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Curriculum Samples (3-5)
Background:
When Europeans explored the globe during the “Age of Discovery” and began to colonize the countries they had “discovered”, they did so for a number of reasons: to spread Christianity, to reap wealth through trade and exploitation of other countries’ peoples and natural resources, to increase geopolitical power over other European countries, and to acquire land.
This lesson will introduce students to the history of colonialism in North America and the European nations that began the colonization of the “New World”. The students will divide into five groups and research the colonization of North America by the following European nations: England, the Netherlands, France, Russia, and Spain. The students will then present this information to the class and help construct a timeline of these nations’ presence in North America.
Preparation:
- Review the following on the internet:
- The map “Age of Discovery: 1340-1600” at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/shepherd/explorer_map_shepherd.jpg
- The map “European Exploration in the US, 1513-1776, http://www.ancestry.com/search/rectype/reference/maps/freeimages.asp?imageID=203.
- The information on colonialism and colonization at Teacher’sParadise.com (http://www.teachersparadise.com/ency/en/wikipedia/c/co/colonialism.html) or Nationamaster.com (http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/European-colonization-of-the-Americas).
- Set up internet access for at least five groups of students or print out the sections on the British, Dutch, French, Russian, and Spanish colonization of North America found at the Teacher’s Paradise website above.
Student Activity:
- Show the students the “Age of Discovery: 1340-1600” map. Discuss European expansion at this time. Discuss with the students the motivation behind this expansion.
- Have the students examine the “European Expansion” in North America map.
- Divide the students into five groups. Assign to each group the task of researching the colonization of North America by one of the following European states: England, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Spain. Their research should include when the first colony of this state was founded, where this colony was located, the names of other important colonies, the purpose of these colonies or the activities they launched in the “New World”, conflicts or cooperation with indigenous groups, the dates and names of wars or agreements with other European nations, and when the state abandoned colonization activities in North America (if ever).
- After the groups complete this research, ask them to present this information to the entire class. As the students are speaking, construct a timeline on the board with the important dates noted by the students in their presentations.
- Ask the students to compare the motivations of the Europeans to explore and colonize lands with what they know about the traditional values certain American Indian tribes had in connection with the use and occupation of their land. Guide a discussion to help the students identify the basic conflicts between Europeans and Natives over how the land was viewed and used. Be sure to distinguish differences between different European states and the ways they attempted to colonize North America.
- Ask the define and describe colonization in their own words.
Evaluation:
- Evaluate the students’ research to determine if they understand that North America was colonized by different European countries.
- Evaluate how the students work together in groups to research colonization. Observe individual participation.
Resources:
- Colonial America. An Encyclopedia for Integrating US History with Literature in Grades 3-8 http://www.carolhurst.com/subjects/ushistory/colonial.html.
- University of Texas Online Map Library, http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/.
- www.ancestry.com.
- Teacher’s Paradise, www.teachersparadise.com.
- Sewall, Marcia. People of the Breaking Day. New York, NY: Atheneum (1990).
As directed by the Indian land tenure community which created ILTF, the foundation initiated development of curriculum designed for Head Start, K-12, and college students. The purpose of the curriculum is to intellectually reconnect students to the land and raise their awareness of the land’s importance to their past, present, and future. The curriculum is freely available on this site in PDF and HTML format.
Education Strategy: Educate every Indian landowner about Indian land tenure issues so that knowledge becomes power when decisions to create positive futures are made.