In Podcast #12 the Virginia Trekkers take you to Roanoke, “Star City of the South,” in the Valley and Ridge region of Virginia. (When we first filmed this video, we thought it was in the Blue Ridge Mountain region... we had a HUGE debate about that, which we won’t go into now, but that’s why it’s wrong in the video).  Since it was winter when we went, (February 2008) we explore the differences between deciduous and evergreen trees.  We also look at ways animals camouflage themselves.  You’ll see how Interstate-81 changed over time, from a game trail to the Great Wagon Road to a present-day highway.  We also meet with the mayor of  Roanoke who tells us how the Scotch-Irish and German settlers arrived in this area and how the railroad played an important part in the growth of this great city....  Come on, let’s go trekkin’! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link).

The Mill Mountain Star over Roanoke is the world’s largest free-standing man-made star!  It is 88 feet tall and weighs 10,000 pounds.  Two thousand feet of neon tubing use 17,500 watts of electricity to light up.  The star can even be different colors. (Image credit)


This is a Google map of Roanoke.  You can zoom in and out with the +/- button in the bottom right.



Here is a 360 view of the Roanoke Star. Click and drag to look around!



Here is a 360 view of the Roanoke Star at night. Take a look around!



This is an old Flash activity about how the road to Roanoke changed over time. We got it to work using Ruffle!


Social Studies

K.2 (2015) The student will recognize that history describes events and people from other times and places by

a) identifying examples of historical events, stories, and legends that describe the development of the local community;


K.3 (2015) The student will sequence events in the past and present and begin to recognize that things change over time.


K.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to recognize Virginia’s earliest communities by

a. identifying examples of historical events, stories, and legends;

b. identifying early communities, changemakers and contributions of leaders, including but not limited to Indigenous tribes, farmers, traders, early settlers minorities, women, and

children;

c. recognizing that places change over time; and

d. identifying people who helped establish and lead the local community over time.


1.13 (2015) The student will understand that the people of Virginia

a) have state and local government officials who are elected by voters;

b) make contributions to their communities;


1.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand Virginia’s history by

b. describing how life in various Virginia communities has changed over time; and

c. identifying local cities or counties on a map of Virginia.


VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

a) locating Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States;

b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;


VS.6 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the role of Virginia in the establishment of the new American nation by

c) explaining the influence of geography and technological advances on the migration of Virginians into other states and western territories in the first half of the 1800s.


VS.8 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the reconstruction of Virginia following the Civil War by

c) describing the importance of railroads, new industries, and the growth of cities to Virginia’s economic development.


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

a. locating Virginia and its bordering states on maps of the United States and North America;

b. locating and describing the relative location and physical characteristics of Virginia's five geographic regions on a map;


VS.4 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand life in the Virginia colony by

b. examining how colonial Virginia reflected the culture of Indigenous Peoples, European (English, Scots-Irish, German) immigrants, and Africans;


VS.6 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the establishment and growth of the new American nation with emphasis on the role of Virginians and events in Virginia during the 18th and 19th centuries by

d. explaining how geographical features and technological advances impacted the western movement in the first half of the 1800s;


VS.9 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to understand the ways in which Virginia became interconnected and diverse by

a. explaining the importance of railroads, waterways, new industries, and the growth of cities to Virginia’s economic development in the late 1800s;


Science

K.10 The student will investigate and understand that change occurs over time. Key ideas include

a) natural and human-made things change over time;

b) living and nonliving things change over time;

c) changes can be observed and measured; and

d) changes may be fast or slow.


3.4 The student will investigate and understand that adaptations allow organisms to satisfy life needs and respond to the environment. Key ideas include

a) populations may adapt over time;

b) adaptations may be behavioral or physical;