1. Early Explorers of America

2. Introduction Many brave men, the early explorers, left their homes in search of something more and in doing so they changed our way of life. This was the beginning of the recorded history of the United States of America. It also marked the beginning of global trade and cultural exchanges that would alter the lives of people around the world.

3. Task You wake up one morning feeling a little sick to your stomach. As you open your eyes, the first thing you see is the bright blue sky above you. It takes you several minutes to process that you are not in your bed, but actually aboard a ship in the middle of the ocean. Will anyone believe you? Your task is to gather information about who you are sailing with, where you are going, and why. With a partner, you will research an early explorer, assigned by your teacher. You will then give an oral PowerPoint presentation teaching the class about your explorer, while at the same time trying to persuade the class that your explorer did the most to change our way of life. We will also have a class discussion about how we can use what we learned from these early explorers to make a difference in our world.

4. Process Research your explorer by reading the websites listed Document biographical information about the explorer Identify where they explored and why Keep a travel log about your journey and cite important events that occurred Investigate and present the reactions, good or bad, of the native inhabitants Explain how your explorer changed the world Present ideas, based upon examples you have seen, how you can make a difference in this world

5. Resources Information about all explorers Pictures of explorers European explorers Conquistadors Biographies of explorers Portions of Columbus’ diary Additional information about all explorers If you have extra time, you can go to here for activities and quizzes:

6. Evaluation You will be graded on your oral presentation and power point presentation. http://www.uen.org/Rubric/rubric.cgi?rubric _id=17927 This is the rubric that your oral presentation will be evaluated on.

7. Conclusion You have just traveled back in time and researched the life of a famous explorer. I hope you will never forget about the men and the adventures they went through to get us where we are today. You have seen the difference their explorations have made. Can you make a difference also?