Unit 4 The Age of Exploration
"The seams of Pangaea were closing, drawn together by the sailmaker's needle. Chickens met kiwis, cattle met kangaroos, Irish met potatoes, Comanches met horses, Incas met smallpox—all for the first time."
- Alfred W. Crosby, historian and author of The Columbian Exchange
"The seams of Pangaea were closing, drawn together by the sailmaker's needle. Chickens met kiwis, cattle met kangaroos, Irish met potatoes, Comanches met horses, Incas met smallpox—all for the first time."
- Alfred W. Crosby, historian and author of The Columbian Exchange
Primary Source Readings
In order to complete the unit curve packet and in order to prepare for class assignments are discussions, please read and complete the 6cs reading analysis sheet for each of the following readings: 1) Gomes Eannes de Azurara “The Chronicle of Discovery and Conquest of Guinea” 2) Christopher Columbus “Letter to Lord Sanchez” 3) Jacob Fugger “Letter to Charles V: Finance and Politics” 4) Alfred Crosby “The Columbian Exchange” 5) Peter Mancall “Imperial Rivalries” 6) Elizabeth Berlin Taylor “The Treaty of Tordesillas: Resolving a Certain Controversy over land in America” ![]()
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Chapter 10 Textbook readings
Nightly reading assignments are required and are due at the start of class. Please follow the nightly homework model below: Pg. 341 to 350, this is all of the text book reading for this unit. ![]()
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Unit Curve Packet
The unit curve packet is due on test day and they are graded complete or incomplete. Every unit curve is worth 25 points on the summative unit assessment.
The unit curve packet is due on test day and they are graded complete or incomplete. Every unit curve is worth 25 points on the summative unit assessment.

age_of_discovery_unit_curve.pdf | |
File Size: | 331 kb |
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Unit resources and PowerPoints
Please ensure that you keep copies in your notes of all unit lecture, study guides, and supplemental resources provided below:
Please ensure that you keep copies in your notes of all unit lecture, study guides, and supplemental resources provided below:

the_age_of_exploration.pptx | |
File Size: | 2087 kb |
File Type: | pptx |

14_-_explorationpluswitch30.ppt | |
File Size: | 6627 kb |
File Type: | ppt |
Practice Quizzes: See all quizzes on the Age of Exploration and Discovery (Follow the link below)
http://www.historyteacher.net/APEuroCourse/EHAPQuizMainPage.htm
http://www.historyteacher.net/APEuroCourse/EHAPQuizMainPage.htm
Unit Assignments
Lesson 1: Discovery* Objective: Students will be able to evaluate Howard Zinn's conclusions on the impacts of Christopher Columbus comparing and contrasting his work with the primary sources that he used to develop his arguments. Students will read both primary and secondary source accounts of this period with the stated goal of being able to determine how historians develop accurate summaries from primary source accounts. Essential Question: 6) What consequences flowed from the interactions between Western and non-Western civilizations? Homework: Complete the Age of New Discoveries Handout, Due on Thursday ![]()
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Lesson 2: The Treaty of Tordesillas
Objective: Students will be able to read and analyze the original translated text of the Treaty of Tordesillas with the stated goal of being able to work with a group to answer questions about the primary source. Students demonstrate their learning by creating several thesis statements that can be proven using the Treaty of Tordesillas regarding how not all imperial rivalries lead to hostilities. Essential Question: How did the Treaty of Tordesillas peacefully divide the Americas between Spain and Portugal? ![]()
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Lesson 3: Colonial Expansion and the Global Economy
Objective: Students will be able to analyze the causes and effects of Europe's colonial expansion as it led to a global exchange of goods, flora, fauna, cultural practices, and diseases. Students will note the shift by European powers to new geographic locations and therefore evaluate the effects on both European and international affairs. Essential Questions: 1) To what extent did the opening of the New World insight competition amongst European nations 2) To what extent did the interactions between the Old and New Worlds during the Age of Discovery effect the historical trajectories of these two worlds? Directions: Step 1: Read Peter Mancall's "Imperial Rivalries" and Alfred W. Crosby's "The Columbian Exchange" to identify the various causes and effects of the Age of Discovery. Select an (A) Sentence, (B) Phrase, and & (C) Word from each reading as it relates to specific examples of either influences on or results of the New and Old World interactions. Step 2: Select one of the 2 Readings and create a graphic organizer for the Long Essay response on the AP exam. Please be sure to follow and complete each part of the graphic organizer and be ready to share your work with the class. ![]()
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Lesson 4: The Thirty Years' War
Objective: Students will be able to recognize what the Hapsburgs, Gustavus Adolphus, and Cardinal Richelieu hoped to achieve by participation in the Thirty Years War. Essential Question: To what extent did individuals, and not religions, shape the Thirty Years War? ![]()
Lesson 5: The Transatlantic Slave Trade
Objective: Students will be able to explain how the living conditions and treatment of the enslaved Africans were considered acceptable due to the status given to them by Europeans. Students will compare and contrast political art of the period with secondary source material on the economic impacts of the slave trade on Europe with the goal of evaluating the trades legacy within socio-economic context. Essential Question: How important were Africans to the Atlantic Slave Trade? Steps 1: Inquiry -- Think-Pair-Share Visual Sources Steps 2: Understanding -- Secondary Source Material Steps 3: Application -- Student Application/Concept Check Steps 4: Reflection -- Historical Reflection Reflection Question: Consider this quotation: “We make our history ourselves … [but] what each individual wills is obstructed by everyone else, and what emerges is something that no one willed.” ![]()
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Direct Instruction Lessons
Lecture 1: 15th Century Explorers Lecture 2: The Columbian Exchange
Lecture 3: The Spanish Empire
Lecture 4: The Atlantic Slave Trade
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Supplemental Resources