Name: Matthew Stran

Lesson Title: #3 Explorers, Trade Routes, and Discoveries.

Unit of Study: Exploration, Interaction, and the New World Economy

Objectives:

TSWBAT:

- Identify 3 major European explorers and their discoveries.

- Define the role of Scarcity in a Mercantilistic World Economy.

- Produce a visual representation (Wordle) highlighting the key concepts of

exploration in lessons 1-3.

North Carolina Essential Standards:

WH.H.4.4: Analyze the effects of increased global trade on the interactions between

nations in Europe, Southwest Asia, the Americas and Africa (e.g., exploration,

mercantilism, inflation, rise of capitalism, etc.).

WH.H.5.1: Explain how and why the motivations for exploration and conquest resulted

in increased global interactions, differing patterns of trade, colonization, and conflict

among nations (e.g., religious and political motives, adventure, economic investment,

Columbian exchange, commercial revolution, conquistador destruction of Aztec and

Incan civilizations, Triangular Trade, Middle Passage, trading outposts, plantation

colonies, rise of capitalism, etc.).

WH.H.5.4: Analyze the role of investment in global exploration in terms of its

implications for international trade (e.g., transatlantic trade, mercantilism, joint-stock

companies, trading companies, government and monarchial funding, corporations,

creation of capital markets, etc.).

Other Relevant Standards (AP, C3 Framework, 21st Century Skills):

P21 Framework Standards:

- Content Knowledge and 21st Century Themes: Geography, Economics.

- Learning and Innovation Skills: Creativity and Innovation, Communication and

Collaboration.

- Life and Career Skills: Initiative and Self Direction, Productivity and

Adaptability.

Materials:

- 2 World Globes (hollow) and Halloween Candy, 3 Slips of Paper

- Power Point Presentation

- Wordle Worksheet

- Large White Sheets of Construction Paper (10), scissors (5), markers.

Context (lesson’s relation to unit as a whole, students’ prior knowledge important for this

lesson, class/student characteristics):

This lesson serves as a cumulative review of European Explorers, and an introduction to

the notion of economic scarcity in a Mercantilist world Economy as a precursor to

tomorrow’s class on Colonization. Students know that “God, Gold, and Glory” mattered

in Explorers taking risks in the new world, I want them to now understand the concept of

economics as a race, and pick for themselves what terminologies/ideas they think were

most important when thinking about European Exploration.

Given the ELL needs of the classroom in addition to 3 student’s recurring distractions of

talking during class, grouping of the students requires careful consideration to maintain

class focus during the Wordle Exercise.

Initiatory Activity (aka Bell Ringer, Do-Now, Anticipatory Set)

When students enter my class, they will…

Spend 5 minutes opening their binder to the day’s notes, and copying the daily Board

Sentence.

Strategies (What methods are you going to use to teach? Please include a detailed description,

step-by-step in numerical order, of the instructional approaches/teaching strategies that you will

use. What will you and the students be doing in this lesson? How long will each activity take?)

Time Instructional Activity

5

minutes

Students will copy down Board Sentence of the day and open their notes.

“The economic theory of Mercantilism dominated Europe during the

Age of Exploration. Mercantilism is based on the idea of Economic

Scarcity, or the idea that there is a limited amount of resources in this

world. Governments tried to establish a Favorable Balance of Trade, or

take more from others than you give away.”

10

minutes

Mercantilism Scarcity Exercise (hook):

- When students arrive there will be 3 slips of paper on 3 student desks:

Italy, Portugal, and Spain.

- I will begin by explaining the concept of Mercantilism and Scarcity to

the students orally, while carrying globe one. I will call Globe One the

“Old World”. The globe holds literally all the world’s resources

(wealth).

- Students with the paper slips get first pick at candy, if students ask why-

explain these countries (students) have established navies and stable

economies. Point to “Spain” student and Reconquista for connection.

- Shake the globe, explain that this is literally all the wealth in the world,

if students (countries) want it, “What do you have to do?” Get students

to that answer, “Take it, before someone else!”

- As you walk around the room encourage students at desks to

energetically grab candy. Once the candy is gone, the world’s resources

are depleted.

- Final question, Pull the second globe from behind the teacher desk,

identify it as the New World, and ask students if they were European

Countries, what would you do once you discovered this new world of

wealth? Get students toward that answer “I’d take it!”

- Remind students to keep in mind these 2 globes, Old and New World, in

mind over the next 2 days.

20

minutes

Power Point Presentation

- Presentation to review the 3 G’s, Cover Mercantilism, and

Columbus/Cortes/De Gama.

