Age of Exploration Project

Introduction
Have you ever thought about what it was like to live in a time when North America was being explored? Imagine
that you live now and are researching what life was like for explorers during the Age of Exploration. You are a
member of the Smithsonian Museum staff and you are assigned to make an informational brochure and a project
to include in a new museum wing. Which explorer will you research? What kind of project will best represent his
exploration? Get ready for an exciting journey into exploration history!

Task
Imagine that you have just been chosen to be part of an important committee. The Smithsonian Museum has
just decided to celebrate the exploration of North America by creating a museum wing. The new wing will display
items that represent the reasons and outcomes of exploration. Your job as a committee member is to create an
informational brochure and a project for the museum wing and to present them to the Smithsonian for approval.
To create the items for your new wing, you will use information about the early explorers of North America from
the Internet and from class resources. Throughout your presentation, you will need to persuade your class that
your items belong in the museum wing.

Process
Read through all of the directions below before beginning your research, brochure and project. Refer to the
evaluation page as you complete each step to make sure that you are completing the assignments correctly.
USE THE FOLLOWING PAGES AS A CHECKLIST FOR YOUR PROJECT!

1. Each of you must choose one of the following explorers to research for your brochure and project:

Ferdinand Magellan (1519) William Baffin (1616

Amerigo Vespucci (1454-1512) Jacques Marquette (1673)
Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca (1490-1557) Louis Jolliet (1673)
Giovanni De Verrazano (1524) Sieur (Robert) de La Salle (1682)
Leif Eriksson (1000) Vitus Bering (1728-1741)
Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) (1497) Sir Alexander Mackenzie (1789)
Vasco Nunez de Balboa (1513) Pedro Alvarez Cabral (1500)
Ponce de Leon (1513) Francisco Orellana (1541)
Hernando Cortes (1519-1521) Willem C. Schouten (1615)
Jacques Cartier (1534) Juan Bautista de Anza (1736-1788)
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado (1540-1542) Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1539-1583)
Hernando de Alarcon (1540) Baron Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859)
Hernando de Soto (1541) Eric the Red (986)
Martin Frobisher (1576) Pedro Menendez de Aviles (1560)
Samuel de Champlain (1604)
Henry Hudson (1610)
2. Each person should copy and paste the items below into a Word document so that you will have a place to
record the information you gather about your explorer. Write in complete sentences with as much detail as you
can.

Your Name:
Name of Explorer:
Country Represented:
Time of Exploration:
Why was the voyage undertaken?
Challenges faced:
Evidence of Persistence and/or Risk-Taking:
Results of Exploration:

3. Use the following websites to help you get started gathering information about your explorer. If they do
NOT work, just do a Google search for your person. You are also strongly encouraged to use your textbooks.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/
http://www.snowcrest.net/jmike/explor.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/4034/timeline2.html
http://vlib.iue.it/history/USA/ERAS/discovery.html
http://www.win.tue.nl/~engels/discovery/alpha.html
http://www.kidport.com/Reflib/usahistory/Explorers/Explorers.htm - The Explorers

4. Now take the information on your worksheet to make a brochure about your explorer. Refer to the rubric to
make sure that you include everything you should.

5. Create a map showing the route(s) of your explorer, including places of departure and destination. Your
map should include a title, a map key, country and territory names, and should be easily read by others.

6. Now it is time to choose a project of your explorer. You need to choose one that will best help you illustrate
your explorer, his purpose, and the results of his exploration. Here are your choices:

Make a model of a ship an explorer might have used to travel to the New World. For your class presentation you
could tell about the different parts of the ship and how you made the ship or you could tell about the different roles
of the various crew members.

Create a Newspaper Article that advertises for ship crew members to travel to the New World. Be sure to list the
job requirements. Design your article to make the opportunity sound exciting and enticing as you present it to the
class.

Write a letter from the perspective of an explorer who is traveling to the New World. Describe your experiences,
feelings, hope, worries and problems. Read your letter for your class presentation.

Research and read about several common constellations used in navigation by the explorer. Tell how the stars
helped the explorer to determine direction, etc. Explain your findings for your class presentation.

