First Americans & Age of Exploration Units

Forests, Trees, and Twigs Explanation In Teaching What Really Happened (2010), James Loewen suggests putting social studies content in three categories: forests, trees, and twigs. Below is a brief explanation of each category: Forests: Concepts central to teaching history, Crucial issues in the development of our country, Common threads Trees: 30-50 teacher-selected concepts to teach, ask yourself: What do I want these students to remember in 20 years? and What can they do with it? Twigs: Non-essential information, Dates, Less significant people, Facts useful for projects Here are a few examples: Forests Trees In 1787, leading men of the time gathered and created the Constitution based on their beliefs and their experiences under Englands monarchy The Oklahoma Land Run displaced many Native Americans from their own land The Declaration of Independence consisted mostly of grievances against King George III and Parliament Twigs

The Constitutions Effect on Todays Citizens

George Washington was the President of the Constitutional Convention

Multiple Perspectives

The Land Run consisted of Boomers and Sooners

Documents that Shaped Our Country

Independence was approved on July 2, 1776

Following Loewens suggestions, I have developed some forests, trees, and twigs for the Native Americans and Age of Exploration units. I will start with the forests, because they are the foundations of teaching history, and they will be common threads throughout these units. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but is one that I have found works with upper elementary students.

Forests
(in no particular order)

Challenging Eurocentrism Multiple Perspectives Native American and European Interaction Rise of Exploration Competition Importance of the Written Word Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People Pursuits of Wealth Pursuits of Faith History Books are Not Always Factual Of course, a forest doesnt exist without trees. Its the same thing with this list. It would be impossible to teach the above concepts without those trees that make up each forest. The trees give students the context needed to understand the forests. Instead of listing the trees here, I will begin listing the lessons I would recommend teaching. Within each lesson, I will include forests, trees, and some twigs. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of twigs possible for each section, so I will only list some of the most interesting or important ones. I will also provide other information about teaching the lessons. One way to keep these forests at the front of your students minds is to hang posters for each (or create a digital version), where trees and twigs can be added to the display throughout the year. With my files, I have included a sample I created using PowerPoint. I only chose eleven lessons I felt are the most important. Certainly, this leaves a lot out. The Social Studies textbook provides more topics to cover, including: the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans; and other Native Americans (which can be taught within these lessons, or while teaching the regions). These lessons have worked for me, but I dont mean it to be prescriptive. Whats most important is that you feel comfortable teaching this material, so adjust as you see fit! My hope is that teachers take this document and expand upon it. If you do, please send me an updated version. Also, if you see any mistakes (which Im sure there are) please let me know. I hope this helps!

Lesson 1- The First Americans

*Challenging Eurocentrism *Multiple Perspectives *Importance of the Written Word *History Books are Not Always Factual *There is competing evidence about humans arrival in present-day North America and South America *Some believe people crossed Beringia during the Ice Age as they followed food sources Twigs *Some believe people came by boat *Some believe a comet hit earth and shaped human life Teaching Idea(s) *Use the First Americans PowerPoint *Teaching What Really Happened- Chapter 5 Resource(s) *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 54-57 *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pg. 39 Time 30 minutes -1 hour *Have students write about their opinion of how people first came to the Americas Possible Assignment(s) *Have students enact the different ways people could have come here *Simulation- pretend your classroom is a new land, leave clues about how people arrived in this new land, be sure the evidence shows various ways people could have arrived at this new land Vocabulary *eurocentrism, ethnocentrism, Beringia, migrate, theory, artifact

Forests

Trees

Lesson 2- Cahokia
*Challenging Eurocentrism *Importance of the Written Word

Forests

Trees

*Native Peoples accomplished great things, including building an empire around the city of Cahokia, long before Europeans did *Eastern Woodlands Indians probably began building it in around 700A.D. *The Cahokian economy was based on corn *Surplus led to ability to build towns

Twigs *It was the size of 45 football fields *Cahokia was probably bigger than London at its peak *Because they left no written word about Cahokia, we know very little about it *Cahokia PowerPoint- I used audio from the podcast Cahokia: North Americas First City? From Stuff You Missed in History Class *I cut the audio to fit the slides, they are labeled so they are easy to insert on the PowerPoint *Podcast (also on iTunes, just search for it using the title Cahokia: North Americas First City) Resource(s) *National Geographic article *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 60-61 *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pg. 277 Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary 30 minutes- 1 hour *Have students design their own empires *surplus, agriculture, terrace

Teaching Idea(s)

Lesson 3- First Documented Explorations

*Native American and European Interaction *Rise of Exploration *Importance of the Written Word *Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People *Pursuits of Wealth *History Books are Not Always Factual *The Vikings, led by Leif Ericsson, were the first known Europeans to reach and settle upon present-day American land Trees *A book commonly called The Travels of Marco Polo, inspired future explorers *Leif Ericsson and the Vikings landed in present-day Newfoundland around 1000 A.D., they called it Vinland (translated Land of Wine), based on the abundance of grapes there *Marco Polo possibly traveled along the Silk Road, he possibly brought Chinese items back to Europe, he possibly worked very closely with Kublai Khan *The Travels of Marco Polo was written by Rustichello de Pisa, a well-known fiction writer of the time; Marco Polo told the stories to him while both were imprisoned; the tales are highly scrutinized Teaching Idea(s) *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 110-111 (Vikings), pgs. 102-103 (Marco Polo)

Forests

Twigs

Resource(s)

SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-The Vikings, Marco Polo

Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary

30 minutes - ????

