First Americans and Age of Exploration Unit

8/2/2019 First Americans and Age of Exploration Unit

1/14

First Americans & Age of Exploration Units

Forests, Trees, and Twigs Explanation

In Teaching What Really Happened(2010), James Loewen suggests putting social studiescontent in three categories:forests, trees, and twigs. Below is a brief explanation of each

category:

Forests: Concepts central to teaching history, Crucial issues in the development of ourcountry, Common threads

Trees: 30-50 teacher-selected concepts to teach, ask yourself: What do I want these

students to remember in 20 years? and What can they do with it?,

Twigs: Non-essential information, Dates, Less significant people, Facts useful for

projects

Here are a few examples:

Forests Trees Twigs

The Constitutions Effect on

Todays Citizens

In 1787, leading men of the time

gathered and created the

Constitution based on their

beliefs and their experiences

under Englands monarchy

George Washington was

the President of the

Constitutional Convention

Multiple Perspectives

The Oklahoma Land Run

displaced many Native

Americans from their own land

The Land Run consisted of

Boomers and Sooners

Documents that Shaped Our

Country

The Declaration of Independence

consisted mostly of grievances

against King George III andParliament

Independence was

approved on July 2, 1776

Following Loewens suggestions, I have developed someforests, trees, and twigs for the

First Americans and Age of Exploration units. I will start with the forests, because they are the

Foundations of teaching history, and they will be common threads throughout these units. This isnot an exhaustive list by any means, but is one that I have found works with upper elementary

students.


2/14

Forests(in no particular order)Challenging Eurocentrism

Multiple PerspectivesNative American and European Interaction

Rise of ExplorationCompetition

Importance of the Written WordHeroic Actions, Not Heroic People

Pursuits of WealthPursuits of Faith

History Books are Not Always Factual

Of course, a forest doesnt exist without trees. Its the same thing with this list. It would be

impossible to teach the above concepts without those trees that make up eachforest. The treesgive students the context needed to understand theforests. Instead of listing the trees here, I will

begin listing the lessons I would recommend teaching. Within each lesson, I will includeforests,

trees, and some twigs. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of twigs possible for each section,

so I will only list some of the most interesting or important ones. I will also provide otherinformation about teaching the lessons.

One way to keep these forests at the front of your students minds is to hang posters for each

(or create a digital version), where trees and twigs can be added to the display throughout theyear. With my files, I have included a sample I created using PowerPoint.

I only chose eleven lessons I felt are the most important. Certainly, this leaves a lot out. The

Social Studies textbook provides more topics to cover, including: the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans;and other Native Americans (which can be taught within these lessons, or while teaching the

regions).

These lessons have worked for me, but I dont mean it to be prescriptive. Whats most

important is that you feel comfortable teaching this material, so adjust as you see fit!

Throughout these lessons I mention files I have. If you would like access to these, please give

me your e-mail address and I will send you an invitation to view the online files. Once you have

access you may download any files you need.


3/14

Lesson 1- The First Americans

Forests

*Challenging Eurocentrism*Multiple Perspectives

*Importance of the Written Word

*Uncovering History*History Books are Not Always Factual

Trees*There is competing evidence about humans arrival in present-day North

America and South America

Twigs

*Some believe people crossed Beringia during the Ice Age as they followedfood sources

*Some believe people came by boat

*Some believe a comet hit earth and shaped human life

Teaching

Idea(s)*Use the First Americans PowerPoint

Resource(s)

*Teaching What Really Happened- Chapter 5

*Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 54-57

*Scott Foresman 4th

Grade Textbook, pg. 39

Time 30 minutes-1 hour

Possible

Assignment(s)

*Have students write about their opinion of how people first came to theAmericas

*Have students enact the different ways people could have come here

*Simulation- pretend your classroom is a new land, leave clues about how

people arrived in this new land, be sure the evidence shows various ways

people could have arrived at this new land

Vocabulary *eurocentrism, ethnocentrism, Beringia, migrate, theory, artifact


4/14

Lesson 2- Cahokia

Forests *Challenging Eurocentrism*Importance of the Written Word

Trees*Native Peoples accomplished great things, including building an empire

around the city of Cahokia, long before Europeans did

Twigs

*Eastern Woodlands Indians probably began building it in around 700A.D.

