What to Read/Watch
What is Colonial Williamsburg?
The following videos will give you some insight into Colonial Williamsburg, Williamsburg's role in the American Revolution, and the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. The three videos together take about 7 minutes to view.
Tour the Town
The Revolutionary City, our historic area, is a mile long and half a mile wide. It contains over 88 original buildings! With so many exhibition sites and buildings there is no way we can see everything during your visit. All of our programs include some time to explore the historic area, but Tour the Town gives you an opportunity to acquaint yourself with our city virtually: http://www.history.org/almanack/tourTheTown/index.cfm
- Find the Brickhouse Tavern on the Duke of Gloucester Street. This is where many of our teachers stay and will be our meeting place on the first night.
- In the top-right corner of the "Tour the Town" screen, select "Take a Tour" and then "Trades." This virtual tour provides an excellent overview of the historic trades practiced and preserved here at Colonial Williamsburg. This will also help you prioritize which trades you want to visit during your exploration time.
- Select 3 sites of interest to you. We will discuss the following questions after you visit those sites while in Williamsburg:
- What is the most interesting thing you learned about this site?
- What is one question you have for the people at that site when you visit Williamsburg?
- How might you incorporate them into a lesson?
The Idea of America
During your time here we will explore the Idea of America. This video will introduce you to the great debate and the value tensions we will use to stimulate discussion throughout the session. The video is just over 5 minutes in length. http://www.history.org/history/teaching/ideaofamerica/index.cfm
For ease of reference, we have also provided handy PDF files on The Great Debate and Value Tensions information.