About this resource
- Appropriate grades
- 3–12
- Subjects
- science (astronomy, oceanography, technology & innovation), social studies (world history)
- Provider
- Rice University
Legal
This catalog record is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License. This license applies to the content of this page only and does not apply to the referenced website.
What did the Portuguese know about the world in 1516? The South Atlantic had no reliable winds and currents. Without the continental shelf to follow, how did they manage to travel the seas for weeks without seeing land? The ability to explore extensively was dependent upon knowledge of latitude.
The Latitude website from Rice University features many aspects of Portuguese world exploration in the early 1500's. Students can learn about the ships, beacons, compass roses, navigation, astronomy, and ocean currents and weather: all elements that lead to the explorers' success...or failure in discovering the New World.
There are many links to other resources to be found on the Web and a learning page that includes ideas for using all of these materials in classrooms from first grade through high school.
