Christopher Columbus

Christopher Columbus: Hero or Villain

Click on the link to learn about Christopher Columbus and play the game Rags to Riches

First:  read the information about Columbus

Second: play the rags to riches game- If you win a million dollars, show me!  If not, play until you win.

Third: play the Christopher Columbus Game.  Once you have played the game and have taken the quiz at the end, there will be a certificate.  Show me the certificate so I can see that you finished.

Watch Columbus videos    Create a T-Chart with hero in one column and villain in the other.  As you watch, take notes.  After watching the videos, continue researching online.  

     

Merchants of the Great Exchange

I will again be looking over your essays in class.  Meanwhile, you should be playing Merchants of the Great Exchange.  The simulation takes you through a series of journeys and trades at ports in the eastern parts of the world.  As we study reasons for exploration by Europeans, it is important to note that profit played a huge role.
Click on the following link to play:  Merchants of the Great Exchange

Did Pre-Columbian Native Americans deserve respect?

When Christopher Columbus and other Spanish explorers arrived in the New World, they discovered many civilizations.  Their initial reaction to Native Americans was to assume that they did not have culture, but rather were more like animals and savages than true civilizations.  As a result, Europeans believed that enslaving, taking land, and forcing their religion on the Native Americans would better their situation.  Because Europeans did not recognize or respect Native American cultures, things did not go well.

Your job today is to answer the question, "Did Pre-Columbian Native Americans deserve respect?".
Using your research notes, you will craft a five-paragraph essay to persuade the reader that Pre-Columbian Native Americans either had culture or did not have culture.

Click on the following link to find the outline for the essay.  You can copy it to your Google account to type:  outline

Click on the following link to see an example of how to write the essay:  Example

Click on the following link to see a scoring guide for the essay:  Scoring Guide

Remember, you should have a finished essay on Tuesday, so that you and I can fix any mistakes you may have in your work!

Pre-Columbian Culture Grid

When we study civilizations, it is helpful to examine their culture.  Culture can be divided into  categories in the following way:

Political:  Way of making and enforcing rules/laws.  This can include villages, nations, leaders, governments, and law-making process.

Economic:  How we get what we need and want.  In modern times, this could be going to work, getting paid, and using the money to buy groceries.

Geography:  Landforms, waterbodies, climate, natural resources, etc.  This includes anything that is naturally found in a region.

Social:  Traditions, families, religion, beliefs, values, etc.

Today, we will be studying the many cultures of Native American tribes that existed in North America before the arrival of Columbus- hence the name Pre-Columbian!
In class, we will work together to create a culture grid for the Pacific Coast region, then you will pick a culture area (Great Plains, Eastern, West and Southwest) to complete a culture grid of your own.  In each area of the grid you will have to make at least one inference (a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning) based on what you know about the culture area.  You should have an explanation for every inference you make.
If you were absent today, or you misplaced the grid I gave you in class, click on the following link below to print and complete:   Culture Grid

The culture grid will be due on Monday.

Physical Map of North America

Today, we will be doing a little geography!  In class you should have received a map and instructions for filling it out.  If you were absent or lost the map, click on the following map and print it out.  It is due tomorrow.
Map of North America

Archaeology: Missing Mayans

Click on the following link, collect clues, then write your answer to the question- use evidence to support your answer!

Why did the Mayan city of Copan collapse?

Use archaeology to discover how a great civilization disappeared!

Evaluating Sources

As we’ve seen in the Lunchroom Fight and Snapshot Autobiography lessons, different people often have different accounts of what happened in the past. One question that historians face all the time is who to believe? What makes one account more trustworthy than another?
Today, you will be looking at Primary and Secondary sources to evaluate which might be more reliable?  But be careful, just because a document is a primary source, does not mean it is better!


If you were gone today, or misplaced the assignment, click on the link below, then copy the assignment to a Google Doc and share your answers with me!
Evaluating Sources