Early Explorers of America

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Early Explorers of America
They Changed the World!

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Introduction

• Many brave men, the early explorers, left their
  homes in search of something more and in doing so
  they changed our way of life. This was the
  beginning of the recorded history of the United
  States of America. It also marked the beginning
  of global trade and cultural exchanges that would
  alter the lives of people around the world.

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Task

• You wake up one morning feeling a little sick to
  your stomach. As you open your eyes, the first
  thing you see is the bright blue sky above you.
  It takes you several minutes to process that you
  are not in your bed, but actually aboard a ship
  in the middle of the ocean. Will anyone believe
  you?
• Your task is to gather information about
  who you are sailing with, where you are going,
  and why. With a partner, you will research an
  early explorer, assigned by your teacher. You
  will then give an oral PowerPoint presentation
  teaching the class about your explorer, while at
  the same time trying to persuade the class that
  your explorer did the most to change our way of
  life. We will also have a class discussion about
  how we can use what we learned from these early
  explorers to make a difference in our world.

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Process

• Research your explorer by reading the websites
  listed
• Document biographical information about the
  explorer
• Identify where they explored and why
• Keep a travel log about your journey and cite
  important events that occurred
• Investigate and present the reactions, good or
  bad, of the native inhabitants
• Explain how your explorer changed the world
• Present ideas, based upon examples you have seen,
  how you can make a difference in this world

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Resources

• Information about all explorers
• Pictures of explorers
• European explorers
• Conquistadors
• Biographies of explorers
• Portions of Columbus diary
• Additional information about all explorers
• If you have extra time, you can go to here for
  activities and quizzes

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Evaluation

• You will be graded on your oral presentation and
  power point presentation.
• http//www.uen.org/Rubric/rubric.cgi?rubric_id179
  27
• This is the rubric that your oral presentation
  will be evaluated on.

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Conclusion

• You have just traveled back in time and
  researched the life of a famous explorer. I hope
  you will never forget about the men and the
  adventures they went through to get us where we
  are today. You have seen the difference their
  explorations have made. Can you make a difference
  also?