*The Cahokian economy was based on corn

*Surplus led to ability to build towns

*It was the size of 45 football fields

*Cahokia was probably bigger than London at its peak

*Because they left no written word about Cahokia, we know very little about it

Teaching

Idea(s)

*Cahokia PowerPoint- I used audio from the podcast Cahokia: North

Americas First City? From Stuff You Missed in History Class

*I cut the audio to fit the slides, they are labeled so they are easy to insert tothe PowerPoint

Resource(s)

*Podcast(also on iTunes, just search for it using the title Cahokia: North Americas

First City)

*National Geographic article

*Scott Foresman 5th

Grade Textbook, pgs. 60-61

*Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pg. 277

Time 30 minutes- 45 minutes

Possible

Assignment(s)*Have students design their own empires

Vocabulary *surplus, agriculture, terraced
http://castroller.com/Podcasts/StuffYouMissed/2360239http://castroller.com/Podcasts/StuffYouMissed/2360239http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/cahokia/hodges-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/cahokia/hodges-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/cahokia/hodges-texthttp://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/cahokia/hodges-texthttp://castroller.com/Podcasts/StuffYouMissed/2360239


5/14

Lesson 3- First Documented Explorations

Forests

*Native American and European Interaction

*Rise of Exploration*Importance of the Written Word

*Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People

*Pursuits of Wealth*History Books are Not Always Factual

Trees

*The Vikings, led by Leif Ericsson, were the first known Europeans to reach

and settle upon present-day American land

*A book commonly called The Travels of Marco Polo, inspired futureexplorers

Twigs

*Leif Ericsson and the Vikings landed in present-day Newfoundland around

1000 A.D., they called it Vinland (translated Land of Wine), based on the

abundance of grapes there

*Marco Polo possibly traveled along the Silk Road, he possibly brought

Chinese items back to Europe, he possibly worked very closely with KublaiKhan

*The Travels of Marco Polo was written by Rustichello de Pisa, a well-known

fiction writer of the time; Marco Polo told the stories to him while both

were imprisoned; the tales are highly scrutinized

Teaching

Idea(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th

Grade Textbook, pgs. 110-111 (Vikings), pgs. 102-103

(Marco Polo)

Resource(s) SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-The Vikings,Marco Polo

Time 30 minutes - ????Possible

Assignment(s)

Vocabulary *saga, Silk Road, emporer


6/14

Lesson 4- The Renaissance

Forests*Rise of Exploration

*Importance of the Written Word

Trees

*The Renaissance was a time of tremendous growth in knowledge and skill

pertaining to science, technology, exploration, art, and literature

*Johannes Gutenbergs printing press changed the world, leading to the rapid

expansion of knowledge, facilitating the Renaissance

Twigs*Famous Renaissance people- Shakespeare, da Vinci, Michelangelo,

Gutenberg, Botticelli, Donatello, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Machiavelli

Teaching

Idea(s)

*Have the students prepare biographies and/or presentations about famous

Renaissance people

*Create art inspired by Renaissance artists

*Teach about Michelangelo, let students tape paper on the bottom of their

desks and paint while laying under their desks (similar to Michelangelopainting the Sistine Chapel)

Resource(s)


*Sistine Chapel Virtual Tour(FYI: paintings are religious, and some figures are nude, check with your principal if you have concerns)

Time 30 minutes - ????

