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Description
OVERVIEW
In this lesson, students will examine the events that led to the Age of Contact including the Reconquista and the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Students will identify the reasons for Spanish exploration of the Americas, and several outcomes of this exploration.
LESSON TIME
This lesson will take approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Exact times may vary based on the specific needs of individual classes.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
- What motivated Spanish conquistadors to explore the new world? What were the positive and negative results of their exploration?
Teacher Tools
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Lesson Plan, Teacher Guide, Primary Sources Used
Downloadable/editable versions of this lesson plan, including a step-by-step guide through the lesson. When applicable, a list of primary sources used in the lesson is also included.
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Slideshow
This ready-to-use classroom slideshow contains the warm-up exercise, the daily objective, the “We will / I will” statements, and the essential question for the lesson.
It guides the class through the assignment providing larger versions of images, visual representations of the directions, and supports for reading, taking notes, and answering questions including sentence stems for in-class responses. It concludes with the exit ticket.
Student Activities
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Warm-up and Exit Ticket
In this printable warm-up / bell-ringer activity, students will read an “advertisement” for a job offering adventure, wealth, and a lot of risks. Students respond if they would take the job and provide their reasoning.
This presents an idea of the context of why people like the conquistadors might have decided to go to the Americas.
In this exit ticket, students will read a quote from the diary of Christopher Columbus about his goals for exploration and answer a multiple-choice question about the main idea of the quote.
The Warm-up and Exit Ticket document includes two warm-ups on the front of the page and two exit tickets on the back of the page. This formatting reduces the number of copies needed, as teachers will cut each printed page in half. Each student will receive a half-page with the warm-up on the front and the exit ticket on the back.
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Grade Level Guided Notes
In this printable assignment, students will follow the notes slides from the slideshow presentation to read short passages about topics including the Reconquista, Christopher Columbus, The Columbian Exchange, and Reasons for Exploration. Students will use the readings to complete their guided notes sheet including writing the key information, the significance of each event, and answering an open-ended question about the passage.
Grade level work involves taking partial notes based on information from the presentation, responding to multiple-choice questions about each passage, and some map labeling.
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Foundation Guided Notes
Foundations level work involves taking reduced, fill-in-the-blank notes from the presentation and responding to multiple-choice questions with one answer choice eliminated.
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Advanced Guided Notes
Advanced level work involves taking full notes based on information from the presentation, short constructed-response questions, and some map labeling.
Sources
Previews and links to sources referenced in this lesson.
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