CSI: Roanoke

One of my favorite historical mysteries is the disappearance of the Roanoke colony. So when we got to our unit on early US settlements, I knew I would have to include a lesson on the "vanishing colony". I found many different CSI: Roanoke classroom investigations, but finally decided on A Meek Cold Case Mystery's version. This version (linked below) isn't as text-heavy as other versions and includes many visuals. Since the majority of my students (~85%) are Multilingual Learners/English Language Learners, this version better suited their needs.

Each student received a copy of the "Roanoke Final Report" with questions to help them analyze each piece of evidence. I had each exhibit placed around the classroom for students to rotate through in small groups.

After they finished analyzing the evidence, we discussed the most popular theories of what happened to the Roanoke colony. Students had to decide which exhibits supported and contradicted each theory. This led to some really great debates!

To complete their reports, each student wrote a paragraph explaining what they believed happened to the colony. They used evidence from the exhibits they analyzed to support their theory.

My students enjoyed investigating the mystery of the Roanoke colony. This was a really fun activity to do and it provided an opportunity for students to practice analyzing documents and crafting argumentative paragraphs.

CSI ROANOKE.pdf

My students loved the "crime scene" (but had no issue pointing out it wasn't historically accurate 😂). It was super easy to decorate and really set the mood for our "investigation". Students knew we would be doing something different even before they came through the door.

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