S+McAfee,+Kristen

** E-mail: ** starangel1983@hotmail.com
 * Teacher:** Mrs. Tripp
 * Office:** Room 8
 * Office Phone:** 207-660-5649
 * Office Hours:** Tuesdays 2pm-4pm & Thursdays 2pm-4pm

=Summary of Unit= This unit is designed to help students better understand the Age of Discovery and the influences that countries had on each other and the“New World” inhabitants. By exploring the motivations and influences people had in the past, during the Age of Discovery, students will begin to understand how important sharing and communication is between peoples throughout the world in the present. This unit is also designed to provide evidence to students about the different perspectives of those involved in and affected by exploration during the Age of Discovery.

=Establish Goals= Maine Learning Results. E. History E1: Historical Knowledge, concepts, themes & patterns Grades 6-8: Americas to 1600: European exploration and settlement Students understand major eras, major enduring themes, and historic influences in the history of Maine, the United States, and various regions of the world. = =

=Students will understand that= •Europeans were inspired to explore and settle the Americas due, in part, to late Medieval encounters and ideas of the early Renaissance. •Only some of the European countries were involved in exploration and/or settlement of the Americas •the impact of exploration and settlement was significant for both Europeans AND Native Americans.

= = =Essential Questions= • How did Medieval encounters and Renaissance ideas lead to the exploration and settlement of the Americas? • Why were there only certain European countries exploring and settling the Americas after the late 1400s? • How did exploration and settlement affect the Natives? The Europeans?

= = =Students will know= • Important events and people: Important explorers: Columbus, Cabot, Magellan, Cortes, Cartier, De Gama, Price Henry the Navigator. Important Rulers during the Age of Discovery: Isabella & Ferdinand, John I, Manuel I. • Sequence and Timelines: Who came first for explorers? Who settled where and when? When did important voyages and other events take place? • Definitions: Medieval Period, Renaissance, influences, perspective, communication, motivations, astrolabe, compass, quadrant, Reconquista

= = =Students will be able to= •Describe the reasons each of the prominent European countries conducted voyages of discovery. 1& 2 •Illustrate the function and uses of the different tools provided by late Medieval encounters and ideas provided by the early Renaissance. 1 •use the information provided about the Europeans nations involved to understand what took place once they landed/colonized. 2 & 3 •compare & contrast the motivations of each European Explorer/ruler who conducted voyages of exploration. 2 •imagine and understand the feelings of the Natives and Europeans involved in exploration and settlement. 3 •Reflect upon the reasons for and the consequences of the voyages of discovery for each country's ruler, explorer and those they encountered. 1,2, & 3

**Performance Task Overview** The creators of The History Channel are eager to begin streaming their new podcast which will be featured on their website later this year. They intend for this new site to bring in new young historical enthusiasts. They are asking any interested applicants to write and create a podcast about the “Age of Discovery” that would engage teens and young adults. You are a historian who would love to become part of the History Channel team. To create this podcast you must make sure that you adhere to the following guidelines: Your task is to write and record a historically accurate story which follows one European nation. Make sure to include the reasons for the expedition. You are asked to identify who the European ruler is and who the explorer is. Make sure you include why he has been sent and what type of crew and provisions/tools he takes with him. Identify and explain any Native encounters the explorer has in the “New World”. It is important to include the type of impact this explorer has on the Native Americans and the future of the “New World”. Remember the use of first person point of view tends to be more engaging.

The History Channel anxiously awaits your submission. Good Luck!

=Expectations=
 * Absences** – Absences happen and I understand. Please make sure that the school has been informed of your absence so you are excused. If you are sick/unable to attend class, please check the class blog/wiki to find any visual organizers and activities that you missed. The blog/wiki will be kept current so you miss as little as possible. If you do not have access to a computer while you are out, please contact me as soon as you return to school. You should understand that any class activities you miss must be made up and together you and I will negotiate a plan to help you get the work done in a timely fashion.


 * Requirements for assignments** – Your handwritten papers must be legible. I don’t know what you know if I can’t read it. Correct grammar and spelling are required. Please take the time to look your papers over. If need be, use Microsoft Word to check over your work for errors.


