The Columbian Exchange
Writing Assignment
The Atlantic Ocean once kept the Americas
separated from the rest of the world. After
Columbus, the ocean was like a highway
connecting the Americas to Europe, Asia, and
Africa. What was exchanged? How did the
Columbian Exchange change life for people on
these continents? Use at least three examples to
support your ideas.
Grabber
Your first sentence should grab the
attention of your readers. You could
ask a question to make them start
thinking about what you are going to
write about. You could give an
interesting statistic or fact. It is up to
you how you want to get their
attention but your goal should be to
make your reader want to keep
reading past the first couple of
sentences. (1-3 sentences minimum)
1st paragraph
After your grabber you should give
some background information on
the times that your are talking
about. What was it like for the
Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa
before the Age of Exploration
began. Remember the
Renaissance and what had
gone on before that in the Middle
Ages. (3-5 sentences minimum)
2nd Paragraph
Next you should introduce the Age of
Exploration. What was it all about?
What was going on during this time?
What countries were going where?
What were they looking for? Make
sure to talk about England and Spain
in this part especially. Answer the
question - how did the ocean become
a highway for the exploring countries
instead of a barrier? (6-8 sentences
minimum)
3rd Paragraph
Next you should discuss the Columbian
Exchange. What was it? What was being
exchanged? Who was exchanging what?
How did this change peoples’ lives in the
different countries involved? You need to
be specific here. Think about what was
being exchanged and how the people in
the different countries began to live
differently because of what they were
giving and receiving from other countries;
give specific examples (at least 3). (6-8
sentences)
Conclusion:
This is where you should sum up
your essay. Was the Columbian
Exchange a good or bad thing for
the world? Why or why not? What
would the world be like if the
Columbian Exchange would have
never happened? ( 3-5 sentences)
*Each section listed about
should be different paragraphs
in your essay. Concentrate on
your spelling grammar while
writing.