Possible

Assignment(s)

Vocabulary *Renaissance, navigation
http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.htmlhttp://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html


7/14

Lesson 5- Portuguese Exploration

Forests

*Rise of Exploration

*Competition*Importance of Written Word

Trees*Prince Henry the Navigator started a school for explorers, helping Portugal

lead the way during the beginning of exploration

Twigs

*Prince Henry opened his school in 1420

*Portuguese explorers were searching for a water route to Asia to make trade

easier, passage over land was difficult and not as profitable as it could

be, boats would make it faster and they could carry more on ships

*Bartolomeu Dias was the first known explorer to sail around the southern tip

of Africa, after a storm blew his ship around the Cape of Storms (now

called the Cape of Good Hope), he and his crew had to return to

Portugal due to the ships damage

*Vasco da Gama was the first known explorer to sail around the southern tip ofAfrica and make it all the way to India

Teaching

Idea(s)

*Pretend your classroom is a ship, play storm sounds, turn the lights off, let the

students rock back and forth as the storm picks up, pretend the storm gets

worse, throw shredded blue paper to represent water they love it and theynever forget the story of Bartolomeu Dias!

Resource(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th


SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-Portuguese Explorers


Time 30 minutes

Possible

Assignment(s)

Vocabulary *navigation,


8/14

Lesson 6- Columbus

Forests

*Challenging Eurocentrism

*Multiple Perspectives*Native American and European Interaction


*Competition*Impact of the Written Word


*Pursuits of Wealth

*Pursuits of Faith*History Books are Not Always Factual

*Uncovering History

Trees

*Columbus did not discover the present-day Americas, but, because of his fourexpeditions, a permanent connection between the present-day Americas and

Europe was forged

*Many experts agree that Columbus died never knowing he reached the New

World (he believed he was in India), but his expeditions inspired other

explorers to travel west as he did

*One reason Columbus is so well known is because he kept a very detailed

journal

Twigs (I dont even know where to begin see the resources section)

Teaching

Idea(s)*See Columbus UnitWord file in Columbus folder

Resource(s)

*See Columbus folder

*Scott Foresman 5th


*Scott Foresman 4th


SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles- Christopher Columbus


Time 1 week

Possible

Assignment(s)*See lesson plans

Vocabulary *Columbian Exchange


9/14

Lesson 7- Spanish Exploration

Forests

*Multiple Perspectives

*Native American and European Interaction*Rise of Exploration

*Competition

*Impact of the Written Word


*Pursuits of Wealth

*Pursuits of Faith

*History Books are Not Always Factual

Trees

*The Spanish explored and claimed most of present-day South America, Latin America, and

the southern United States

*The Spanish explored looking for riches and to spread Christianity

*The Spanish brought horses to present-day N. America, leading to many Native tribes use ofhorse, which impacted their way of life

Twigs*See Famous ExplorersPowerPoint for a brief description of each explorers greatest

accomplishment(s)

Teaching

Idea(s)

*Vasco Nunez de Balboa- He climbed a mountain (with some Native guides) and laid eyes

upon the Pacific Ocean. So, since he ran up something and since his name is Balboa, I alwaysplay Rocky Balboas training montage fromRocky IIwhere Stallone runs the streets of

Philadephia (link below). Along the way I narrate as if he is Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossing

the ocean from Spain. When people join his run, I say they are the Native guides. As he runs

up the stairs, I talk about the mountain he climbed. Finally, when he gets to the top, Vasco

Nunez de Balboa raises his hands in celebration as he looks out upon the Pacific Ocean. Then,

of course, we go outside and re-enact it ourselves.

*For the other Spanish explorers (Cortes, Pizarro, Coronado, Ponce de Leon, and de Soto) I

have the students break into groups and create skits about their famous accomplishments.

Sometimes I video them (see link below).

Resource(s)

*Rocky II training video

*Spanish Explorer skits

*Scott Foresman 5th

Grade Textbook, pgs.134-151

*Scott Foresman 4th

Grade Textbook, pgs. 38-40, 195, 302, 333

SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles- Spanish Explorers, Cortes & Pizarro

Time 3 days - 5 days

Possible

Assignment(s)*Skits

Vocabulary *conquistador, expedition, colony, ally, conquest, convert, mission


10/14

Lesson 8- English Exploration

Forests


*Multiple Perspectives*Native American and European Interaction


*Competition

*Impact of the Written Word*Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People

