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Other worlds: The voyage of Columbus

http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=322

A lesson plan for grades 9 and 11–12 Social Studies

Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities


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Debate over the legacy of Christopher Columbus has opened new perspectives on the Renaissance world that gave impetus to his first voyage, and has raised awareness of the cultures he and those who followed him encountered in the world across the sea. Through the Internet, students can observe the events of 1492 from this dual vantage-point, exploring the two worlds that made contact when Columbus stepped ashore.

The goals of this lesson plan are:

  • to gain an understanding of the forces within European society that found expression in the voyage of Christopher Columbus
  • to examine the cultures of those whom Columbus and his successors encountered in the New World
  • to analyze the degree to which cultural expectations shaped the encounter experience for Columbus
  • to reconstruct the encounter experience for those who saw Columbus sail into their world

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

Social Studies (2003)

Grade 11–12 — American Indian Studies

  • Goal 1: The learner will examine American Indian life prior to the arrival of Columbus.
    • Objective 1.02: Explain the technological changes which occurred during prehistory.
    • Objective 1.03: Describe the lifestyles of American Indians in prehistory such as subsistence, settlement patterns, and social organization.
    • Objective 1.04: Describe the adaptations of American Indians to local environments.

Grade 9

  • Goal 3: Monarchies and Empires - The learner will investigate significant events, people, and conditions in the growth of monarchical and imperial systems of government.
    • Objective 3.04: Examine European exploration and analyze the forces that caused and allowed the acquisition of colonial possessions and trading privileges in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.
    • Objective 3.05: Cite the effects of European expansion on Africans, pre-Columbian Americans, Asians, and Europeans.
  • Goal 8: Patterns of History - The learner will assess the influence of ideals, values, beliefs, and traditions on current global events and issues.
    • Objective 8.04: Characterize over time and place the interactions of world cultures.