*saga, Silk Road, emperor

Lesson 4- The Renaissance

Forests *Rise of Exploration *Importance of the Written Word *The Renaissance was a time of tremendous growth in knowledge and skill pertaining to science, technology, exploration, art, and literature Trees *Johannes Gutenbergs printing press changed the world, leading to the rapid expansion of knowledge, facilitating the Renaissance

Twigs

*Famous Renaissance people- Shakespeare, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Gutenberg, Botticelli, Donatello, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Machiavelli

*Have the students prepare biographies and/or presentations about famous Renaissance people Teaching Idea(s) *Create art inspired by Renaissance artists *Teach about Michelangelo, let students tape paper on the bottom of their desks and paint while laying under their desks (similar to Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel) *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pg. 112 Resource(s) *Sistine Chapel Virtual Tour
(FYI: paintings are religious, and some figures are nude, check with your principal if you have concerns)

Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary

30 minutes - ????

*Renaissance, navigation

Lesson 5- Portuguese Exploration

Forests *Rise of Exploration *Competition *Importance of Written Word

Trees

*Prince Henry the Navigator started a school for explorers, helping Portugal lead the way during the beginning of exploration

*Prince Henry opened his school in 1420 *Portuguese explorers were searching for a water route to Asia to make trade easier, passage over land was difficult and not as profitable as it could be, boats would make it faster and they could carry more on ships Twigs *Bartolomeu Dias was the first known explorer to sail around the southern tip of Africa, after a storm blew his ship around the Cape of Storms (now called the Cape of Good Hope), he and his crew had to return to Portugal due to the ships damage *Vasco da Gama was the first known explorer to sail around the southern tip of Africa and make it all the way to India *Pretend your classroom is a ship, play storm sounds, turn the lights off, let the students rock back and forth as the storm picks up, pretend the storm gets worse, throw shredded blue paper to represent water they love it and they never forget the story of Bartolomeu Dias! *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 113-114 Resource(s) SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-Portuguese Explorers *Teaching What Really Happened- Chapter 6 Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary 30 minutes

Teaching Idea(s)

*navigation,

Lesson 6- Columbus
*Challenging Eurocentrism *Multiple Perspectives *Native American and European Interaction *Rise of Exploration *Competition *Impact of the Written Word *Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People *Pursuits of Wealth *Pursuits of Faith *History Books are Not Always Factual *Columbus did not discover the present-day Americas, but, because of his four expeditions, a permanent connection between the present-day Americas and Europe was forged Trees *Many experts agree that Columbus died never knowing he reached the New World (he believed he was in India), but his expeditions inspired other explorers to travel west as he did *One reason Columbus is so well known is because he kept a very detailed journal Twigs Teaching Idea(s) (I dont even know where to begin see the resources section) *See Columbus Unit Word file in Columbus folder *See Columbus folder *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 134-138 *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pgs. 38-40 Resource(s) SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles- Christopher Columbus *Teaching What Really Happened- Chapter 6 *A Peoples History of the United States- Ch. 1 by Howard Zinn Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary 1 week *See lesson plans *Columbian Exchange

Forests

Lesson 7- Spanish Exploration

*Multiple Perspectives *Native American and European Interaction *Rise of Exploration *Competition *Impact of the Written Word *Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People *Pursuits of Wealth *Pursuits of Faith *History Books are Not Always Factual *The Spanish explored and claimed most of present-day South America, Latin America, and the southern United States

Forests

Trees

*The Spanish explored looking for riches and to spread Christianity *The Spanish brought horses to present-day N. America, leading to many Native tribes use of horse, which impacted their way of life

Twigs

*See Famous Explorers PowerPoint for a brief description of each explorers greatest accomplishment(s) *Vasco Nez de Balboa- He climbed a mountain (with some Native guides) and laid eyes upon the Pacific Ocean. So, since he ran up something and since his name is Balboa, I always play Rocky Balboas training montage from Rocky II where Stallone runs the streets of Philadelphia (link below). Along the way I narrate as if he is Vasco Nez de Balboa crossing the ocean from Spain. When people join his run, I say they are the Native guides. As he runs up the stairs, I talk about the mountain he climbed. Finally, when he gets to the top, Vasco Nunez de Balboa raises his hands in celebration as he looks out upon the Pacific Ocean. Then, of course, we go outside and re-enact it ourselves. *For the other Spanish explorers (Corts, Pizarro, Coronado, Ponce de Len, and de Soto) I have the students break into groups and create skits about their famous accomplishments. Sometimes I video them (see link below). *Rocky II training video *Spanish Explorer skits

Teaching Idea(s)

