1. Explorers
Miss Timberlake

2. Why Explore?!
Jot a list of reasons why you think Europeans wanted to explore the world.

3. Learning Objective
By the end of the lesson you will be able to explain the political, economic, and technological factors that led to exploration.

4. 3 Reasons Europeans Explored
1. Economic
2. Political
3. Technological

5. Economic Motivations
Define “economic”
People wanted to make MONEY! $

6. 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

8. 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

10. 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

11. “The sun never sets on the British Empire”

12. Technology Motivators
Shipbuilding was getting better
Caravel—a smaller and faster ship
with triangular sails that could sail into
the wind

13. 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

15. Explorers

16. Learning Objective
You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.

17. Lesson 2: Leif Eriksson

18. Read Aloud
Who were the Vikings? By Jane Chisolm

19. Leif Eriksson

20. Leif Eriksson Viking from Greenland
Sailed the northern Atlantic Ocean and settled in North America
He called North America “Vinland”

22. 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

23. Leif Eriksson vs. Christopher Columbus
erickson-vs-christopher-columbus

24. Notebook Activity

25. Vikings Close Read

26. Close Read Questions for Notebook
Write the answers to your passage questions in your notebook

27. Learning Objective
You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.

28. Lesson 3: Christopher Columbus

29. 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

30. Christopher Columbus Article

31. Christopher Columbus Video

33. Notebook Activity

34. Learning Objective
You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.

35. Lesson 4: Spanish Conquistadors Ferdinand Magellan and Hernando de Soto

36. 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

37. More Spanish Conquistadors
Hernando de Soto was Spanish. He explored the Southeastern United States and claimed land for Spain

38. Notebook Activity

39. Learning Objective
You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.

41. Lesson 5: John Cabot 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”

43. John Cabot Video

44. Notebook Activity

45. Learning Objective
You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.

47. 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

49. Notebook Activity

50. Learning Objective
You will be able to summarize the accomplishments of the Vikings, Portuguese, Spanish, English, and French explorers.

52. Lesson 7: Robert LaSalle
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”

54. Notebook Activity

55. 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)
Materials Needed:
Building a Nation Social Studies textbook
Nonfiction books on explorers
Blank copy of the storyboard
Computers with Photostory

56. Teaching the Lesson Day 1:
Students will research their explorer and find the answer to the following questions:
Who did the explorer sail for (what country)?
What was the explorer’s motivation (why did he explore)?
When did he explore (years of expedition)?
What did he accomplish (what did he find/what did he claim)?
Find out two interesting facts about him as an explorer or his expedition.
Day 2:
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.
Day 3:
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.
Day 4
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.

57. Explorers Game