John Smith’s Journal

Students examine excerpts from John Smith’s primary source writings to explore perspective, bias, and reliability in historical texts. The worksheet asks learners to analyze how Smith portrays himself, his relationship with the Powhatan people, and his contributions to Jamestown’s success. Through structured questions, students practice identifying author bias and distinguishing between reliable and exaggerated accounts. The final reliability chart helps them apply evidence-based reasoning. This activity builds skills in historical interpretation, textual analysis, and understanding point of view.

Curriculum Matched Skills

Social Studies – Primary Source Analysis

English Language Arts – Reading Informational Texts

History – Evaluating Historical Perspectives and Bias

Critical Thinking – Evidence-Based Reasoning

This worksheet is part of our Jamestown Settlement collection.