- I will ask students to come to the front for participation to trace each

route with their finger on the map to physically connect the information

from the pp for learning.

- I will have prepared a series of 3 contemporary items (A Maserati, Air

Force One tennis shoes, and an average house in Winston-Salem) and

have students guess how many of these items could be bought with a

million dollars (tie it to the wealth Cortez/Columbus seized in a single

day) to keep students engaged.

35

minutes

Wordle Exercise

- Students will be separated into heterogeneous groups of 3 by ability and

disciplinary record.

- I will review the Wordle instructions sheet, and show the class the

Wordle Example.

- Students will work collaboratively, with regular feedback from the

teacher, on completing their visual presentation.

- Extra emphasis to be placed on the sizing of important terms in student

design- show to me that you understand which concepts are central, and

which are tertiary.

10

minutes

Student Group Presentations of Wordles

- Students will stand as a group of 3, highlight what their Wordle

represents, explain why they chose their specific shape/design, and

explain the reasoning for choosing the “Large Words” they utilized.

Instructional Activities with accommodations for English Language Learners and

Exceptional Children…

Pre-Determined groups (of 3) in Wordle activity allows for heterogeneous grouping by

ability and disciplinary record. In addition, Wordle activity enables students

uncomfortable with written assessments to creatively express their comprehension of the

daily class material via Art and the Oral Presentation.

Ending of class (How will you conclude class?)

When class ends, students will…

Take 5 minutes to collaboratively clean the room from any paper scraps on the floor and

return classroom arts supplies. We will double check that the names of all group

members are written on the back of the projects. As they exit they will turn in their

Wordle picture activities at the desk next to the classroom door to me, and show me their

names on the back.

Assessment (How will you know students achieved the objectives?)

Formative Accommodations for ELL and

Exceptional Children

- Student participation points are

ongoing through group discussion.

- Individual participation in Wordle

exercise highlights student’s

content knowledge.

- Student group Wordle presentations

and explanations for word choice

allow me to judge student

comprehension of critical/non

critical terminology.

- Heterogeneous grouping (3) by

ability benefits Billy XYZ’s ELL

daily needs in the Wordle Exercise.

- Group presentations are not timed

or overtly structured, students

uncomfortable with public speaking

can contribute as they are

comfortable.

Summative Accommodations for ELL and

Exceptional Children

End of Unit Test will cover the

terminology from the Unit’s Board

Sentences, and NCES.

All accommodations necessary will be

given to IEP Test takers and ELL students,

including alternative assignments.

Alternate strategies for re-teaching material for students who did not achieve

mastery…

In addition to the Board Quiz and Unit Test, students will be given the opportunity to

come in for after school tutoring on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Upon receiving a corrected Quiz or Test, students will have the opportunity to correct

their own mistakes in 15 minutes in class with a partner (mistakes are not specifically

marked on tests, only a final score at the top). If +70% of mistakes are highlighted to the

teacher, student can come in during after school tutoring hours to retake each Quiz or

Test once.

End of Unit Explorer/Indigenous Research Profile will allow students to illustrate their

conceptual knowledge in a non-test driven sphere.

Transition (How will this relate to the next day’s lesson?)

This relates to tomorrow…

So far we have taken 2 interactive approaches to understanding motivations, background,

and the context for European Explorers in this age (Letter Lesson 2, Wordle Lesson 3).

As the “New World” globe today alludes to, tomorrow when we introduce the Columbian

Exchange and Colonization in greater detail we will jump into a native perspective of

“First Contact” experiences and tie the notion of Scarcity and resource competition back

to the Unit Question- What wouldn’t you do for a million/billion dollars through a

supporting question exercise of First Contact.

Columbus/De Gama/Cortes Wordle

Directions:

Create a wordle that represents Christopher Columbus, Vasco de Gama, or Hernán Cortés

The only thing included in your final project is words.

Your wordle should be in a shape that effectively represents Christopher Columbus.

The more important the word, the larger it should appear.

Grade:

Quality of Shape Selection:

Words Included/Importance of Words:

Ability to follow directions:

This is a BAD wordle example. See there is no shape to it.

Names: __________________________________________________________

Explorer Wordle Rubric

25 ____ Significance of Shape (Represents Columbus)

10 ____ Only Words Included

15 ____ Execution of Shape

25 ____ Important Words are Large

15 ____ Word Size Differentiation

10 ____ Overall Project Appearance

____ Bonus for outstanding work or thought (max 10 points).

____ Total Points

Comments:

(This is an example of a type of good Wordle I would show. I would have actual

previous student work I’d show before we began. I’d expect students to do

wordless in the shape of a cross, ship, money sign, globe, crown, etc).