Ms. Traore's 6th World Cultures & Geography I Course
Overview
The Unit of Study that all of my sources are
centered around is the Columbian Exchange. The term “Columbian Exchange” was coined by
Alfred W. Cosby to describe the transcontinental movement of goods, plants,
institutions, and diseases between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. The term was named after Christopher Columbus
because his voyage to the Americas united the Old and New Worlds. With Columbus, arrived plants, domesticated
animals, diseases, and resources that were foreign to the Americas. When Columbus returned to Spain, he took with
him plants, crops, and resources that did not exist in Europe. This movement became the world’s first
worldwide exchange of items between Europe, Africa, Asia, and the
Americas. The Columbian Exchange is
still relevant because it permanently connected the two hemispheres through
trade. Due to the Columbian Exchange, we
now have a global society.
The instructional resources that I chose will
supplement the text that is currently used by the Prince George’s County, National Geographic: World Cultures and
Geography. The resources were chosen
because their content is accessible for a class of mixed ability readers. The resources were chosen because they
directly relate to the learning outcomes for the unit. My students will be expected to use their knowledge
of reading strategies, text features, research, and analysis to conduct an
in-depth study of the sources.
Trade
Books
1. Yolen, J. (1996). Encounter.
San Diego: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich Publishers.
This trade book was
chosen because it is a fictional account of the first encounter between the
Taino Indians of San Salvador and Christopher Columbus and his crew. I believe
my students will find the story interesting because it is told through the eyes
of a young, Taino boy. In the story,
the boy has a dream about Christopher Columbus and tries to warn the elders
about his true motives for being on the island.
Eventually, Columbus succeeds in his conquest of the Taino and life was
never the same for them. I think my
students will be able to relate to the little boy in the story. Oftentimes, adults do not take the warnings
of children seriously because of their age and lack of life experiences. After
reading this book, my students will be able to describe the first interactions
between the Taino Indians and Christopher Columbus in 1493.
2. Conrad,
P. (1992) Pedro’s Journal: A Voyage with
Christopher Columbus, August 3, 1492-February 14, 1493. Scholastic
Publishers.
This trade book was chosen because my
students will learn about the adventures of Pedro de Salcedo, a sea hand aboard
Christopher Columbus’s Santa Maria, to the New World. This book will be engaging for my students
because they will be able to gain insight about Columbus’s nature and his
attitude through the perspective of a young boy. After reading this book, my students will be
able to describe the life of a sea hand on a voyage to the Americas. They will also be able to describe how
Christopher Columbus was viewed by his workers.
Videos
3.
Course, C. (2012, June
28). The Columbian Exchange: Crash Course World History #23 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPA5oNpfM4.
The video was chosen for my
students because it is an entertaining and informative resource about the
Columbian Exchange. The narrator has
personality and uses simple terminology to inform his audience about Alfred W.
Cosby’s book, The Columbian Exchange.
The narrator breaks the Columbian Exchange up into four categories:
disease, animals, plants, and people. He
discusses the effects of each category on the world’s population of peoples,
technology, agriculture, and culture.
The video also includes pictures, diagrams, and simulations to
supplement his discussion. Mr. Green
closes with some focus questions that could be used to encourage discussion
about the Columbian Exchange. After watching this video, I will facilitate a
discussion about the context of the term “Columbian Exchange”. My students will have to explain the
difference between Alfred Cosby’s definition and the modern context of the
term.
4.
BrainPop. (n.d.). The Columbian
Exchange. http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/columbianexchange.
My students will view this video because
it provides a good summary about the Columbian Exchange. My students enjoy BrainPop’s animated videos
and the activities that accompany them.
I will use the video in my unit of study on the Columbian Exchange
because it explains the decline of the Pre-Columbian civilizations and Europe’s
rise to global dominance because of the Columbian Exchange. It also discusses the positive and negative
ideas and items that were traded between the Americas, Africa, and Europe. The
video concludes by discussing the cultural impact of the Columbian Exchange on
our world today. After viewing this
video, my students will be to explain how the Columbian Exchange impacted the
Pre-Columbian civilizations that existed during the time of Christopher
Columbus’s arrival to the Americas. They
will also be able to explain how the Columbian Exchange impacted Europe.
Journal/ Periodical
Articles
5.
Cohen, R. (August
2013). Sugar Love. National Geographic Magazine.
My students will read this article because it
provides a short history about sugar.
