Topic: 

Exploration

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Author(s):

  • Lindsey Cate, Kyle Elementary
  • Leah Cochran, Hemphill Elementary
  • Laura Hall, Kyle Elementary
  • Ruth Meek, Tobias Elementary
  • Rebecca Shea, Elm Grove Elementary
  • Frances Silguero, Kyle Elementary
  • Kim Stokes, Tobias Elementary
  • Karen Sullivent, Hemphill Elementary
  • Karen Zuniga, Tobias Elementary

Campus: See above

Interdisciplinary: Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, Reading

Grade Level(s)/Course: 4th (with modifications) or 5th Grade

TEKS:  Social Studies, Language Arts, Science, Technology

Objectives:

Students will discover the motives and impact (positive and negative) for exploration.

Students will be able to:

  1. Explain how the voyages of Christopher Columbus encouraged the major powers of Europe to explore the Americas between 15th and 17th Centuries.
  2. Identify areas in North America claimed by explorers sponsored by Spain, France, Holland, and England.
  3. Describe the impact of the expeditions of Columbus, Cabot, de Leon, Cortes, Cartier, Coronado, Hudson, de La Salle upon Native Americans.

Anticipatory Set (Focus): Moon Activity (see PowerPoint)

  1. Why did people want to explore the moon?
  2. What impact was made through the exploration of the moon? Moon Discussion

Explanation: (See PowerPoint)

Your task: 

You will be going on an adventure to explore Saturn. You will be part of a team of scientists to gather data about the planet, Saturn. Your trip will be two weeks long. In addition to your space suit, you may bring what will fit in your school backpack. 

Modeling: (See PowerPoint)

Guided Practice: Saturn Activity (see PowerPoint)

  1. How are you going to get to Saturn?
  2. What are your motives, or reasons, for going to Saturn?
  3. What materials did you choose to bring?
  4. Why did you choose those materials to bring? 
  5. What was the importance of them?
  6. What knowledge do you hope to gain from your trip?
  7. How would your trip benefit others back home?

 

Independent Practice: Explorer Research (see PowerPoint)

  1. You will be assigned one of the 8 explorers to become a resident expert for your peers.
  2. You will research this explorer using your textbook and/or other resources.
  3. You will be given a time limit of 40 minutes to prepare your presentation. 
  4. You will use the three questions to guide your presentation in front of your peers.
  5. What were their motives?
  6. Where did they go and how did they get there? (draw a map)
  7. What were their impacts? Positive and negative.

 

Assessment, Evaluation or Rubric:

Presentation Rubric (see attachment)

Enrichment:

Use additional resources to gather additional information on a specific explorer.

Students can “become” their explorer, using multiple intelligences in their presentation.

Closure:

Discuss, compare, and contrast motives and impacts of explorers and their sponsoring countries.

Materials:

Computer, textbook, presentation software (PowerPoint/Publisher), other internet sources, projector, various art supplies (dependent on student choice)

 

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Social Studies:

(5.1) History. The student understands the causes and effects of European colonization in the United States.

(5.11) Economics. The student understands the reasons for exploration and colonization.

Language Arts:

(5.1) Listening/speaking/purposes. The student listens actively and purposefully in a variety of settings.

(5.2) Listening/speaking/critical listening. The student listens critically to analyze and evaluate a speaker's message(s).

(5.3) Listening/speaking/appreciation. The student listens to enjoy and appreciate spoken language.

(5.4) Listening/speaking/culture. The student listens and speaks to gain and share knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures.

(5.6) Reading/word identification. The student uses a variety of word identification strategies.

(5.8) Reading/variety of texts. The student reads widely for different purposes in varied sources.

(5.10) Reading/comprehension. The student comprehends selections using a variety of strategies.

(5.11) Reading/literary response. The student expresses and supports responses to various types of texts.

(5.13) Reading/inquiry/research. The student inquires and conducts research using a variety of sources.

(5.14) Reading/culture. The student reads to increase knowledge of his/her own culture, the culture of others, and the common elements of cultures.

(5.15) Writing/purposes. The student writes for a variety of audiences and purposes, and in a variety of forms.

(5.16) Writing/penmanship/capitalization/punctuation. The student composes original texts, applying the conventions of written language, including capitalization, punctuation, and penmanship, to communicate clearly.

(5.18) Writing/grammar/usage. The student applies standard grammar and usage to communicate clearly and effectively in writing.

(5.21) Writing/inquiry/research. The student uses writing as a tool for learning and research.

(5.23) Viewing/representing/interpretation. The student understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings.

(5.25) Viewing/representing/production. The student produces visual images, messages, and meanings that communicate with others.

Science:

(5.3) Scientific processes. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions.

(5.9) Science concepts. The student knows that adaptations may increase the survival of members of a species.

(5.12) Science concepts. The student knows that the natural world includes earth materials and objects in the sky.

Technology:

(5.1) Foundations. The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of hardware components, software programs, and their connections.

(5.2) Foundations. The student uses data input skills appropriate to the task.

(5.4) Information acquisition. The student uses a variety of strategies to acquire information from electronic resources, with appropriate supervision.

(5.5) Information acquisition. The student acquires electronic information in a variety of formats, with appropriate supervision.

(5.7) Solving problems. The student uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions to problems.

(5.8) Solving problems. The student uses research skills and electronic communication, with appropriate supervision, to create new knowledge.

(5.10) Communication. The student formats digital information for appropriate and effective communication.

(5.11) Communication. The student delivers the product electronically in a variety of media, with appropriate supervision.