The Modern World

Media Guide

Unit Guide

Age of Exploration Notes

Pirate Lecture Notes

Age of Exploration

1. Age of Exploration Walkthru - Basic worksheet analysis maps and timelines from Holt's Early to Medieval Modern Times.

2. Age of Exploration Culture Shock - Mini-activities including an analysis of a dance based on sailing, writing directions without landmarks and finding what is missing from a painting about the time period.

3. Read 'n Think: Columbus - Short reading practice with comprehension questions about Christopher Columbus.

4. Read 'n Think: Drake - Short reading practice with comprehension questions about Sir Francis Drake.

5. Going for the Gold - Reading assignment based on Holt's Medieval to Early Modern Times that compares the achievements of the Spain and Portugal during the Age of Discovery.

6. Maps! - a two-part lab introducing the concept of map analysis to students. In part 1 students analyze individual images and captions from the Catalan Atlas. In part 2 they use those skills to analyze 5 more medieval maps and attempt to order them chronologically. This can serve as an introduction to the difficulties explorers faced in the Age of Discovery. The lab consists of heavy primary source analysis and collaboration making it perfect for Common Core.

7. Did It Happen?: Columbus - A comparison between a secondary source claim and the primary source record relating to it specifically asking if Columbus truly died believing he had found Asia.

Arr! The History of Pirates

1. HA - Inference and Deduction - Students analyze a list of artifacts collected from a skeleton of a sailor to determine how he (or she) ended up dead.

2. Digging for the Truth: The Sunken Ship - Following the clues from the HA above students investigate deeper into the mystery by examining a series of artifacts found in a sunken ship. In this inquiry-based lab students are asked to draw conclusions and provide evidence. It is highly engaging and a perfect fit for the Common Core. Built with plenty of PowerPoint special effects to keep the focus of even those struck hardest with end-of-the-year-itis. This lab is based on a real historical discovery made in 1984 and offers a great chance for students to "be" historians.

3. Articles of Agreement - Students analyze a copy of a pirate's "Articles of Agreement" to determine if the life of a pirate was a thing to be envied. They then use the articles to divide up treasure.

4. Culture Shock: Pirates - A fun and not entirely educational culture shock where students experience (kind of) the life of a pirate. Activities include swabbing the desks, writing poems in pirate language and creating a pirate flag.

5. Pirate Dossiers - a quick look at six historical pirates of the Caribbean. After analyzing their lives students will choose who was the best (well, worst) and consider whether the pirate life truly was as glamorous as Hollywood leads us to believe.