Roanoke Letter

1. Read p. 128-129 in your social studies textbook very carefully.

2. Brainstorm: Jot down the "clues" left behind.  You should find at least 3 clues.

3. Draft: Pretend you are one of the settlers left behind when John White went back to England to get provisions for the Roanoke colony. You may use a name of one of the settlers, or make up a reasonable name.  You can pretend to be one of his family members that was left behind, or an unrelated colonist.  Write a letter to John White. Use first-person point-of-view. Tell him what really happened to you and the others who were left behind.  Include an explanation of the "clues" that were left behind. (Do more than just list the clues; explain who left them and what they were supposed to mean.)

4. Revise/Edit: Have an adult (in high school or older) review your draft with you. Make sure you have followed all directions, described completely, and used correct English. This should be in letter format. Mark any changes needed, and have the adult SIGN at the top of your draft.

5. Final Copy: Hand-write (print or cursive) your letter to John White.  Use black pen.  If you want to be creative, you may cut a paper bag to the same size as loose-leaf paper, or use other "parchment" colored papers.  Wrinkling and minor tearing that are artistic without making your letter difficult to read are also allowed.

Scoring Rubric:

(5) Pretend you are one of the settlers left behind when John White went back to England to get provisions for the Roanoke colony. You may use a name of one of the settlers, or make up a reasonable name.  You can pretend to be one of his family members that was left behind, or an unrelated colonist.

(10) Write a letter to John White.   Use correct letter format.

(5) Use first-person point-of-view.

(5) Tell him what really happened to you and the others who were left behind.

(10) Include an explanation of at least three "clues" that were left behind. (Do more than just list the clues; explain who left them and what they were supposed to mean.)

(3) Have an adult (in high school or older) review your draft with you, and have the adult SIGN at the top of your draft.

(5) Hand-write (print or cursive) your letter to John White.

(2) Use black pen.

(optional) If you want to be creative, you may cut a paper bag to the same size as loose-leaf paper, or use other "parchment" colored papers.  Wrinkling and minor tearing that are artistic without making your letter difficult to read are also allowed.

____/40 points _____%