Chapter 5
The Age of Exploration
• Have you ever heard two people describe the same
event from very different points of view.
• Why is there more than one point of view about the
same event.
• read pages 104 and 105
• From whose perspective is this story about first
contact between Renaissance Europe and the Taino
told?
• It is told from the point of view of several Taino
children.
• In what ways might the story be different if it was
told from the point of view of one of the men on
Columbus’s ships
• Figure 5-1
• What do you think Columbus might be doing in this
painting?
• He might be thanking God for success, or claiming the
land for Spain.
• What factors might motivate a society to venture into
unknown regions beyond its borders?
• Brainstorm a list of factors you think might provide such
motivation.
• Answers might include needs such as the need for
precious metals, or strategic military locations; desires
such as the desire for adventure or economic expansion;
and beliefs such as the belief that the human race was
entering a new age, or that Christianity should be spread
around the world.
Section 1: The Desire to Explore
• In this section, students examine the
factors that influence a society to
explore the unknown beyond their
borders.
• They consider to what extent
curiosity and adventure are
motivating factors for exploration.
They also look at other aspects of
worldview that support taking on
such adventures.
• Students consider the role of cause
and effect in understanding
historical events as they examine
the skill of creating timelines.
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Read page 106
“Think It Through”
read pages 107,109
Are you aware of any bartering
systems that exist in the community.
For example, a student might look after
a neighbour’s children in exchange for
free figure skating lessons. Or a parent
who is a hair stylist might offer a
mechanic free haircuts in exchange for
car tune-ups.
Complete the “Skill Power”
• Read aloud “Exploring to Expand the Gold
Supply” on page 110
• How would the desire to attain gold and
silver have motivated individuals and
nations to take risks in exploring unknown
lands?
• read pages 111–113 (stop at “Over to
You”)
• Now I will Divide the class into two groups.
Assign one group “Zoom In” (page 111)
and the other “Exploring Sources” (page
112).
• work individually to read the information
and answer the question.
• When finished partner with a member of
the other group and explain the
information presented in your feature, the
question, and the answer you arrived at.
Section 2: The Means to
Explore
• In this section, you will examine how
Renaissance Europeans’ ideas about the world
were still quite limited, but that people were
more open to change and learning about what
was beyond their known world.
• Their interest and motivation to explore was
supported by technological developments in
navigational tools and ship design. This serves
as an opportunity for students to consider the
importance of motivation, mental outlook, and
means in their own lives.
• read the inquiry focus question and first two
paragraphs on page 114
• (How did the exchange of knowledge and
technology make European exploration possible?)
Venture
Mind-set
Motivation
Means
Complete
a triathlon
personal
accomplish
ment
rewarding
hard work and
myself with
training
a
new bike if I
complete the
triathlon
Go to
university
value lifelong
learning/edu
cation
make a
contribution
to
the medical
community
savings from
part-time jobs,
family-invested
RESP,
scholarships,
student loans
hard work and
discipline
• read the rest of page 114.
• Would knowing the facts about a place make you more likely to want
to go to that place, or would it deter you from going.
• Read aloud the first paragraph on page 116 and we will discuss the
questions asked
• Read on to the end of page 118, and identify the technological
advancement you think would have been the greatest means to
support exploration.
• Brainstorm examples of technology that you take advantage of
regularly—from the light switches in your home to the gears on
your bicycle. See if you can come up with ten examples
• light switches ,video games ,MP3 player, coin-operated candy
Dispenser ,radio/satellite radio, dishwasher ,bicycle gears, hair dryer
computer ,alarm clock ,thermostat, automatic ,sliding door, flush
toilet, car, GPS in car, pencil sharpener ,running water ,microwave
oven ,cash register, batteries ,cellular phone, TV remote control,
VCR/DVD player ,CD player, amusement park rides ,washing
machine/dryer ,electric toothbrush ,can opener ,Internet shopping
photocopier ,elevator/escalator, telephone
European Expansion
• Read aloud the first two paragraphs on
page 120.
• How did the desire and means to
explore in the Renaissance foster an
expansionist worldview?
• In this section you will be looking for
actions taken by Europeans during the
Age of Exploration that reflect an
expansionist worldview.
• As a class, read pages 120-–121.
• examine the routes of the explorers shown in Figure 5-26 on page
120 and, identify some of the dangerous waters and coastlines as
well as difficult climatic conditions the explorers would have faced.
• Discuss the question posed under the map. How might competition
among the various countries have effected their exploration
decisions?
• The Spanish and English were competitors for some years,
especially in the 1600s. France and England ended up as
competitors in the 1700s and early 1800s. This competition did
affect exploration, in contradictory ways. Sometimes, a nation would
avoid another nation’s sphere of operations (eg: the British largely
avoided South America), and other times,nations would compete for
the same territory (e.g., the British and French in North America).
• What role would have the invention of the printing press might have
played in fostering the competition?
• Answer: (As explorers like Columbus sent letters back to Spain, the
printing press allowed the information to be disseminated more
rapidly and beyond the country’s borders, possibly influencing the
exploration decisions of other countries.)
• Read and complete the “Voices” activity on page
121.
• What do the items the artist includes convey
about the attitudes each artist held about the
arrival of Europeans in Africa?
• Students might suggest the following about
Figure 5-27:
• packaged trade goods are stacked in the middle
of the landing boat
• Africans are muscular and partially dressed
• The sculpture, Figure 5-28, might suggest the
following:
• Europeans came relatively without faces
• Europeans came bearing arms
• Think It Through (Page 123)
• How did circumnavigating the globe confirm this
belief in the power of the individual?
• Pico della Mirandola’s comment captures the
Renaissance belief that human accomplishments are
limited only by what we are willing to attempt.
Circumnavigating at that time (1520–22) counts as a
major accomplishment for captain, crew, and nation
• Read “Fast Forward” out loud. Discuss, as a class, the
answer to the first bulleted question.
• Neither the Russian holiday nor Kennedy’s speech
recognizes the great tension that existed between the
USSR and the USA in the late 1950s, the height of the
Cold War. Space exploration might have represented
great human achievement, but the motives were clearly
military.
• 2. What position would you take if you were in charge of
NASA? What criteria would you base your decision on?
• the risk to human health and life would be reduced to zero with
robotic missions
• costs would decrease and payloads would increase dramatically
without humans on board spacecraft because so many systems are
in place simply to sustain human life
• some might argue that unless humans have physically been “there,”
the accomplishment somehow does not fully count
• 3. What do you think motivates astronauts to go on flights
despite the risks? Compare their motives with those of
Renaissance explorers.
• some motives likely overlap with those of Renaissance explorers:
adventure, wonder, risk
• scientific research remains a higher priority for astronauts than it
ever was for Renaissance explorers spreading religious teachings,
or finding new trade routes/markets/sources of raw materials are
clearly not motives for astronauts.