Digestible Discoveries: Issue 04 From Swamp to Settlement (Exploring Jamestown)
Homeschool Middle School Unit Study
Format: Open-and-go, DIGITAL format
Duration: 4 weeks / 20 lessons/ 15-30 minutes daily 
Subjects Covered: History, Science, Art, Language Arts
 
Step back in time to 1607 with this homeschool unit study and explore how a swampy stretch of land became America’s first permanent English settlement. From Swamp to Settlement invites students to uncover the challenges, discoveries, and cultural exchanges that shaped Jamestown and the world around it.
 
Through this 4-week unit, learners dive into history, science, art, and language arts with an interdisciplinary approach that connects curiosity to understanding. From navigating stormy seas to surviving harsh winters, from the ecosystems of the Chesapeake Bay to the lives of the Powhatan peoples — each day brings new insight into what it took to build a colony.
 
Students will:
Investigate the science of survival at sea (including hurricanes) and on land 
Explore the ecosystems that sustained (and challenged) early settlers
Create art inspired by Native stories and early forts
Practice persuasive, historical fiction, and letter writing from both colonial and Indigenous perspectives
Examine how leaders, trade, and innovation shaped Jamestown’s legacy
 
By the end, students will earn their Swamp to Settlement Badge, showing mastery of early colonial life and the natural world that surrounded it.
 
Perfect for middle school homeschoolers, this open-and-go unit makes history hands-on, meaningful, and full of discovery.