Create a Game about "Sense of Smell" using different spices from the Far East. Have your classmates work in
groups to try to determine the names of the spices by their smells for your presentation.

Write and perform a skit about an explorer's journey to the New World. The performance must reflect knowledge
of the actual event. Two to four people may be involved. The skit should not last longer than five minutes.

Make up your own sea chantey (song) or create new words for a familiar tune. Use vocabulary words distinctive
of the explorers of the time. Perform the song for the class in person or play it on CD player or from the Internet.

Construct a realistic Salt Dough Model of the ocean travel routes to the New World. Be sure to make your project
colorful and label the countries, oceans, and routes. Bring your map to display.

See Me option

7. Now it is time to present your poster and project to the class. Remember, the class will decide
whether your work will be included in the new museum wing.

Work days in class with Internet access: Thurs. 2/14, Fri. 2/15, Mon. 2/18
Presentations: Tues. 2/19 & Wed. 2/20 (Overflow on Thurs. 2/21, if needed?)
Project Evaluation Name: ______________________ Explorer: _____________________

Beginning Developing Accomplished Exemplary Score

1 2 3 4
Student chose
It appears the Student chose
project with some
student chose Student chose project appropriately
Project Choice thought of their
the project project appropriately to represent their
explorer, but other
randomly, to represent their explorer and every
options would have
without thought explorer. detail was evident of
been a better
of their explorer. this.
representation.
Information is
Information is very
Organization The information relatively Information is
organized with well-
appears to be organized, but organized with well-
constructed points
disorganized. points are not well- constructed points.
and sub points.
constructed.
Required All required
Elements All but 1 of the All required elements are
Several required
required elements elements are included on the
elements were
is included on the included on the poster as well as
missing.
poster. poster. additional
information.
Many items of Almost all items of All items of
Labels Labels are too importance on the importance on the importance on the
small to view OR poster are clearly poster are clearly poster are clearly
no important labeled with labels labeled with labels labeled with labels
items were that can be read that can be read that can be read
labeled. from at least 3 ft. from at least 3 ft. from at least 3 ft.
away. away. away.
Most graphics are All graphics are
Graphics- Graphics do not related to the topic related to the topic
Some graphics
Relevance relate to the and most make it and all make it
relate to the topic.
topic. easier to easier to
understand. understand.
The project is The project is
The project is
Attractiveness distractingly exceptionally
acceptably The project is
messy or very attractive in terms of
attractive though it attractive in terms of
poorly designed. design, layout, and
may be a bit messy design, layout, and
It is not neatness. Evidence
and not well neatness.
appealing to the of extra design
thought out.
eye. thought put in.
It appears as if Student exhibits Student exhibits no
Student exhibits few
Content the student did many mistakes in mistakes in content
mistakes in content
Knowledge- minimal research content accuracy accuracy and
accuracy and
Accuracy on their explorer and appears to appears to have
appears to have
and did not fully only have read one read multiple
read two sources.
read all facts. source. sources.

Comments: Total: _____ / 28

Brochure Evaluation Name: ______________________ Explorer: __________________________

Criteria 5 3 1

1. Brochure needs to include the following information about the explorer:

Name and country represented and the exploration date(s)

Pictures from book, Internet, or Encyclopedia

Map of route (an ORIGINAL map)

Time period

Sources

2. Describe or show in a creative way the following:

Why voyage was undertaken

Evidence of persistence/risk taking

Results of exploration

3. Organized in a neat, creative, and original way

4. Spelling and grammar are correct

Comments: Score: _____ / 20

Final Score Breakdown:

Evaluation: _____ / 28 points x 2 = _____ / 56 points

Brochure: _____ / 20 points x 2 = _____ / 40 points

Sources: _____ / 2 points x 2 = _____ / 4 points

Project Total: _____ / 100 points

Overall Comments:

Conclusion
Congratulations on completing your museum projects! By completing your brochure and project you have
learned important things about the exploration of the New World. You have also learned how
to create projects that represent important facts. Next time you visit a museum, look at the displays and think
about why the museum staff decided to include it in the museum. What period of history does it represent?
What important facts does it try to convey? Do you think you would like to work in a museum? Why or why
not?