Second Technology Lesson Plan

Title: Explorer’s Blog

Web tool: Blogs

SoL:  WHII 4: The student will demonstrate knowledge of the impact of the European Age of Discovery and expansion into the Americas, Africa, and Asia by:

a)  Explaining the roles and economic motivations of explorers and conquistadors

b)  Describing the influence of religion

c)  Explaining migration, settlement patterns, cultural diffusion, and social classes in the colonized areas

d)  Describing the Colombian Exchange, including its impact on native populations

e)   Mapping and explaining the triangular trade

f)   Describing the impact of precious metal exports from the Americas.

Extra Objective: Students will practice writing and communication skills, as well as blogging skills.  Students will be expected to research their explorer’s points of view and site their sources via linking to other websites.  This form of citation will also force students to be able to scrutinize internet sources for reliability and bias. 

Lesson Description:  Students will take the role of being explorers during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.  Students will then be assigned which countries they will be sailing for, and will be asked to create a blog where they discuss why they decided to explore the world, what they find, and the benefits for their mother nation.  Students will be asked to write 4 blogs for their explorer discussing the motives, the Colombian exchange, and triangle trade.  Then the students will be expected to post as their explorer on 3 other student’s blogs who were assigned different countries.  This is the bare minimum however, should a rich discussion occur, then the better for history!