Explorer's+Notebook

Andrea Lemmer

Lesson Title: Explorer’s Notebook

Grade Level: 7th Grade

Subject: Social Studies (World History)

Ohio Academic Content Standards:
 * History: Describe the causes and effects of European exploration after 1400.
 * Geography (Diffusion): Give examples of contacts among different cultures that led to the changes in belief systems, art, science, technology, language or systems of government.
 * Social Studies Skills and Methods (Problem Solving): Establish guidelines, rules and time lines for group work.

ISTE NETS-S
 * 1) Creativity and innovation
 * 2) Communication and collaboration
 * 3) Research and information fluency
 * 4) Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
 * 5) Digital citizenship
 * 6) Technology operations and concepts

Overview: Using their knowledge of explorers and the journals that they kept, students will work in groups to develop an “Explorer’s Notebook” detailing the journey of a particular explorer. They will use a wiki to collaborate and then present their notebook to the class. Emphasis will be placed on writing entries in a style similar to that of the explorers that went on voyages between the 1400s and 1600s.

During Class


 * **//Time//** || **//Instructional Activities//** || **//Materials and Resources//** ||
 * 10 minutes || Discuss what is already known about explorers and review prior knowledge. Focus on what their journeys were like and what types of hardships they faced. ||  ||
 * 20-25 minutes || Introduce “Explorer’s Notebook” project and review requirements of journal entries. Then, read through a few example journal entries of famous explorers to give students an idea of what real explorer journals were like. || project handouts; SmartBoard to read explorer journal entries as a class ||
 * 10 minutes || Break students into groups of 3-4 students (depending on class size); have students assign roles within groups. || project handouts ||
 * 40 minutes || Students will conduct research on their explorer and record notes in their group wiki. || computers with internet access; group wiki ||
 * 80 minutes || Students will use their research to write their journal entries. Each group member will be required to complete two detailed journal entries. Entries will focus on various topics, including explanations of the background and life of the explorer, the ship and crew on the journey, the weather conditions faced on the journey, and the experiences on the journey. Journal entries will be posted on the wiki. || computers with internet access; group wiki ||
 * 50-60 minutes || Groups will share their explorer journals with the class. Each group member will share one of their journal entries. || SmartBoard; group wikis ||

Ongoing assessment(s): Students will be informally monitored throughout the course of the lesson as individuals work to complete their journal entries.

Accommodations: Students will be grouped with other students of a similar ability level. If necessary, students with special needs may be required to complete only one journal entry. They will also have the additional support of our classroom aide.

Back-up Plan: Information on each of the explorers is contained in our textbook, so if the internet is unavailable, students can use their books instead. Printed information on the explorers will also be available. Finally, students could hand-write their journals rather than typing them in a group wiki.

Evaluation: The final product will be assessed using a rubric. Students will be evaluated on the accuracy and thoroughness of their information, the creativity and cohesiveness of their “Explorer’s Notebook,” and their presentation to the class.