Melanie Werner
Seymour Middle School
Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He
Standards
 7.26 Draw evidence from information texts to analyze the contributions made during the
Ming Dynasty such as building projects, including the Forbidden City and the
reconstruction of the Great Wall, isolationism, and sea voyages. (C,E,H,P)
 7.71 Identify the European countries responsible for North American exploration and the
modern day countries in which they settled, including France, Spain, England, Portugal,
and the Dutch. Summarize the reasons for the success of these countries in colonization
of North and South America. (E,G,H,P)
 7.73 Identify the voyages of discovery, the locations of the routes, and the influence of
technology in the developments of a new European worldview including cartography,
compass, caravel, and astrolabe. (C,E,G, H,P)
Objectives
 Locate and label the current day countries or cities where each explorer stopped.
 Create a map of voyages for each explorer based on the descriptions given.
 Compare and contrast the maritime achievements of Christophe Columbus and Zheng
He.
Materials
 "Two Significant Maritime Achievements. “Education about Asia 10.3 (2005): 46-47.
Print.
 Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He
instructions sheet
 Atlases or political and physical maps of each of the seven continents or computer access
to Google maps.
 Legal sized construction paper
 Printable map of world (page 22)http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/Mission_Geography/Map_Index.pdf
Time Needed
 Two 45 minute class periods. This project can be done individually or in pairs.
Focus/Hook
 If you heard about the opportunity to travel to another planet in hopes of finding natural
resources that could make you rich, would you make the journey? Why? Why not?
Lesson- This is a lesson can be used as a review activity or an introduction activity.
 If students would make the journey to another planet, make them stand on the left side of
the room. If students would not make the journey, make them stand on the right side of
the room. Then, as a class, discuss the reasons to make the journey and the reasons not to
make the journey.
 Prompt students by asking, “Has there ever been a time in history where people have had
to make the same decisions, maybe not another planet, but to make a journey to the
unknown?” Prompt students to the topic of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He.
 Read the background on the Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher
Columbus and Zheng He.
 Group students in pairs and ask them to write down as many facts as they can on
Christopher Columbus and Zheng He. Then go around the room and ask for one fact per
pair.
 Explain the instructions of the Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher
Columbus and Zheng He foldable.
Assessment
 Students can individually or work in pairs to complete the foldable Comparing the
Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He foldable.
Comparing the Maritime Achievements of Christopher Columbus and Zheng He
Background: The fifteenth century was a time of great sea exploration. Christopher Columbus
and Zheng He were two of the most famous explorers of this time. Although they were both sea
explorers, the way they entered their voyages were quite different. Zheng He started his voyages
with advanced technology of the time and with accurate maps that had been created by previous
mariners. Christopher Columbus on the other hand did not have the advanced technology of the
Chinese and did not have maps since he was trying to discover a new sea route to Asia.
Your goal-Create a foldable that compares and contrasts the maritime achievements of
Christopher Columbus and Zheng He.
Directions1. Read Two Significant Maritime Achievements. As you read, highlight years, locations,
and key facts.
2. Create a timeline for the voyages of Christopher Columbus. There are nine dates
mentioned in the article. Indicate the date and give an explanation of what happened on
that date. (10 points)
3. Create a timeline for the voyages of Zheng He. There are thirteen dates mentioned in the
article. Indicate the date and give an explanation of what happened on that date.
(10 points)
4. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting each explorer based on the
information you read in the article. List five facts about Christopher Columbus and five
facts about Zheng He. Include three similarities between the two explorers. (10 points)
5. Track the voyages of Christopher Columbus. Use your world map and the article to track
his voyages. You will first locate and label the countries or cities and then trace his
voyage according to the article from Spain to Spain. Make sure to indicate the date and
year in which he landed on that location. Some countries are listed more than once; you
will only need to label them one time. (30 points)
 Create a map key for each that describes that voyages of Columbus.
 First Voyage
o Locate and label Spain, Canary Islands, Lisbon (located in Portugal), San
Salvador, Cuba, and Hispaniola on your map. Trace this voyage in blue.
 Second Voyage
o Locate and label U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola on your
map. Trace this voyage in orange.
 Third Voyage
o Locate and label Hispaniola and Venezuela. Trace this voyage in green.
 Fourth Voyage
o Locate and label Gran Canary, Jamaica, and Santo Domingo. Trace this
voyage in red.
6. Track the voyages of Zheng He. Use your world map and the article to track his voyages.
You will first locate and label the countries or cities and then trace his voyage according
to the article from the departed country to the country in which he arrived. Make sure to
indicate the date and year in which he landed on that location. Some countries are listed
more than once; you will only need to label them one time. (30 points)
 Create a map key for each that describes that voyages of Zheng He.
 First Voyage
o Locate and label Nanjing (China), Vietnam, Thailand, Java, Straits of
Malacca, and Kozhikode (India). Trace this voyage in blue.
 Second Voyage
o Locate and label Nanjing (China), Sumatra and India. Trace this voyage in
orange.
 Third Voyage
o Locate and label Malacca (Malaysia) and Sri Lanka. Trace this voyage in
green.
 Fourth Voyage
o Locate and label the Strait of Hormuz and Sumatra. Trace this voyage in red.
 Fifth Voyage
o Locate and label the Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, Somalia and Kenya.
 Seventh Voyage (We are skipping the sixth voyage).
o Locate and label South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, Strait of
Hormuz, Swahili, Mecca, and Medina.
7. Organizing your foldable- (10 points)
 Front Cover- Title of the foldable with pictures of the two explorers.
 The inside center- Put the world map of the voyages of Christopher Columbus and
Zheng He.
 The right inside of the foldable- The timeline of Christopher Columbus.
 The left inside of the foldable- The timeline of Zheng He
 Backside of the foldable- The Venn diagram comparing Christopher Columbus and
Zheng He.