Resource(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs.134-151 *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pgs. 38-40, 195, 302, 333 SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles- Spanish Explorers, Cortes & Pizarro

Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary

3 days - 5 days *Skits *conquistador, expedition, colony, ally, conquest, convert, mission

Lesson 8- English Exploration

*Challenging Eurocentrism *Multiple Perspectives *Native American and European Interaction *Rise of Exploration *Competition *Impact of the Written Word *Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People *Pursuits of Wealth *Pursuits of Faith *English explorers explored much of present-day Canada and the eastern United States *English explorers began to attempt to set up colonies *See Famous Explorers PowerPoint for a brief description of each explorers greatest accomplishment(s) Twigs *Sir Walter Raleighs Roanoke Colony is known as The Lost Colony because all of its inhabitants mysteriously disappeared Teaching Idea(s) *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 157-158 *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pg. 195 Resource(s) SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles- English Explorers *Teaching What Really Happened- Chapter 6 Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary 1 day 2 days *Write a journal entry as if you were one of the colonists who disappeared OR as someone who arrived to see that the colony had disappeared *colony, circumnavigate

Forests

Trees

Lesson 9- French Exploration

*Native American and European Interaction *Rise of Exploration *Competition *Impact of the Written Word *Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People *Pursuits of Wealth *Pursuits of Faith *French explorers explored and claimed land in present-day Canada and the northern United States Trees *French explorers learned how to live in colder conditions from the Native peoples in the area *The fur trade was very profitable for the French

Forests

Twigs

*See Famous Explorers PowerPoint for a brief description of each explorers greatest accomplishment(s)

Teaching Idea(s) *Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 165-167 *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pg. 195 Resource(s) SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles-French Explorers *Teaching What Really Happened- Chapter 6 Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary 2 days 3 days

Lesson 10- Other Explorers

*Challenging Eurocentrism *Native American and European Interaction *Rise of Exploration *Competition *Impact of the Written Word *Heroic Actions, Not Heroic People *Pursuits of Wealth *Pursuits of Faith *Henry Hudson, an Englishman, made several expeditions to the New World for the Dutch. He mapped much of present-day northeast Canada and the United States. His name is all over the map today. *On an expedition, Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci used navigation (science of exploration) to figure out that Columbus found a New World. Early mapmakers decided to name the New World after him. *Ferdinand Magellan is credited for being the first known person to sail around the world. This is technically true, but it took two trips. He had traveled east to the East Indies before his most famous westward trip. He died after crossing where he had been before, technically making him the first to circumnavigate the world. His crew actually completed the circumnavigation. *See Famous Explorers PowerPoint for a brief description of explorers greatest accomplishment(s)

Forests

Trees

Twigs Teaching Idea(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs.165-167 Resource(s) SAFARI Montage: Explorers of the World titles- Henry Hudson, Ferdinand Magellan 1 day 2 days *Debate or Writing Prompt: North American countries have decided to consider renaming North America. They feel it should be named after someone from the Americas. You know this is nationalism, but you go along with it. They have asked your class to determine a new name, or to determine to keep the current name. These countries are counting on you! *Northwest Passage, cartographer, astrolabe, circumnavigate

Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary

Lesson 11- Introduction to Colonization

With the new standards, fifth grade teachers will begin where fourth grade leaves off. Exploration turns into colonization, which is where fifth grade will begin. If fourth graders have a brief introduction into colonization, then they will be even more prepared for fifth grade Social Studies. *Native American and European Interaction *Competition *Impact of the Written Word *Pursuits of Wealth *Pursuits of Faith
*Spanish, Dutch, French, and English people began to settle on the land they explored. Companies sent settlers to find gold and other riches. Some people escaped their countries for religious freedom. As these things continued, colonies expanded. *The Spanish colonized much of the present-day southern United States and Latin America.

Forests

Trees

*The Dutch colonized present-day New York City *The English colonized the present-day eastern United States *The French colonized much of the present-day northern and mid-western United States and Canada.

*St. Augustine, Florida, was the first permanent European colony in the present-day United States Twigs *Jamestown was the first permanent English colony in the present-day United States Teaching Idea(s)

*Scott Foresman 5th Grade Textbook, pgs. 157-189 Resource(s) *Scott Foresman 4th Grade Textbook, pg. 196 1 day 2 days *Mystery Island (see folder and files) *colony, colonist, charter, stock, indentured servant, slave, House of Burgesses

Time Possible Assignment(s) Vocabulary

Age of Exploration Projects and Breakfast

One of the best things about doing the Age of Exploration unit is the Age of Exploration breakfast, where students dress up as explorers (or other famous people of the time) and present one of three research projects they do (Wanted Poster, Map, Timeline). We invite family members and eat tons of foods indigenous to the explorers home countries. It is a highlight for students, families, and teachers. I encourage you to give your students and yourself this experience. Please look through the Breakfast and Projects folder for every item youll need, including photos of projects and the breakfasts themselves. If you would like me to send you any of the actual projects let me know and I will send them via school mail. Let me know if you have any questions. btalley@norman.k12.ok.us