Day 66: Giving Your Teammates Feedback (6/10/11)

Standard: 7.11.1 Know the great voyages of discovery, the locations of the routs, and the influence of cartography in the development of a new European worldview.
Aim: The historians of 2016 will provide feedback to their teammates presentations on the European explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Task 1: Submit your homework.

Task 2 Quick Question: Yesterday we had a conversation about the conquests of the Americas by the Europeans and we discussed whether or not the conquests and slavery were a necessary evil so that we could have the country that we have today. Look at the results below. After examining the results answer this question: why do you think 45% of your teammates believed that slavery and the takeover of native cultures was a necessary evil?

Task 3: Make sure that the following items are posted to your portfolio.

1. Your map of the European voyages of discovery.
2. The double-bubble map comparing exploration of modern day to that of the 15th and 16th centuries.
3. Your Prezi or PowerPoint Presentation on your European explorer or adventurer.

Task 4: Yesterday we ran out of time before we could comment on each others projects. So today you need to visit four of your teammates blogs and leave a comment on their presentation. Your comment should be written in complete sentences and contain specific praise or feedback. Here is an example:

"I really like your presentation on Christopher Columbus. I thought that having a slide going over the reasons why people think Christopher Columbus is a bad guy was really interesting. All the maps and dates in your presentation made it easy for me to understand when and where his voyages of discovery were taking place. In the future, I would suggest having more pictures or paintings showing what the voyage and arrival at the main land was like. Good job!"

Task 5: After you've commented on three of your teammates projects complete this form, letting me know where I can find your comments.

Homework: New current event for Monday. You can submit your current event here.

UPDATE: If you didn't finish the notes from earlier in the week, you can finish getting them from here.

Day 65: Spanish Conquest of the New World (6/9/11)

Standard: 7.11.1 Know the great voyages of discovery, the locations of the routs, and the influence of cartography in the development of a new European worldview.

Aims:

1. The historians of 2016 will evaluate whether or not the Spanish conquest of the Americas was ethical.
2. The historians of 2016 will provide feedback to their teammates presentations on the European explorers of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Task 1: Submit your homework.

Task 2 Quick Question: Do the Europeans have a right to travel to the Americas and claim the land for themselves? Why or why not?

Task 3: Participate in the discussion on whether or not the Spanish conquest of the Americas was ethical. If you believe it was not ethical, was it a necessary evil? AFTER our discussion, you may take the survey.

Task 4: Post the following three items to your history portfolio:

1. Your map of the European voyages of discovery.
2. The double-bubble map comparing exploration of modern day to that of the 15th and 16th centuries.
3. Your Prezi or PowerPoint Presentation on your European explorer or adventurer.

Task 5: Visit four of your teammates blogs and leave a comment on their presentation. Your comment should be written in complete sentences and contain specific praise or feedback. Here is an example:

"I really like your presentation on Christopher Columbus. I thought that having a slide going over the reasons why people think Christopher Columbus is a bad guy was really interesting. All the maps and dates in your presentation made it easy for me to understand when and where his voyages of discovery were taking place. In the future, I would suggest having more pictures or paintings showing what the voyage and arrival at the main land was like. Good job!"

Homework: Read about the European Exploration of North America and complete the workbook page. This assignment can only be completed on paper since you will be creating maps and annotating them.

Day 64: Expedition of the Spanish and Portugese (6/8/11)

Standard: 7.11.1 Know the great voyages of discovery, the locations of the routs, and the influence of cartography in the development of a new European worldview.

Aim: The historians of 2016 will be able to make connections to the motivations behind Spanish and Portugese exploration to space and deep sea exploration of the present.

Task 1: Submit your homework from yesterday.

Task 2 Quick Question: Why do you think people want to learn about the unknown? Why do people want to travel to places that no one has ever been to before?

Task 3: We will discuss modern day exploration, both deep sea and outer space (moon landing and mars rover). After we examine the modern day exploration initiatives, we will take notes on the Spanish and Portuguese exploration of the 15th and 16th centuries.

Task 4: Make a copy of this double-bubble graphic organizer that we will use to make connections between the exploration of the 15th and 16th centuries to that of modern day exploration.

Task 5: Work on your projects on of your European explorer. Remember, your presentation is due at the beginning of class.

Homework: Read about the later Spanish explorers and missions of conquest and complete the workbook page on the back. Remember, this is only on paper because you will be creating a map on the paper.

Day 64: The Conditions on the Ships (6/7/11)

Standard: 7.11.1 Know the great voyages of discovery, the locations of the routs, and the influence of cartography in the development of a new European worldview.

Aim: The historians of 2016 will be able to describe the conditions on ships during the voyages of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Task 1: Submit your homework from last night.

Task 2 Quick Question: Would you travel to Mars if it meant months in a cramped space shuttle, eating terrible food and sleeping in terrible conditions?

Task 3: Open your notes from yesterday. Read aloud and take notes as we go through the information on the conditions aboard the ships used during the explorations of the 15th and 16th centuries.

"Living conditions aboard such ships, especially on long voyages, was appalling. Ships constantly leaked and were crawling with rats, lice, and other creatures. They were also filthy, with little or no sanitation facilities. Without refrigeration, food and water spoiled quickly and horribly. Disease was rampant, especially scurvy, caused by a vitamin C deficiency. A good voyage between Portugal and India would claim the lives of twenty per cent of the crewmen from scurvy alone. It should come as no surprise then that ships' crews were often drawn from the dregs of society and required a strong and often brutal, hand to keep them in line."

Task 4: Track Mr. Sanders as he explains how to research your explorer and review the rubric and expectations of the project. Here is the rubric for how you will be graded.

Task 5: Work on your presentation of your European explorer.

Homework: Read about the famous explorers of Spain and complete the workbook page and map when you are done.

Day 63: Great Voyages of European Discovery (6/6/11)

Standard: 7.11.1 Know the great voyages of discovery, the locations of the routs, and the influence of cartography in the development of a new European worldview.

Aim: The historians of 2016 will create a map the shows the routs of the major voyages of discovery in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Task 1: Submit your homework. If you already completed your homework online, you do not have to submit it again.

Task 2 Quick Question: Your uncle is a Portuguese ship captain who has just came back from a long sea voyage. He shows you a map of the new lands he has seen. He tells wonderful stories about strange plants and animals. You are studying to become a carpenter, but you wonder if you might like to be an explorer like your uncle instead. How would you decide which career to choose?

Task 3: Track Mr. Sanders and take Cornell notes as he goes through information about the Reasons to Explore and the technology behind the European explorations.

Task 4: Map a copy of this blank map of the world. On the map, draw the routs of discovery of five or more famous explorers.

Choose five or more from the following list:

Dias (1487-1488)

Da Gama (1497-1498)

Cabral (1500-1501)

Columbus (1492-1493)

Magellan (1519-1522)

Cartier (1534-1535)

Drake (1577-1580)

Cabot (1497-1498)

Task 5: Choose one of the explorers above and create a four slide Google presentation or Prezi describing his life and the importance of his explorations. We will present our presentations Thursday and Friday. You must have presentation posted to your portfolio by the start of class on Thursday for full credit. Here is the rubric for how you will be graded.

Homework: Read about the Portugese explorations during the 15th and 16th centuries and complete the workbook page. Because you're answering questions and drawing a map there is no online version of the homework.