“Exploration, Encounter and Exchange”: Through the Decades 6th Grade Summer Research

Hello Everyone! The research class is different from the other classes you will take. It will challenge you to learn new concepts and apply them to your own original research. You will need to be prepared to put time and effort, and it is going to be very important that you are very organized and hit deadlines. After talking to your 5th grade GT teachers, I feel you are all up for that challenge and I really look forward to working with you all.

With that being said … I have a little investigation for you to complete before coming back to school in the fall. We are going to be looking at the topics of “Exploration, Encounter and Exchange” in history.

Let’s Talk Over the summer I would like you to look at a decade in history when people took a risk and made a change. Start by thinking about subjects you are interested in, whether it is science, sports, art, travel, culture or even specific people.

Take a Little Time… To read the following slides about the topic before you get to the challenge I am asking you to take on for the summer

Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange Exploration, Encounter, and Exchange can mean many different things. Let us first look at them one at a time.

Exploration Exploration likely conjures up visions of travels setting out on a journey to discovery new lands such as Christopher Columbus but can you think of other examples where exploration led to unforeseen consequences? Exploration can also be examined in the field of science. Researchers are constantly undertaking scientific explorations to find new medications or possible cures for diseases such as cancer, cracking the code of the human genome, or developments in the field of psychology.

Exploration The search for new modes of movement has captivated humans since the beginning of time. This form of exploration has resulted in the invention of a variety of vehicles that could make excellent topic choices. From the invention of the wheel to the development of the space shuttle and the international Space Station, there is a range of exploration, encounters, and exchanges. How did the design of the long ships affect the Vikings’ encounter with non-Vikings? Ships, trains, cars, airplanes, and rockets each dramatically transformed ideas about what kinds of exploration were possible. In Addition, new routes, pathways, and roads played a pivotal role in helping certain transportation options grow in usefulness or popularity. How did the Erie Canal increase encounters and exchanges between different areas within the United States? Once the interstate highways were built, how did they affect travel in the United States?

Exploration Exploration does not need to be literal – think of the exploration of a new idea, concept, or theory that is tested. This idea can come from the fields of politics, economics, or military science. Consider the ways that political campaigns explored the use of radio, and later television and the internet, to introduce candidates to the public. How did the advancements in both strategy and technology influence the outcome of the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II?

Encounter Exploration, or course, almost always leads to encounters – with different peoples, unfamiliar environments, and new ideas. Encounters are often unexpected and unpredictable, and they reveal much about those involved.

Encounter When Lewis and Clark began exploring western North America in 1804. Americans knew very little of the territory west of the Mississippi River. The explorers’ encounter with that region, however, was shaped is part by individuals like Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman who understood the land and its inhabitants, and served as a guide and translator for Lewis and Clark. How did she influence the expedition’s encounters with other Native Americans? With the plants and animals they encountered along the way? How did Lewis and Clark’s notes and drawings of geography, wildlife, and inhabitants influence the encounters of later Americans?

Encounter Often exploration leads to occupation or subjugation of other groups of people. Consider the encounter between Romans and the Germanic tribes of Europe. How did the Mongols, Aztecs, or Incas interact with their neighbors? What factors influence whether a new encounter is seen as a positive exchange or as a disastrous occurrence? Consider the event from both sides and analyze the perspectives of both the conquerors and the conquered.

Encounter

Exchange Encounter can lead to many types of exchanges, whether it be goods, food, ideas, or gunfire. The Silk Road, as series of ancient routes connecting the lands bordering the Pacific Ocean to those of the Mediterranean Sea, formed a means of exchange between European, Eurasian, and Asian peoples for more than a thousand years. The Silk Road brought gunpowder, the Magnetic compass, printing press, and silk to the West. To China, it brought precious stones, furs, and horses. One of the road’s best known travelers, Marco Polo, recorded his observations in his Travels of Marco Polo. But as we know, exchange is not necessarily mutually beneficial.

Exchange When Europeans were exploring the New World, they brought with them diseases such as smallpox and measles that were contracted by many members of the native tribes they encountered. Having no previous to these illnesses, the natives’ immune systems could not naturally fight these diseases, nor did native healers have the knowledge to treat them. As a result, many natives perished because of their encounter and exchange with the Europeans.

Exchange Exchanges do not happen only in the physical realm. The sharing of ideas, beliefs, and customs can have widespread consequences for eth people and cultures involved. Consider the spread of any of the world’s major religions. Sometimes the exchange of new or controversial ideas with in a society can have a significant effect on how that society think and acts. What changes occur within the society because of that exchange? How did Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, for example, lead to the culture conflicts of the 1920’s?

Exchange Politics also can be an area of dramatic exchange. In 1971 the American table tennis team, in Japan of the world championships, was unexpectedly invited by the Chinese team to visit the People’s Republic od China. At that time it has been more than 20 years since a group of Americans had been invited to China, since the Communist takeover in 1949. How did that exchange help President Richard Nixon renew relations with China? Did it lead to future encounters and exchanges between the two countries? Establishing relationships if often a major part of new encounters and exchanges.

Pulling It All Together AS you can see, all three elements – exploration, encounter, exchange – are closely related. Try to find examples in a specific decade you are interested in learning more. Remember, that you are not reporting the past, but you are investigating, searching, and digging a little deeper to understand the historical significance of your topic. To truly understand your decade, think about not just when and how the events happened, but why they happened and what effect they had.

Pick a Decade Pick a decade of any time that interests you up until 2000 (any decade – 1999) You cannot pick anything from the 2000’s. We are looking for 20 year or older information.

The Challenge You will be writing a journal as a young person living during that decade. So you must think about what it was like to live during this time period and how a person your age would have experienced this time. What conversations would you have heard at the dinner table between parents and family members. How did this time period shape the America and world as we know it today? You should include journal entries (15) which discuss the most important events, people, and fads (culture) of that decade. Each entry should be historically accurate

Give Me the Scoop Explain to me why you chose the decade you did by explaining the personal interest you have in this time period. This is a short paragraph to help me understand your thought process.

Entries should include… Journal Entries: Dated on or around the actual historic events Completed sentences with no grammar/spelling errors At least a paragraph in length 1 relevant picture Each entry must be typed and double spaced. Make sure every entry is in your own words. I will quickly realize those who did use their own words and those who have not when I collect your first writing sample if it is not.

“EVENT” Entries (8 total) 8 entries from the decade of choice Should be the major events from that decade Must give a description of the event, as well as a personal reaction to that event.

People Entries (5 total) 5 entries from the decade of choice Important people (politicians, athletes, celebrities, activists, etc.) Give your opinion as well as the opinions of others from the time

Culture Entries (3 total) Discuss new technologies Entertainment: music, movies, television, radio shows Fashion: clothing, hairstyles Hobbies: What do you do for fun?

Resources Here are a few resources to help you out. http://docsteach.org/documents http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/yearsanddecades.html http://history1900s.about.com/od/decadebydecade/ http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/the-90s-the-last-great- decade/galleries/the-90s-in-news-and-events/at/first-gulf-war- 2082973/ http://www.fromthe80s.com/history/ The 1970s - Facts & Summary - HISTORY.com

Questions or Concerns? You can email me and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible with some answers. kstorr@hcpss.org Do not put this off the last week before school starts. I do realize it is summer and I don’t want you to dread the challenge I have created for you. So please pick a decade and topic that interests you and have some fun learning about something new.