Explore with the Explorers

Submitted by: Catherine Richards, Darrell Richard, and Michelle Williams
School: Byrd

Summary

In this interactive lesson students will explore the journey’s of John Cabot, Robert La Salle, Samuel de Champlain, and Francisco Coronado. Specifically they will research the motivations, obstacles, and accomplishments of the explorers and how their interactions with indigenous people of North America influenced modern society. They will use their research to collaborate with their peers to recreate a specific journey to tell the tale of one of the Explorers. Group tours will be combined to create the ultimate trip that examines each of the explores and their various stops. Buckle up and prepare to go on the journey of a lifetime – no passport needed!

TIPC Ratings

Target: In this lesson students had to find, navigate through, and evaluate information in order to create their own exploration. The teacher provided independent research opportunities for students to assemble and synthesize information to use in the creation of their tour. Students used tools to display and interact with information that was previously given to them in note form. They were active participants and were tasked with finding, evaluating, and using the information in their virtual tours for their explorers.

Approaching: This lesson provided students with the opportunity to collaborate to reach a common goal – create an informative, accurate, and exciting virtual tour that visually represented an important voyage to others. Students were responsible for establishing group norms and organizing roles to address an authentic task.

Approaching: Students had to generate and respond to purposeful questions as they considered what elements to include in the tour. They also applied digital tools to think critically about the class assignment.

Approaching: This lesson provided 6th grade students with the opportunity to develop original ideas and create products that incorporated their independent and collective research, communication, and collaborative processes. Students created original tours within the assignment parameters.