*Pursuits of Wealth

*Pursuits of Faith

Trees

*English explorers explored much of present-day Canada and the eastern

United States

*English explorers began to attempt to set up colonies

Twigs

*See Famous ExplorersPowerPoint for a brief description of each explorersgreatest accomplishment(s)

*Sir Walter Raleighs Roanoke Colony is known as The Lost Colonybecause all of its inhabitants mysteriously disappeared

Teaching

Idea(s)

Resource(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th


*Scott Foresman 4th


SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-English Explorers


Time 1 day2 days

PossibleAssignment(s)*Write a journal entry as if you were one of the colonists who disappeared ORas someone who arrived to see that the colony had disappeared

Vocabulary *colony,


11/14

Lesson 9- French Exploration

Forests

*Native American and European Interaction

*Rise of Exploration*Competition*Impact of the Written Word


*Pursuits of Wealth*Pursuits of Faith

Trees

*French explorers explored and claimed land in present-day Canada and thenorthern United States

*French explorers learned how to live in colder conditions from the Native

peoples in the area

*The fur trade was very profitable for the French

Twigs*See Famous ExplorersPowerPoint for a brief description of each explorers

greatest accomplishment(s)

Teaching

Idea(s)

Resource(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th



SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-French Explorers


Time 2 days3 days

PossibleAssignment(s)

Vocabulary


12/14

Lesson 10- Other Explorers

Forests


*Native American and European Interaction*Rise of Exploration

*Competition*Impact of the Written Word



Trees

*Henry Hudson, an Englishman, made several expeditions to the New World

for the Dutch. He mapped much of present-day northeast Canada and theUnited States. His name is all over the map today.

*On an expedition, Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci used navigation

(science of exploration) to figure out that Columbus found a New World. Earlymapmakers decided to name the New World after him.

Twigs*See Famous ExplorersPowerPoint for a brief description of each explorers

greatest accomplishment(s)

Teaching

Idea(s)

Resource(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs.165-167

SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-Henry Hudson

Time 1 day2 days

Possible

Assignment(s)

*Debate or Writing Prompt:North American countries have decided toconsider renaming North America. They feel it should be named after someone

from the Americas. You know this is nationalism, but you go along with it.

They have asked your class to determine a new name, or to determine to keep

the current name. These countries are counting on you!Vocabulary *Northwest Passage


13/14

Lesson 11- Introduction to ColonizationWith the new standards, fifth grade teachers will begin where fourth grade leaves off.

Exploration turns into colonization, which is where fifth grade will begin. If fourth graders have

a brief introduction into colonization, then they will be even more prepared for fifth grade Social

Studies.

Forests

*Native American and European Interaction*Competition

*Impact of the Written Word


Trees

*Spanish, Dutch, French, and English people began to settle on the land they explored.

Companies sent settlers to find gold and other riches. Some people escaped their countries for

religious freedom. As these things continued, colonies expanded.

*The Spanish colonized much of the present-day southern United States and Latin America.

*The Dutch colonized present-day New York City

*The English colonized the present-day eastern United States

*The French colonized much of the present-day northern and mid-western United States and

Canada.

Twigs

*St. Augustine, Florida, was the first permanent European colony in the

present-day United States

*Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in the present-day UnitedStates

Teaching

Idea(s)

Resource(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th


*Scott Foresman 4th


Time 1 day2 days

Possible

Assignment(s)*Mystery Island (see folder and files)

Vocabulary *colony, colonist, charter, stock, indentured servant, slave, House of Burgesses


14/14

Age of Exploration Projects and Breakfast

One of the best things about doing the Age of Exploration unit is the Age of Exploration

breakfast, where students dress up as explorers (or other famous people of the time) and presentone of three research projects they do (Wanted Poster, Map, Timeline). We invite familymembers and eat tons offoods indigenous to the explorers home countries. It is a highlight forstudents, families, and teachers. I encourage you to give your students and yourself this

experience.

Please look through theBreakfast and Projectsfolder for every item youll need,including photos of projects and the breakfasts themselves.

If you would like me to send you any of the actual projects let me know and I will sendthem via school mail.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[email protected]
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