The article explains the origin of sugar and its uses throughout history. By reading the article, my students will
learn about the positive and negative meanings of sugar throughout the
times. They will also learn about the
connections between sugar and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The article concludes by discussing the
health implications of using sugar in the human diet. After reading this article, my students will
be able to explain the link between Christopher Columbus, sugar production, and
the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
My
students will read this article because it explains how the Columbian
Exchange has made us a global society.
The article also examines the biological, cultural, and economic
effects of the Columbian Exchange. By
reading the article, my students will be able to discuss the impact of the
Columbian Exchange of today’s global economy. They will also be able to
produce a table that describes the biological, cultural, and economic effects
of the Columbian Exchange on the Columbian Exchange.
Websites
6. Mann, C. C. (August 2011). The Real Story
of Globalization. The Wall Street Journal, 1-7.
My
students will read this article because it explains how the Columbian
Exchange has made us a global society.
The article also examines the biological, cultural, and economic
effects of the Columbian Exchange. By
reading the article, my students will be able to discuss the impact of the
Columbian Exchange of today’s global economy. They will also be able to
produce a table that describes the biological, cultural, and economic effects
of the Columbian Exchange on the Columbian Exchange.
7. Diamond, J. (2014, October 01). Guns, Germs, and
Steel. Retrieved from pbs.org:
http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/index.html
My
students use this website because it provides a wealth of resources about the
variables that influenced the success of the European conquest throughout the
world, specifically in the Americas.
The website features informative videos, pictures, and interactive
features that my students can use to learn more about the impact of weapons,
domesticated animals, and disease on human societies. By exploring the website, my students will
be to explain how the five themes of geography influence the growth or
decline of human societies. They will also
be able to describe the means how the Spanish empire was able to conquer the
Americas.
7. Diamond, J. (2014, October 01). Guns, Germs, and
Steel. Retrieved from pbs.org:
http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/index.html
My
students use this website because it provides a wealth of resources about the
variables that influenced the success of the European conquest throughout the
world, specifically in the Americas.
The website features informative videos, pictures, and interactive
features that my students can use to learn more about the impact of weapons,
domesticated animals, and disease on human societies. By exploring the website, my students will
be to explain how the five themes of geography influence the growth or
decline of human societies. They will also
be able to describe the means how the Spanish empire was able to conquer the
Americas.
8. Eliza Kingsbury, L. M. (2005-2014). APWH 1450-1750. Retrieved from 1450- 1750: http://www2.newcanaan.k12.ct.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=5155&
My
students will use this website learn more about the Age of Exploration, the
Spanish Monarch, the Columbian Exchange, and the Transatlantic Slave
Trade. The website has a vocabulary
section that provides a brief description of the content specific terms that
are used in the readings. It also has
primary sources such as pictures and maps from that period. The website also features other links my
students can use to learn more about these topics. By exploring this website, my students will
be able to explain how the advances in Science and mapmaking allowed
Christopher Columbus to sail westward in search of a shorter route to
Asia. In his search for Asia,
Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas, thus beginning the first
exchange between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
My
students will use this website learn more about the Age of Exploration, the
Spanish Monarch, the Columbian Exchange, and the Transatlantic Slave
Trade. The website has a vocabulary
section that provides a brief description of the content specific terms that
are used in the readings. It also has
primary sources such as pictures and maps from that period. The website also features other links my
students can use to learn more about these topics. By exploring this website, my students will
be able to explain how the advances in Science and mapmaking allowed
Christopher Columbus to sail westward in search of a shorter route to
Asia. In his search for Asia,
Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas, thus beginning the first
exchange between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
Bibliography
BrainPop. (n.d.). The Columbian Exchange. http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/columbianexchange.
BrainPop. (n.d.). The Columbian Exchange. http://www.brainpop.com/socialstudies/worldhistory/columbianexchange.
Cohen, R. (August 2013). Sugar Love. National Geographic
Magazine.
Conrad, P. (1992). Pedro's Journal: A Voyage with
Christopher Columbus, August 3, 1492- February 14, 1493. Scholastic.
Course, C. (2012, June 28). The Columbian Exchange: Crash
Course World History #23 . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQPA5oNpfM4.
Diamond, J. (2014, October 01). Guns, Germs, and Steel.
Retrieved from pbs.org: http://www.pbs.org/gunsgermssteel/index.html
Eliza Kingsbury, L. M. (2005-2014). APWH 1450-1750.
Retrieved from 1450- 1750:
http://www2.newcanaan.k12.ct.us/education/components/scrapbook/default.php?sectiondetailid=5155&
Mann, C. C. (August 2011). The Real Story of Globalization.
The Wall Street Journal, 1-7.
Yolen, J. (1996). Encounter. San Diego: Harcourt,
Brace, Jovanovich Publishers.
