Roanoke Colonies Research Newsletter
Volume 7, Numbers 1 & 2 (November 1999/ May 2000)

Roanoke-Related Web Sites for Children and Young Adults
by Sara Davis, East Carolina University

The Internet offers a variety of websites concerning the Roanoke colonies and more especially the “Lost Colony.” Although many of them are geared toward an adult audience, there are a number of websites that were created specifically for young children and students. The websites, created by schools, education companies, and public service organizations, offer everything from interactive games to simple paragraphs about Roanoke colonization.

For young children who are not of reading age (or internet age!) there is a website, “Petey and Tazz,” that offers several children’s books in which the main characters, Petey and Tazz, explore the history of Coastal America. One of their adventures unravels the mystery surrounding the “Lost Colony.” Books are available for purchase over the internet.

Information on Roanoke colonization for elementary-aged children, their parents, and their teachers can be found at Education Place, presented by Houghton Mifflin. The web page entitled “The Lost Colony—New Clues Roanoke Island, North Carolina, April 1998” provides an easy-to-understand article about new clues that have been discovered about the colony; more specifically, it discusses tree rings and how the rings suggest a serious drought during the colony’s existence.

For upper elementary children, “A History Mystery” is the perfect website. It is an interactive website so it may hold the attention of children far better than the other websites on the “Lost Colony.” In this website, a time traveler named Sparky assists children in solving the history mystery of “Where did the ‘Lost Colony’ go?”
The informational categories include: “History n’ Mystery,” “Moments in Time,” “Interesting Places,” “Important People,” “Mysteries Theories,” and “More References.” The site also includes some hyperlinks to other sites. As it offers a massive amount of information, it could also be utilized by older (junior high and even high school) students who are doing research on the ‘Lost Colony.’

For elementary students and their teachers, “The Finding of Roanoke” is good. It was created by Germantown Academy located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. The website includes the enjoyable recounting of the Lost Colony of Roanoke as presented by a precocious fourth grader named Kerry! It is wonderful for all elementary-aged students. Colorful and easy to understand, it gives the basics about the colony and key figures involved in its establishment. It also includes a picture of the colony done by the author herself. In addition, this website offers a curriculum about researching historical topics for other teachers to browse and copy for their own use.

Another website for upper-elementary students is entitled “Discovery of the Original Thirteen Colonies.” It offers a brief and easy-to-understand article about the “Lost Colony” written by several fifth graders. The website offers a lot of information on the English colonies in general but only a brief account of the “Lost Colony.”

Yet another web page for elementary students is “The First English Colony.” It provides a rather extensive history of colonization and exploration by the Europeans in the Americas. The print is LARGE and the words should be understandable for upper elementary students, although younger students may have difficulty understanding some of the language.

For the junior high reading level, refer to the “Lost Colony,” found on a website hosted by Global School House. This particular web page was compiled by Hunt- Mapp Middle School in Portsmouth, Virginia; it offers easy to understand paragraphs about Jamestown, the Lost Colony of Roanoke, and Virginia. There is not a lot of information, but it could be a good starting point for research.

Junior high students and their teachers can find information at “Roanoke (The Lost Colony).” This web page was created by Mr. Hopkins, an eighth grade teacher at Woodrow Wilson School in Terre Haute, Indiana. It offers typical “textbook” information on the “Lost Colony” and the harsh lessons the colonists learned. Following the information are questions for students to answer. This would be perfect for teachers who are planning daily lesson plans on the “Lost Colony.” Easy to download, the site saves time and energy.

For junior high and high school students that are researching the “Lost Colony,” “The First Settlement of Roanoke” is ideal. It offers fifty-three informational links on a variety of topics, including “Roanoke Colonies,” “Native Americans Present during the Settlement of Roanoke,” “People Important to the Roanoke Colony,” “Roanoke Forts,” “Recent Facts and Information about Roanoke,” and “Other Colonial Pages.” Beyond those links that have specific information about Roanoke, this site also provides links

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