http://www.teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?

video_id=213962

This is a video clip from TeacherTube about one possible theory for the Lost Colony of Roanoke. In 1587 a group of 115 English settlers arrived at Roanoke Island and established a colony there. The colonists arrived too late in the year to plant crops for food, had inadequate provisions for winter, and had a military officer in charge. Hostilities broke out between the colonists when the militia commander killed a native chief over a trivial item, namely a cup. John White the Governor of the colony went back to England to seek help for the colony. In 1590 he returned to find that the houses had been torn down, there were no trace of bodies, and only a barricade remained out of all the structures. White was delayed in his trip back to the colony due to hostilities between Spain and England. He returned only to find the word "Croatoan" carved into a post. His daughter and granddaughter Virginia Dare ( the first English child born in the New World) were among the missing colonists.

I would use this clip as a history topic due to the fact that this mystery is still being researched by historians today. There are many theories regarding the disappearance of the colonists with hostilities between the English and natives being considered most probable. As a student I have had lessons that touched on this mystery from grades 2nd through 5th and I think these grade levels would be most appropriate. Students in 1st grade might be too young while middle school students should already know about early colonial America. I've actually been to the site that this colony was located at and have written several essays about it. In my opinion I think the settlers lost a war with the natives and the survivors were integrated into the tribe they fought. Researchers are performing genome testing to prove or disprove this theory currently.