Christopher Columbus Sails the Ocean Blue in 1492

Introduction

Christopher Columbus and the Columbian Exchange

 

Directions: This webquest will will focus on one of the world's most famous explorer, Christopher Columbus, and his impact on the Columbian Exchange.

In this Webquest you will be learning about Christopher Columbus and his journey to the Americas.  You will learn about the reason for his quest, whom tasked him with it, and the journey overseas. You will also learn about the ships used for travel and the items traded with the natives.  Afterwards, we will discuss the impact on history and the world.

   The Columbian Exchange refers to a period of cultural and biological exchanges between the New and Old Worlds.  Exchanges of plants, animals, diseases and technology transformed European and Native American ways of life. 

Task


Your Task: Through primary source analysis, you will be exploring the route taken to discover the New World. You will also be anaylzing the impact of the Columbian Exchange on Africans, Europeans, and Native Americans. You will be evaluating who benefited most from trade and the exchange of different cultures.

Process

Process: The links below will take you to two different sets of primary source documents ranging from charts and statistics to letters and news articles. Each page has its own set of corresponding questions. You may choose to work individually or in pairs. 

Hyperlinks are in red. 
How do you submit your work? Open a word document and save it as "(Your last name) Columbian Exchange Webquest"

Label the different sections with the heading in blue. Type your answers, in your own words. Label the questions with number, no need to retype the question.

Expedition

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primaryhistory/famouspeople/christopher_columbus/

1. Where did he depart from?

2. What was the goal of the expedition?

3. Who funded his journey?

4. When did he depart? How long did his journey take?

5. What hardships did he experience during his travels?

Next Step: Make a list of some of the things necessary in order to spend over two months at sea.

 

The Ship: Go through the simulation for Columbus.

http://exploration.marinersmuseum.org/wp-content/themes/agesofex/games/explorer/ 

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1. What were the names of the ships in the expedition?

2. Who were the captains of the ships?

3. Include a picture of his Ship.

The Journey

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xtUFNdTUVw

 

Next Step: Watch the video to explore what a vessel looked like in those days.

1. If you sailed around the world, what characteristics would you want your boat to have? 

http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/christopher-columbus

1. What places did he visit before reaching America?

2. Where did he land in America? Where did he think he was?

3. Include a map detailing his expedition.

 4. If he sailed from Spain, why didn’t the Spaniards colonize the Americas?)

 

Interactive: Merchants of the Great Exchange

http://ageofex.marinersmuseum.org/index.php?page=activities

1. What goods did you exchange?

2. Where did you travel first? Did you encounter any difficulties? What happened at this location?

3. Where did you travel second? Did you encounter any difficulties? What happened at this location?

4. Where did you travel third? Did you encounter any difficulties? What happened at this location?

The Columbian Exchange

http://public.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/hist106web/site19/

1. List 5 items brought from the Old World to the New World.

2. List 5 items brought from the New World to the Old World.

3. List 2 diseases brought from the Old World to the New World.

4. List 2 technologies brought from the Old World to the New World.

5. Next Step: If you were going on a journey like Columbus's, what are three goods you would bring with you to trade? Why?

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Evaluation

Yea!! You did it!

You will be evaluated using a rubric and a short quiz.

Use the following link to access the quiz.

http://goo.gl/forms/erZF4lY9QddLeQW13

 

Evaluation Rubric

 

Beginning 1

Developing 2

Very Good 3

Exemplary 4

Answering Questions

Answered few questions correctly, missing more than 5.

Answered some questions correctly, but missed more than 2.

Answered almost all questions correctly, except 1 or 2.

Answered all questions correctly. Wrote answers neatly.

How well did you work?

Did not work quietly. Did not respect the children working around you.

Worked quietly some of the time, but talked too much.

Worked quietly most of the time. Respected the children around you most of the time.

Concentrated on the project. Respected the children working around you.

Writing

Writing was not in depth and lacked vital information. Contained many spelling or grammar errors.

Writing answered questions, but lacked thorough explanation. Contained some spelling or grammar errors.

Writing was in depth and thoughtful. Contained few spelling or grammar errors.

Writing was in depth and thoughtful. Contained no spelling or grammar errors.

Conclusion

You have learned a lot on your journey back in time. Christopher Columbus discovered America more than 500 years ago. You discovered the reason for his exploration, what he discovered, the journey he took, the ships used, and the items traded. Because of Columbus' journey we now are able to enjoy a wide variety of foods, plants, and livestock. Image result for columbus

Credits

By Ms. Watson

6th Grade Social Studies

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Teacher Page

I created this webquest to help meet the needs of my aspiring young explorers.  They need more challenging work and a way to interact with technology.

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