Viewing time: 11 minutes. Start the video at the scene of Buck's store with a voice-over weather report. Stop this section at the black and white footage of a waterman's house. The voice-over says, "Communities remain small, quaint, and remote."

Buck Rowe, the owner of Rowe General Store on State Route 216 (Guinea Road) in Bena, Virginia, opens the narration. Dave Berry, his top shelf man, assists. They introduce the viewer to the Guinea area. The area is located near Gloucester, Virginia. There is no town named Guinea on the map, although Buck is sometimes called "the Mayor." The area is formed at Guinea Neck by the York, the Perrin, and the Severn Rivers.

No one knows how the area came to be known as Guinea. Some say the name originated with Revolutionary war soldiers who deserted from the British Colonial Army. They preferred to trade with the English gold coin know as the guinea, rather than switch to Yankee dollars.

For over three hundred years the Guineamen have fished the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Many believed that there was no limit to the amont of seafood that could be taken from the waters.

Next, there is footage of the area from 1964. The Chesapeake Bay was known as the richest estuary in the world. Over 3,000 species lived in the Bay. One half of the blue crabs and one-fifth of the oysters eaten in the U. S. came from Virginia waters.

Buck says Guinea has not changed much since he was a boy. Many of the men still make their living by fishing and crabbing. The yearly Guinea Jubilee and Parade celebrates the area's heritage. The watermen still mend their nets by hand. They come up through the ranks, learning the trade from their fathers and grandfathers.

Linda and Ronnie Crewe love their work, in spite of the physical difficulty. Ronnie was born in the area, and Linda moved there when she married Ronnie. She is one of the few women in the area who actually works alongside the men on the water. Linda says the water is "the last free area in all the world."

Tell students they are going to be watching a video about the watermen who live in Guinea. Ask students what they know about Guinea. Have them record their responses individually in the first column of the KWL. Then have them fill in the second (W) column.

Have students complete the Anticipation Guide. Discuss the students' responses, and suggest that they keep the guide until after they have watched the entire video. At that time they can look at the statements again and see how many of their initial guesses were accurate.

Invite any students who have been to the Guinea area to share their experiences and perceptions. Ask students what might be special about people who live in Guinea. Tell them they will be introduced to some of the people who live and work there. Encourage students to listen for information about what the area is like, and what kind of work the people do. Introduce the vocabulary words.

Distribute copies of the Video Note-Taking Form. Explain that the students will individually write brief notes or draw pictures on the left side of the page either during or after watching the video. Suggest that they jot down key terms, names, dates, and any questions they may have. Notes should be taken in sequential order. Show the first section of the video.

Have students work in previously established small groups to extend each other's information. Students may want to take turns reading their individual notes aloud so that other members of the group can add information they may have missed. All new information should be recorded on the right hand side of the Video Note-Taking Form Use the included maps to identify the Guinea area.

Use the Points for Discussion to review the information with the whole class. Then begin creating a post-graphic organizer to summarize the key points from the video. At this point, you may wish to re-play the video tape or continue on with other activities.