Teacher's Guide for Cobblestone: Chesapeake Bay

THE VIEW FROM THE CROW'S NEST (page 4)

1. Where did we get the name Chesapeake, and what does it mean?
2. What is a bay?
3. Why has the Chesapeake Bay been an important part of our country?

1. Describe the geographic features of the Chesapeake Bay.
2. What was the first English settlement in the Bay region?
3. What Indian tribes inhabited this region before white settlement?
4. When did the first English settlers arrive? How did the Native Americans help them?
5. Describe the events in the fall of 1781 that led to the end of the American Revolution.
6. What inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became our national anthem?
7. Discuss the history of the Baltimore clipper ship.
8. What are some of the important industries of the Chesapeake Bay area?
9. If you took a tour of this region, what points of interest would you try to see?
10. How did Captain John Smith describe the Chesapeake Bay when he first saw it?

1. When was Baltimore founded? How has its location made it an important port city?
2. Name two firsts for this city that helped commerce to grow.
3. Why is Baltimore considered one of the United States' most important ports?

1. What were the original goals of the Virginia Company? Was the company successful in achieving them?
2. What did the Virginia Company accomplish?
3. What were the three ships of the Virginia Company? How long were they at sea?
4. Describe the location Captain John Smith picked for Jamestown.
5. Describe the conditions faced by the early settlers. How many died in the first four months?
6. How important was Smith's leadership to the colony?
7. What disagreement did Smith have with the London stockholders, and what was the result?
8. Describe the winter of 1609 - 10.
9. What changed the colonists' minds about returning to England?
10. What did the colony begin to export?
11. How was tobacco planting introduced to the colony?
12. The article states that the price of settling Jamestown was high. Describe what this price was.

1. What was the English attitude toward the Indians?
2. How many Native Americans lived near the Chesapeake Bay in 1607? What groups made up the Algonquin confederacy?
3. How did John Smith describe the native way of life? What about them did he admire?
4. What was the "Married Peace," and how long did it last?
5. What happened in 1622 to change the Virginia Company's policy toward the Indians?
6. What was the outcome of the war with Chief Opechancanough? When did it end?

1 Why was Smith arrested and placed under guard? Why was he reinstated on the ruling council?
2. What steps did he take to organize the colony?
3. Who convinced Chief Powhatan to release Smith after his capture?
4. What was the original goal of Smith's explorations? Was he successful? If not, what did he accomplish?
5. Why did Smith return to England?
6. What was his vision for America?

1. What decision did Lord Charles Cornwallis make in the spring of 1781? What area did Cornwallis occupy?
2. Why did George Washington decide to move his troops south from their position near New York City?
3. What French general stood alone against Cornwallis?
4. Describe how the Comte de Grasse trapped Cornwallis in Virginia.
5. Why was Cornwallis still confident of victory?
6. What forces came to join the Marquis de Lafayette and Anthony Wayne? Describe in detail how these allies defeated Cornwallis.
7. When did Cornwallis surrender?
8. To whom did Washington feel he owed the victory?

1. Describe the events leading up to Francis Scott Key's being detained on a prisoner-exchange boat.
2. What war was the United States involved in?
3. What British naval bombardment did Key observe? When did this take place?
4. What sight inspired the writing of the poem? What was the poem first titled?
5. When did "The Star Spangled Banner" become the official national anthem?
6. How does the nation honor Key?

1. Describe Admiral George Cockburn's actions on the Chesapeake Bay.
2. What was Cockburn, Admiral Alexander Cochrane, and Major General Robert Ross's plan for the attack on Washington? What was the result?
3. What prevented them from taking Baltimore? Why was this considered a turning point in the war?

1. Who discovered Hudson Bay, and where is it located?
2. Where is the Bay of Bengal?
3. Where did the Normandy invasion take place?
4. Where is Botany Bay? With what is it often associated?

1. Why had President Abraham Lincoln ordered a blockade?
2. What were the changes the Confederates made to the Union frigate Merrimack?
3. Who did President Lincoln commission to build the Monitor? Describe the ship.
4. Describe the engagement between the Merrimack (renamed the Virginia) and the Cumberland.
5. What happened when the Virginia attacked the Congress?
6. Imagine that you were one of the spectators along the shore. Write a letter to a friend describing in detail the battle between the Monitor and the Virginia.
7. This battle signaled the end of what era?

Try your hand at this puzzle to test your knowledge of the Chesapeake Bay.

1. Describe the conflict between the Maryland and Virginia oystermen.
2. The Potomac River Compact brought an end to the oyster war. Describe how it brought this about.

Imagine that you accompanied these children on their steamboat adventure. Keep your own diary accounts of at least three things that impressed you.

1. What breed of dog was the forerunner of the Chesapeake Bay retriever?
2. With what other breeds were these original dogs bred to create the Chesapeake Bay retriever?
3. What were some of the advantages of the "Chessie" over other retrievers?
4. Why did the golden retriever and the Labrador retriever begin to replace the Chesapeake Bay retriever?

Test your knowledge with this quiz.

British Loyalists in the Revolutionary Era (August 1987),
An Introduction to the War of 1812 (January 1988),
The Seafaring Life (April 1988),
The People of Williamsburg (February 1990),
George Washington (April 1992),
Jamestown (April 1994),
Abraham Lincoln (May 1994),
Indians of the Northeast Coast (November 1994).

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Updated: 5/21/13 06:30 am
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