Age of Exploration WebQuest

An 8th Grade Adventure

By

Mr. Ben Wellenreiter

 

 

Introduction

Task

Process

Resources

Evaluation

Conclusion

 

 

Introduction:

     The age of exploration was a fascinating time of history. Europeans were reaching beyond the borders of their continent to unexplored places. One thing that the average people of the day always looked forward to was news from abroad. Hearing about these new places was a source of excitement for everyone. It could mean gold, war, or a new home for people with few other options.

 

    

Task:

As employees of the local newspaper, it is your job to bring accurate, exciting, and easy to read information to the citizens. Today, you are going to be bringing information on the recent voyage of discovery for your selected explorer. After being put in groups of four, you will create a newspaper, complete with headlines, articles, and photos, of your chosen topic. Your topics will be no more and no less than one page, creating a four-page paper. Each person in your group will be responsible for one of the following newspaper sections.

 

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Process:

          1. Front Page/Top News Story - You report the main story of the day:  What is going on, who went, name of leader, how many people went, when did they leave, when did they return, how long were they gone, name of ship, where did they leave from, quote from explorer (can be fictitious), a headline, a byline (who the article is by), and at least one photograph with caption.

 

2. Personality Correspondent - You report on the explorer himself:  Where he was born, childhood, education, how he became an explorer, what he expected to find, his personality, what he did find, life after the journey or how he died on the journey, a headline, a byline (who the article is by) and at least one photograph with caption.

 

3.  Science Correspondent -You report on the science and technology of the trip:  Type of boat used, route traveled, how they navigated, special tools or techniques used, new discoveries along the way (including new cultures, places, or items), a headline, a byline (who the article is by) and at least one photograph with caption.

 

4. Lifestyles Correspondent -You report on the lifestyles of the people who went on these trips:  Food, clothing, daily life, diseases, hardships, who these people were before they traveled, what these people accomplished during the trip, were there any problems with the captain or local people, a headline, a byline (who the article is by) and at least one photograph with caption.

 

 

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Resources:

 

Information on the Explorers themselves

http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/CITE/explorer.htm

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/

http://users.snowcrest.net/jmike/explor.html

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/intro.php

 

Life aboard ship

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/

http://www.bartleby.com/65/sc/scurvy.html

 

Cabot

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/cabot.php

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/8/h8-204-e.html

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/8/h8-205-e.html

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/cabot.html

 

Cartier

http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/cartier.html

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/french.php

 

Champlain

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/c/champlain.shtml

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/french.php

http://www.blupete.com/Hist/BiosNS/1600-00/Champlain.htm

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/8/h8-210-e.html

http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/8/h8-211-e.html

 

 

Columbus

http://www.columbusnavigation.com/

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/columbus.php

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

 

 

Cortez

http://www.sacklunch.net/biography/C/HernanCortez.html

http://www.zum.de/whkmla/military/16cen/cortez15191521.html

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

 

 

Da Gama

http://campus.northpark.edu/history/WebChron/WestEurope/DaGama.html

http://www.mind.net/dlmark/vasco.htm

http://www.iexplore.com/res/explorer_gama.jhtml

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

 

 

Magellan

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/magellan.php

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1519magellan.html (very detailed account)

http://www.studyworld.com/ferdinand_magellan.htm

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/indexc.shtml

Enchanted Learning

 

 

Navigation Methods

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/navmethods.php

http://www.heritage.nf.ca/exploration/navigate.html

 

 

Shipbuilding Technologies

http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/eurvoya/ship.html

http://www.mariner.org/educationalad/ageofex/actv_five_student.php

http://www.proteacher.com/cgi-bin/outsidesite.cgi?external=http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/page/c/caravel.shtml&original=http://www.proteacher.com/090065.shtml&title=Caravel:%20A%20Revolutionary%20Sailing%20Ship

 

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Evaluation:

     Students will be graded individually, with extra-credit based on group cohesiveness and compatibility. The points will be assessed as follows

 

ARTICLE

Points                Requirement

10                             All required information described above is completed, without copy & paste. Proper grammar without sentence fragments.

9                                                               Most required information described above is completed, without copy & paste. Proper grammar without sentence fragments

8                                                               Most required information described above is completed, without copy & paste. A few grammatical errors

7                                                               Some required information described above is completed, without copy & paste. Many grammatical errors

6-0                                                        Basic requirements not fulfilled, information is copied & pasted

 

 

OTHER INFORMATION- Points given if requirement is met

 

POINTS              Requirements

3                                                               Photo Included

2                                                               Caption for photo included

3                               Headline Included

2                                                               Byline included

(5)                                 Possible extra credit for group cohesiveness and compatibility

 

 

Total (without extra credit)

Your points/20

 

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Conclusion:

     As you have now seen, the exploration of unknown places can be filled with danger or laden with rewards. The results of these exploits have forever changed the way we look at the world.

With teamwork and the your savvy internet exploration, you have successfully navigated your way through the unknown to find information and report the adventures and misadventures of some of history’s most fascinating people.

 

 

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