feathers liberty pole - in front of the King's Arms Tavern - a subtle hint….
  
• When the photos are developed, have students paste them in a journal and appropriately decorate the pages using stickers, drawings, appropriate phrases, etc.
  
• Have students write a brief caption for each photo, using the notes they took during the visit.
  
• Make sure students include a variety of photos (homes, taverns, trade areas, green. areas, animals, costumed interpreters, signs, gardens, patriots, loyalists, etc.)
  
• For photos of people, make sure students include the person's level of society (gentry, middling sort, lower sort, slaves)
  
• Postcards may be substituted for photographs.
  
• If students are given time to work on journals after the tours, they will need colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors, etc.
• Encourage students to bring individual supplies in zip-lock baggies.

• After touring Colonial Williamsburg, be sure to include time for debriefing the students. This time is always well-spent and allows students time to share their impressions, ideas, and questions.
  
• Debriefing time may be as short as 10 minutes!
  
• If time and space allow, chart paper and/or graphic organizers may be used during class discussions.
  
• Encourage all students to share their thoughts.
  
• If students are keeping journals, debriefing time will give them ideas to include in their journals.

• Students should purchase appropriate journals prior to arriving to Colonial Williamsburg.
  
• If possible, invite a parent or expert in scrapbook-making to visit the classroom to share their expertise in creating eye-appealing scrapbooks. Ideas he/she may share include ways to write captions, add artwork, cut out clip art, create lettering, use outlining, etc.
  
• Each student should bring colored pencils/markers, a glue stick, blunt or decorative scissors, etc. in a zip-lock baggy to use while working in their journals.
  
• After each day of touring and debriefing, allow students time to work in their journals. Encourage them to be creative and include a variety of materials. For example, students may paste postcards, brochures, and photos in the journals, or they may draw freehanded sketches. Pictures may be cut from brochures, bags, etc. Graphic organizers such as Venn diagrams and T-charts may be utilized, or students may wish to write brief summaries. Slogans and phrases can be written on pages. The journals may be divided a variety of ways. Some examples include "Each Day's Activities," "Patriots vs. Loyalists," "Levels of Society," "Sections of Town," etc.
  
• Students may need to save space on pages for photographs, or they may wish to have a photo section in the back of the journal for photos.
  
• Give students a few extra days to complete journals at home. Set an assigned day to bring journals to school so they can be shared with the class. Pass the journals around, and allow students to read and enjoy each one.
  
• Journals may be displayed for parents, faculty, and other grade levels to enjoy. The media center and office area are great places to display journals, so they can be shared with visitors.

• Distribute journals at interval times during the visit. After a section or topic has been covered, find a place to sit, pass out journals and pencils, and let students write for 5-10 minutes about the information just learned. Collect the journals and pencils before moving on to the next section.