 * Plagiarism** – Plagiarism is not tolerated in this class, in this school or in this country. Therefore, it is best if you follow directions. You must request to use digital media and you must specify you have done so on the wiki, blog or podcast post you create. Chicago style footnotes and notations are required for written material such as physical papers and/or internet postings. We will spend time going over this in class. Footnotes and citations are required if you are quoting directly OR using someone else’s idea. The first paper you turn in that is plagiarized will be returned to you for correction and must be handed in with the appropriate corrections for the next class period else you face a zero. If the corrections have been made you will only lose 10% of your paper grade. This will only happen once. If you turn in a second plagiarized paper you will not receive credit. If you have questions about this policy please see me. I would rather have you take the time with me to get it right than see you get a failing grade on a paper. Together we can make sure that plagiarism is not a problem for you.

=Benchmarks= You will be able to earn up to 500 points for the unit. Here is how the points are divided:


 * Quizzes (25pts each)** - There will be two short quizzes to make sure we’re all on the same page with the information we’re learning in class.
 * Quiz #1: The first quiz will be over lessons 1, 2 & 3 and will assess the students' knowledge of the influences European nations had on each other which made exploration possible: What tools did they have and where did they come from? What kind of ships did they have and how were these more seaworthy? What kind of maps did they have and who from? Students will also be expected to know the motivations of each of the European nations to send explorers to investigate new waters/lands. Who wanted to expand their nation? Who wanted to find a trade route to the Indies? Who wanted riches? Who wanted to spread the word of God? Lastly students will need to know the effects of exploration on the European countries/explorers/rulers and the rest of the world. Columbus discovered America - how did that effect Spain? How did it effect other European nations? How did it effect people's vision of the world?
 * Quiz #2: The second quiz will be given to assess student understanding of interactions between European explorers/settlers and Native Americans. Students will be assessed on their knowledge of different European interactions with the Natives in the "New World." Who worked along side the Natives and lived peaceably? Who decimated the Natives because of their quest for gold and glory?


 * Blog entries (25pts)** - Your blog entries will show your understanding and progress for the lessons you are being taught. I expect you to make a blog entry after each class period about your understanding of the lesson taught that day. There will also be progressive blog entries required during certain lessons. In lesson 1 you will be required to make three blog posts to show the progress you've made in learning about your topic that has to do with innovations and ideas of the 15th century. You will also be asked to write one blog posting during the impact lesson about Native American interactions with Europeans to show that you understand what happened to the Native Americas and which European nation had the greatest impact.


 * Glogster (50pts)** – Your group will create a glogster that illustrates your learning about Renaissance innovations and ideas and how they aided in the Age of Discovery. Each group will be assigned a certain innovation to showcase in their glogster. Cartography, navigation and ship building and innovations are the topics each group could have for a glogster topic. Your glogster must contain the following elements: pictures and text are required along with two more more sound or video clips about your innovation/idea. Make sure to use your 5W chart to help you figure out what is important about your assigned innovation/idea.


 * [|Museum box] (50pts)** - Students will be divided up into groups. Each group will study one European country: France, England, Spain or Portugal. Your group will have to create a museum box which highlights ALL of the following information. What country are you researching? Who were the rulers of your country during the Age of Exploration? Who were the explorers who explored for your country? Why did these explorers go on mission of discovery? Where did they go? What did they discovery and/or contribute to your country?. The museum box should cover all of these questions in a creative manner. Museum box allows you to use music/podcasts, video, pictures and written text to describe your topic. Feel free to make use of these creative features. You must use two or more of these features to get full credit on the project. This will be your assessment over lesson #2.

[|Interactive Map (Google Earth)] (50pts) Each student will create a Google Earth tour and record the information about the different explorers from the Age of Discovery. Create a pin for each explorer, tell where they were from, for whom they were sailing, where they went and why they went. You are required to highlight the following explorers: Christopher Columbus, Jaques Cartier, John Cabot & Vasco De gama. Students are encouraged to include any other prominent explorers such as Prince Henry the Navigator, Pedro Cabral, Hernan Cortes, Ferdinand Magellan, Francisco Pizzaro, Ponce De Leon, Hernando Desoto, Cabeza de Vaca ect. This will be your assessment over lesson #3.


 * [|ComicLife] (50pts)** – Each student will create a ComicLife that assess their understanding of European motivations for exploration. Their comic should demonstrate their ability to compare and contrast the differing European motivations to explore and settle in the Americas. Did they explore for trade? Did they explore to find gold? Did they explore for glory of their nation? Did they explore due to religious persecution? Make sure you tell your audience, through your comic, which nation is the " villain" and which one is the "hero" during the Age of Discovery. This will be your assessment over lesson #4.

