Study Guide: Age of Exploration Part 1 

In this Age of Exploration unit on "A Changing World" and "Early Exploration," we explored the following topics:

• The seven continents and five oceans of the world

• Important European countries and cities

• How European explorers during the Age of Explorations were motivated by the 3 Gs - Gold, God and Glory!

• Marco Polo (1200s) and the printing press (c. 1450)

• Silk Road trading between Asia, Europe and Africa

• The impact that the rise of Islam in the Middle East and northern Africa had on European exploration

• The improvements in technology that aided exploration - better ship design (e.g. caravels), improved navigational instruments (e.g. the compass, astroblabe) and more accurate maps

• The West African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhai who traded across the Sahara desert with Arab merchants and along the west coast of Africa with Portuguese sailors

• The contributions of Portugal to early exploration

• Bartolomeu Dias (1487) and Vasco da Gama's (14897) voyages seeking a sea route to Asia around the southernmost tip of Africa (the Cape of Good Hope)

• The details and impact of Christopher Columbus' first voyage to the Americas in 1492

• The Columbian Exchange and its effects

• The Line of Demarcation and the Treaty of Tordesillas dividing the Americas between Spain and Portugal

• The claim to fame of explorers like Amerigo Vespucci and Ferdinand Magellan

To prepare for your Age of Exploration Part 1 Test, you should re-visit and review the following documents and activities:

• Continents and Oceans Mapping Activity (Activity Book, click link for online practice)

• Europe Mapping Activity (Activity Book, click link for online practice)

• Key Terms and People Document (Google Doc assigned in Classroom)

• Why Explore? Readings and Notes (click the link for readings, shared group notes in Google Classroom)

• West African Kingdoms Chart (Activity Book)

• Dias and Da Gama Brain Frame (Activity Book, click the link for Answer Key)

• Written Response Practice: Innovations and Exploration (Google Doc assigned in Classroom)

• History vs Columbus Video and Pro/Con Chart (Click link for video, Activity Book)

• Columbian Exchange Sorting Activity and Games (Click the link for Answer Key and online games, Activity Book)

• Quizlets for the Age of Exploration and the Columbian Exchange

• BrainPOP videos - Silk Road, Marco Polo, Columbus, Columbian Exchange

• Socrative Weekly Wash-ups