Download Explorers Lessons

Explorers
Miss Timberlake
Why Explore?!
Jot a list of reasons why you think Europeans wanted to explore the world.
Learning Objective
• By the end of the lesson you will be able to explain the political, economic,
and technological factors that led to exploration.
3 Reasons Europeans Explored
• 1. Economic
• 2. Political
• 3. Technological
Economic Motivations
• Define “economic”
• People wanted to make MONEY! $
Economic Motivators Continued
• International trade was a big motivator to explore
• People brought spices (think salt, pepper, oregano) from Asia to Europe in order to
make money
• There are “middle men” in a trade.
• Think about it: Farmers grow food, farmers sell the food to grocery stores, grocery stores
sell it to people.
• Who makes money?! The farmers AND the grocery stores. Food would be cheaper if we
bought STRAIGHT from farmers!
• Explorers recognized that they wouldn’t have to pay the “middle man” if they could
have a route to Asia to get the spices from them
• They also wanted to find gold, silver, and furs
Portugal
• Portugal was the first to get to Asia by water routes
• Their leader was Prince Henry
• Spain didn’t want to be behind Portugal so they sent Christopher Columbus
to find a route
Political Motivations
• Each country wanted to be the strongest
• More land = More power!
• England wanted to be the most powerful so they sent explorers out to create
colonies.
• England became the most powerful country a few hundred years later
“The sun never sets on the British Empire”
Technology Motivators
• Shipbuilding was getting better
• Caravel—a smaller and faster ship
with triangular sails that could sail into
the wind
Technology Motivators
• Navigation improved so people could go farther out to sea
• Astrolabe—a tool that help the explorers read stars so they knew where they were
• Cartography—map making skills improved
Explorers
Learning Objective
• You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings,
Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.
Lesson 2: Leif Eriksson
Read Aloud
• Who were the Vikings? By Jane Chisolm
Leif Eriksson
Leif Eriksson
• Viking from Greenland
• Sailed the northern Atlantic Ocean and settled in North America
• He called North America “Vinland”
So why doesn’t Leif get credit for discovering
North America?
• Vikings were very aggressive!
• They did not get along with Europeans so they couldn’t share their discovery
Leif Eriksson vs. Christopher Columbus
• http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/columbus-day/videos/leiferickson-vs-christopher-columbus
Notebook Activity
Vikings Close Read
Close Read Questions for Notebook
Write the answers to your passage questions in your notebook
Learning Objective
• You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings,
Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.
Lesson 3: Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
• Columbus sailed for Spain looking for a faster route to the Spice Islands
• Columbus sailed WEST because he thought the world was small enough that
he could reach the Far East by sailing west
• He was not successful in finding the Far East. Instead, he discovered San
Salvador
• This was a gateway for Spanish settlements in North and South America
Christopher Columbus Article
Christopher Columbus Video
• http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus
Notebook Activity
Learning Objective
• You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings,
Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.
Lesson 4: Spanish Conquistadors Ferdinand Magellan and
Hernando de Soto
Ferdinand Magellan
• He was from Spain
• He was the first to sail around the world! Proved the world was round
• Magellan died before the journey was complete, but he claimed more lands
for Spain
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y94s85-Crew
More Spanish Conquistadors
• Hernando de Soto was Spanish. He explored the Southeastern United States
and claimed land for Spain
Notebook Activity
Learning Objective
• You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings,
Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.
Lesson 5: John Cabot
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John Cabot sailed for England
He was also trying to find a faster route to the Indies
He copied Columbus and started by sailing West
He thought there was a “Northwest Passage” that linked the Atlantic and Pacific
• There is no such passage
• He was also unsuccessful but claimed the coast of North America
• He called it “Virginia” and “New England”
John Cabot Video
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJOvmicAGjw
Notebook Activity
Learning Objective
• You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings,
Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.
Lesson 6: Henry Hudson
• Henry Hudson sailed for both the Netherlands and England
• He also tried to find the “Northwest Passage”
• He claimed what is now New York for the Dutch and parts of Canada for
the English
• New York used to be called “New Netherlands” and “New Amsterdam”
• The Hudson River and the Hudson Bay are named after Henry Hudson
• http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/henry-hudson/videos
Notebook Activity
Learning Objective
• You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings,
Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.
Lesson 7: Robert LaSalle
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Robert LaSalle explored for France.
He explored the Mississippi River
He named the area he explored Louisiana
The French claimed this area as
“New France”
Notebook Activity
Explorers Project
• Lesson Time:
• 3- 40 minute class periods (One period to conduct the research, one period to sketch pictures and
complete the story board, one period to create the Photostory)
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Materials Needed:
Building a Nation Social Studies textbook
Nonfiction books on explorers
Blank copy of the storyboard
Computers with Photostory
Teaching the Lesson
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Day 1:
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Students will research their explorer and find the answer to the following questions:
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Who did the explorer sail for (what country)?
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What was the explorer’s motivation (why did he explore)?
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When did he explore (years of expedition)?
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What did he accomplish (what did he find/what did he claim)?
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Find out two interesting facts about him as an explorer or his expedition.
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Day 2:
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Students will complete the story board. Students will write the text for each slide on the lines of the storyboard. The text for each slide should not exceed three
lines. Students will also sketch a picture to go with each slide. A picture will go in each box and students can determine the order of the illustrations.
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Day 3:
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Students will begin working on the Photostory. Students need to first find three pictures, one to use on each slide. The illustrations should include: one of the
explorer, a map of the route and a picture of their choice that relates to the explorer or the expedition. After the picture has been imported, students will type
the text for each slide. Upon completion of the pictures and text, students will narrate by reading the text.
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Day 4
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Students will be grouped into three groups to share their Photostory. While each student presents, other students will record information about the explorer in
their “Explorer’s Handbook.” The “Explorer’s Handbook” will be created by folding two pieces of construction paper and stapling it to create a section on each
explorer. A map of each explorer’s map will be glued in each section and there will be space for notes to be recorded.
Explorers Game