EXAMPLE: "Dear Queen Isabella, I am a crew member who arrived in the Indies on Columbus's first voyage. I am lucky to have survived this long, as the Natives are absolutely vengeful towards us. Your majesty, it seems that some of the men on the crew have harmed some of the Native women and are disturbing the Native burial grounds. This is angering these normally gentle people. I do believe that we need to understand these people better so we do not anger them further and endanger any more lives. Please send word to Admiral Columbus about my concerns as he will not listen to me. Sincerely, Kristen Tripp.
 * Persuasive Letter (25pts )** – Each student will write a letter which demonstrates their understanding of the impact of European exploration upon the Native Ameircan populations. Students will write a letter to the ruler or a prominent figure in either France, England, Portugal or Spain. You are either a Native American or a European crew member in the "New World." You are observing the other people in the exploration party and how they interact with the Native Americans. You are also witnessing the moods, emotions and physical health of the Native Americans during your stay. Do they seem happy to have you here? Are they aggressive towards you/anyone? What are your observations about these people? How does it make you feel? How do you want the reader of your letter to feel about the impact upon the Native Americans? Your letter will be Part I of your assessment for lesson #5.

EXAMPLE:
 * Word collage (25pts)** In addition to writing your letter about your feelings about the impact of exploration on the Native Americans you must also create a collage of your key points from your persuasive letter and ideas. Create your collage using [|Wordle]. Wordle makes a collage out of your words and the more the word is used the bigger your word becomes. What are the "big" words in your letter? Do these words have significance to your point? What is the significance of your "big" words? Your word collage is Part 2 of your assessment for lesson #5.

These are the words from my persuasive letter. People, Native and Crew seem to be my big ideas. How do these words demonstrate the impact of the voyage. Who or what seems to be important? Why?


 * Written Story/Script for Podcast (50pts)** – For the final lesson of this unit you will be assigned to research one explorer from the Age of discovery. Your assignment is to to write the story of your European explorer as if you were a historian writing your story for the History Channel's new podcast series: The Age of Discovery. This story should explore your explorer’s point of view, that of the ruler who sent them and that of the Native inhabitants where the explorer landed. This story will require research and credit must be given to your sources. We will spend a significant amount of time discussing how to do footnotes and a work cited page. This written story is only one third of your final assessment for the unit.


 * Podcast (50 pts)** – You must record your Age of Discovery explorer story to a podcast using either [|Audacity] or [|Garageband]. Remember, you have a professonal audience from the History Channel listening to and judging your piece. You want to be considered for their podcast series so you must do a good job! You have to speak in your podcast as one or all of your characters. Feel free to get your classmates, friends or family members to help you with the other voices if you wish. In addition to doing voice recordings of your story, you’re encouraged to use music and sound effects to enhance your story. You can use battle sounds, ocean waves, historical music or music that will help emotions come across in your piece. Be creative and entertaining but also historically accurate! This podcast is only one third of your final assignment for the unit.


 * Presentation of Podcast/research (50pts)** – You will be asked to present your podcast story to the creators of the History Channel. During this presentation you will tell the creators of the History Channel about your research and what you enjoyed and or found interesting. Also, tell your audience about your creation. Are there any disclaimers or words that should be defined? Make sure that you speak clearly, are well prepared, use appropriate vocabulary, show understanding of your content, demonstrate enthusiasm and establish good eye contact and enthusiasm during your presentation. Show the creators of the History Channel that your excited and show them why you and your product are the best choice for their new podcast series! This is only one third of your final assignment for the unit.


 * Participation (25pts)** – You will be asked by the teacher to join in class discussions about the Age of Explorations. You will be expected to tell what you know about explorers, European nations and Native Inhabitants who were involved in the age of discovery. I hope that you would feel comfortable enough to participate in class discussion as it aids in my ability to understand what you know and what I need to help you and your classmates understand. There will be two outdoor excursions during this unit. You are expected to participate as it is part of your learning experience and it will help you to understand the world around you and the world in which the people we are discussing lived. Lastly there will be several group activities during this unit. You are required to work with your group and share the information you know and help in any final product that is required of your group. Your participation is needed else you will not learn the material.

=Grading Scale= **A** (93 -100), **A-** (90 - 92), **B+** (87 - 89), **B** (83 - 86), **B-** (80 - 82), **C+**(77 - 79), **C** (73-76),**C-** (70 - 72), **D+**(67 - 69), **D** (63 - 66), **D-** (60 - 62), **F** (0 - 59).