Objective: We will use VR to take students into a virtual landscape (colonial Jamestown) of early settlement (rivers, mountains, winds) and have them identify features, explain how the geography influenced settlement decisions. After VR exploration, students could gather evidence from the virtual world (maps, settlements, resources), discuss “why did this community succeed/fail?”, write or present conclusions.

Directions: 

1. Introduction (10-15 minutes)

• Review the standard 5-D.7: talk about how physical features (rivers, mountains, forests) impacted settlement.

• Introduce the VR experience: explain how they will “enter” a settlement environment, observe, and record how geography influenced what happened.
  
  

2. VR Exploration (25 minutes)

• Students put on headsets and explore the historical scenario. While in VR, students focus on:

  • identifying geographic/physical features (rivers, harbors, mountains, forests)

  • noting how these features might support or hinder settlement

  • observing any visible settlement/resource decisions (where buildings are placed, how transport/roads might exist)

3.  Whole Group Discussion (15 minutes)

• Bring class back together: ask students to share what features they observed and how they think these features influenced settlement or migration.

• Pose guiding questions: “If the settlement had been on the other side of the river, how might things be different? What about if there was no forest nearby?”

Guidelines: VR set (e.g., headset + compatible software) that presents a historical scenario of colonial Jamestown. A worksheet or digital document for students to record observations: geography features, resource access, settlement decisions, cause/effect. Map of the region (physical/digital) for orientation