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Year 8

English settlement at Roanoke

I can explain why the first colonies under Elizabeth failed.

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New
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Year 8

English settlement at Roanoke

I can explain why the first colonies under Elizabeth failed.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. American colonies were a great source of wealth for the Spanish who founded gold and silver mines.
  2. Sir Walter Raleigh tried to persuade Elizabeth I in growing an empire to be able to compete with the Spanish.
  3. Elizabeth gave permission for colonies in North America such as Roanoke, Virginia.
  4. Poor relations between colonists and Native Americans contributed to Roanoke's failure.
  5. The colony of Roanoke disappeared and to this day historians do not know exactly what happened.

Keywords

  • Colonisation - colonisation is the process of taking control over another country

  • Courtier - a courtier is an advisor or companion to the king or queen

  • Rivalry - a rivalry is a situation in which two or more people or groups compete with one another

  • Colony - a colony is a country or area under the control of another country and occupied by settlers from that country

  • Spanish Armada - the Spanish Armada was a large group of warships sent by Spain to try and invade England in 1588

Common misconception

Pupils think that England was a comparable colonial power to Spain in the 16th century.

English colonisation attempts began much later than Spain’s, and occurred on a much smaller-scale with less government involvement.


To help you plan your year 8 history lesson on: English settlement at Roanoke, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Students could be asked to add extra detail about the events they plotted in the timeline activity (B) or even consider what might have linked some of the events together (i.e. the Armada and disappearance of colonists at Roanoke).
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Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
supervision-level

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Identify the correct definition of a colony.
a country or area with migrants from other countries
a country or area which trades with other countries
Correct answer: a country or area which is controlled by another country
a country or area which is isolated from other countries
Q2.
True or false? Carracks and caravels were new technologies which assisted European exploration of the world in the 15th century.
Correct answer: True
False
Q3.
What was the leading cause of death for Native Americans in the 16th century?
conflict with Europeans
mistreatment by Europeans
Correct answer: diseases from Europeans
Q4.
Write the missing word. The was a time of change in European religion, as Christianity split.
Correct Answer: Reformation, reformation
Q5.
Write the missing word. Relations between Spain and England grew worse in the 16th century after England became a country.
Correct Answer: Protestant, protestant
Q6.
Identify the example which best demonstrates that Europeans mistreated Native Americans to make money.
Europeans tended to call Native Americans 'Indians'.
Spain punished some Native Americans for rejecting Christianity.
European diseases killed millions of Native Americans.
Correct answer: Spain forced Native Americans to work in silver mines.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the key words with the correct definition.
Correct Answer:colonisation,process of taking control over another country
tick

process of taking control over another country

Correct Answer:colony,country or area under the control of another country
tick

country or area under the control of another country

Correct Answer:settler,people who move to new places and set up new communities
tick

people who move to new places and set up new communities

Correct Answer:courtier,advisors or companions to the king or queen
tick

advisors or companions to the king or queen

Q2.
True or false? The English colony at Roanoke was founded in an area without a local indigenous population.
True
Correct answer: False
Q3.
Who organised and funded the English attempts to establish a colony at Roanoke?
Queen Elizabeth I
Correct answer: Sir Walter Raleigh
English Parliament
King Phillip II
Q4.
Write the missing word. England hoped to find gold in Roanoke to help it compete with in Europe.
Correct Answer: Spain, spain
Q5.
Identify the two examples of bad timing contributing to the failure of England's colony at Roanoke.
some settlers suffered from diseases
Correct answer: settlers arrived too late to plant seeds
many settlers had little farming experience
Correct answer: supply ships were held back during the Spanish Armada
Q6.
Sort the events into chronological order.
1 - first English colony at Roanoke founded
2 - settlers fought with the Secotan nation
3 - Roanoke abandoned by colonists
4 - second colony established
5 - Spanish Armada threatens England
6 - all settlers disappear from Roanoke

Additional material

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